Louisville’s status as one of the elite programs in the county and a purveyor of WNBA talent is unchallenged.

The Cardinals came into the NCAA Tournament as a No. 1 seed for the third time in program history. They are the only team in the country to be a No. 1 seed in three of the last four tournaments.

Head coach Jeff Walz has changed the fortunes of this program, turning it into a national powerhouse that regularly makes deep NCAA runs and produces some of the best players in the country. Louisville is making its 24th NCAA Tournament appearance, a run that includes 13 of the last 14 tournaments under Walz, including 11 in a row. Louisville is 37-23 all-time in NCAA Tournament games, but were 4-11 in their first 11 appearances and are 33-12 under Walz with three trips to the Final Four and two appearances in the title game.

The Cardinals have been a model of consistency, remaining in the AP Top 10 for 94 straight polls dating back to the 2017 preseason, a program record. And they have remained in the AP Top 25 for 123 straight weeks.

Louisville’s WNBA legacy is an impressive one, starting with WNBA All-Stars Angel McCoughtry and Myisha Hines-Allen and moving to stars such as Asia Durr, and Dana Evans. The Cardinals have produced 14 WNBA Draft picks, 12 of them under Walz.

In fact, Louisville has produced six draftees in the last three years, tied for the most of any program in the country along with Baylor.

Emily Engstler is a projected Draft pick, with 10 double-doubles on the season, which ranked fourth in the ACC this season. She also ranks second in the ACC at 2.4 steals per game, 3rd with 6.6 defensive rebounds and 9.1 rebounds per game overall. She’s led the Cardinals in rebounds in 26 of 29 games this season.

Longtime WNBA reporter Michelle Smith writes a column on WNBA.com throughout the season. The views on this page do not necessarily reflect the views of the WNBA or its clubs.

NCAA players mentioned in this article will become eligible for the 2022 draft at such point as they renounce their remaining NCAA eligibility and thereby make themselves available for the  draft.