Louisville rode the hot hand of its own superstar sophomore on Monday to punch its ticket to the women’s Final Four — the fourth in school history.
Hailey Van Lith — the first Cardinal women’s player with four consecutive 20-point tournament games — finished with 22, three rebounds, and two steals as the 1-seed topped Michigan 62-50.
Van Lith continues to establish herself as one of the nation’s top players — and one of the most marketable, who could be worth an estimated $1 million in NIL rights.
- Van Lith, the first Louisville athlete with a jersey for sale, averages 14.5 points, 3.4 rebounds, and 2.2 assists.
- In August 2021, she became the first women’s college basketball player to sign an NIL representation deal with Octagon Sports & Entertainment Agency.
- She has agreements with Adidas, Twitch, Dick’s Sporting Goods, and Ready Nutrition, among others.
- Among all remaining March Madness players, she has the second-highest earning potential per social media post ($44.2K) behind UConn’s Paige Bueckers.
The Cardinals are seeking the program’s first title after reaching the 2009 and 2013 title games.
Of the remaining four teams, Louisville has the worst odds (+850) to win the title, though at Van Lith’s best — when she scores 20-plus — the Cardinals are a perfect 11-0.
