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March 8, 2010

• BIG EAST Championship Tournament Central
• Printable BIG EAST Championship Bracket
• Interactive BIG EAST Championship Bracket

LOUISVILLE - The University of Louisville men's basketball team is the No. 6 seed in the 2010 BIG EAST Conference Championship and will play the winner of the No. 11 seeded Cincinnati vs. No. 14 seed Rutgers matchup on Wednesday, March 10 at 9 p.m. on ESPN. The BIG EAST Championship will be played in New York City at legendary Madison Square Garden.

The Cardinals (20-11 overall, 11-7 BIG EAST Conference) enter the BIG EAST Championship having won seven of its last 10 games. U of L earned a first-round bye in the tournament.

Louisville beat both of its possible second round foes during the regular season. Samardo Samuels and Edgar Sosa each scored 14 points to lead the Cardinals to a 68-60 victory over Cincinnati in Freedom Hall (1-24-10). Jerry Smith totaled 16 points, three steals and a season-high matching seven rebounds, hitting 4-of-7 three-point goals, as Louisville beat Rutgers 76-60 in Freedom Hall (2-6-10).

Last year, Louisville claimed its first BIG EAST Conference Tournament Championship in its fourth season competing in the BIG EAST. It was the 16th conference tournament title for Louisville and its first since winning the 2005 C-USA Tournament Championship when U of L advanced to the NCAA Final Four. U of L beat Providence 73-55, #10/13 Villanova 69-55 and #18/20 Syracuse 76-66 to win the 2009 BIG EAST title.

U of L closed out its regular season and 54-year history in Freedom Hall with an impressive 78-68 victory over top-ranked Syracuse. Sophomore forward Kyle Kuric wrote his name into Freedom Hall lore with a terrific performance off the bench. Kuric scored 22 points, all in the second half. It was the most points scored in a half since Larry O'Bannon tied a school record with 26 first-half points against Charlotte on Jan. 3, 2005. Kuric added three rebounds, two assists, a steal, four dunks while connecting on 9-of-11 field goals (4-of-6 three-pointers). U of L made 12-of-40 three-point goals in the game, matching a school record for three-point attempts. The victory greatly aided the Cards' cause for an NCAA Tournament berth.

The senior day crowd of 20,135 was a record for the facility, which has been the site of six NCAA Final Fours. One of the nets from the game will be on display at the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame and the other will move the U of L Hall of Honor, located in the new downtown arena, a 22,000-seat facility where U of L will move to next season. Members of the Cardinals' 1980 and 1986 NCAA Championship teams and seven additional U of L All-Americas were honored at halftime of the game, which also featured a "Red Out" with fans predominantly wearing red.