LOUISVILLE, Ky. — One of the most iconic venues in college basketball will be the site of a throwback game of sorts Wednesday night.

That evening, the Bellarmine University women's basketball team will welcome Louisville for a 6:30 (ET) contest in Freedom Hall. The matchup will mark the first time since Dec. 16 of 1999 that the two teams will meet in the historic arena.

Before moving to the KFC Yum! Center, the Cardinals called Freedom Hall home through the 2009-10 season. The legendary arena has now been Bellarmine's home court for the last three seasons.

Bellarmine (4-6) and Louisville (7-4) will be squaring off for the third time in the Knights' three-year Division-I era. Overall, the contest will mark the 21st meeting between the two teams, with the Cardinals owning a 16-4 advantage. The majority of the games in the series unfolded between 1971-80, when BU and U of L often battled twice in a season.

Louisville, which is coming off its fourth NCAA Final Four appearance under Head Coach Jeff Walz, defeated Kentucky 86-72 Sunday in Rupp Arena, its sixth straight win over its archrival in the Battle for the Bluegrass. Junior guard Hailey Van Lith scored a game-high 21 points in the win, the fourth time in her last five games she has scored 20 points or more for the Cardinals, who are playing in Freedom Hall for the first time since March 17, 2010, against Bradley.

Louisville had several preseason recognitions prior to the 2022-23 season. The Cardinals were just one of three schools to have a player on all five positional watch lists (Chrislyn Carr, Lieberman Award; Van Lith, Drysdale Award; Morgan Jones, Miller Award; Olivia Cochran, McClain Award; Josie Williams, Leslie Award). Van Lith and Jones were both named to the Preseason All-ACC team as the Cardinals were selected as league favorites. Jones and Van Lith were both selected to the Naismith Award Women's Watch List and the Wooden Award Preseason Top 50 Watch List.

Both head coaches have exceeded 400 career wins, with Bellarmine's Chancellor Dugan amassing 476 and Walz accumulating 421.

Louisville represents the third of five straight opponents in Freedom Hall for Bellarmine, all in games from Dec. 8-20. The Knights are 3-0 at home this season, most recently claiming a 76-49 victory over Franklin (Ind.) College on Monday.

Center Gracie Merkle is a three-time ASUN Freshman of the Week and one-time ASUN Player of the Week. She has recorded six straight double-doubles and seven overall this season. Merkle hit 10-of-12 shots in scoring 21 points with 10 rebounds against Franklin.

Cam Browning was in the vicinity of a triple-double against the Grizzlies. The senior forward notched 15 points, eight rebounds and seven assists. Browning has scored in double figures in five of the last seven games.

Bellarmine has either outrebounded or been even on the boards with eight of its 10 opponents this season. That already exceeds last year's total of seven.

TOY DRIVE: Before the game, Bellarmine Athletics, Louisville Athletics and First Lady of Kentucky Britainy Beshear have partnered to have a toy drive benefiting kids and families of eastern Kentucky who were impacted by severe flooding. Fans are encouraged to drop off a new toy at the donation station in the lobby. Your support is much appreciated.

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