MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Of all the teams left in the men's and women's March Madness brackets, only one player calls Shelby County home.
Ridgeway High School alum Liz Dixon plays for Louisville. She will represent Memphis when the top-seeded Cardinals play Tennessee in Saturday afternoon's Sweet 16.
"That's really exciting, honestly," Dixon said. "Because I can keep doing what I'm doing and making y'all proud. That's the biggest thing for me."
While Houston men's basketball forward Taze Moore was born in Memphis, he hails from Southaven, MS and graduated from Southaven High School. His Cougars play Villanova on Saturday in the Elite 8.
Dixon came to basketball late, picking up the sport in seventh grade. Even with her 6-foot-5 frame, there was still a steep learning curve.
"Just playing against all these people that are better than me, boys and girls, it was like, 'Dang, I still have a long way to go,'" She said. "I know I'm tall but I'm not there at all."
That fueled her on her journey to become a McDonald's All-American and to Louisville. Now she finds herself four wins away from a national championship.
"That's everything any player would dream of," Dixon said. "I watched March Madness all the time. It's the best time of the year. Better than NBA, NFL, I'm sorry it's just the best thing to watch."
Even better? Getting to play in it. And to show the deep pool of women's basketball talent that Memphis has to offer.
"There are a lot of talented women hoopers in Memphis," she said. "I want to be able to show it's possible. You can definitely do it. Hoop City is not just for dudes only."
Dixon will return to the Cardinals next season. She wants one more year to improve before embarking on a professional basketball career.