Cortnee Walton acknowledges that not everyone believes in the benefits of sports psychology, but the Louisville women's basketball veteran does, and she credits it for the Cardinals' recent bounce back from a 1-4 start.

U of L topped then-No. 19 Michigan State last week before routing Valparaiso on Saturday, victories that set up Walton and company with some momentum heading into Thursday's game at No. 8 Kentucky.

The wins were a product of, as coach Jeff Walz says, staying "above the line." It's a message coined by Urban Meyer and passed down by the Cards' new mental conditioning coordinator, Vanessa Shannon, who started this fall and spends plenty of time with the women's hoops team.

"It's really good to have for the freshmen, the mental part of it," the redshirt junior forward said. "... People who are below the line are people who complain and are among the status quo. People above the line are the ones who work hard and do the right thing all the time.

"It's hard to be above the line."

U of L's slow start has come against what Walz considers a top-20 schedule nationally. The Cards' losses are to nationally ranked California, the Big Ten's Purdue as well as Dayton and Western Kentucky teams that played in the 2015 NCAA tournament.

Not until the 75-42 victory over Valparaiso did Walz put five freshmen from the nation's top incoming recruiting class on the floor for extended time together.

"We haven't had a lot of opportunities to let kids learn during games, where you've got some game footage to show your freshmen, 'This is what we have to work on. This is why you have to do this,'" the coach said. "It's more so, 'Hey, it's a six- or eight-point game and you can't go out and get beat on defense.'"

Walton, a former reserve, has opened this season as the only U of L player to start all seven games. Her 6.1 points and 6.9 rebounds a night aren't eye-popping numbers, but the Arizona native holds her own by, again, staying above the line.

For Walton, it's about getting back down the floor quickly and talking about defense. Near the end of practice Tuesday, Walz pulled a freshman from a drill, then asked her to watch how Walton holds down the post.

"We're getting a ton better, but there's still a ways to go," she said. "...We know how good we can be. It's just respecting the process."

Brackemyre out: Redshirt freshman forward Sydney Brackemyre continued a limited role this week, Walz said, while dealing with lingering knee pain from a surgery last year.

"It's one of those things that's a day-by-day thing," the coach said. "Hopefully we'll get some news in the next few days on her."

Brackemyre has come back from a torn ACL and meniscus to appear in two games for U of L.