Big East Tournament 2013: Louisville emerges victorious

The second half was such a dramatic reversal you would’ve thought ESPN spliced in a different game, as Louisville mounted one of the most impressive comebacks of Championship Week. They used a 27-3 run to take their first lead of the game at the 9:50 mark, setting up a potentially thrilling finish.The Cardinals didn’t stop there, however, and they completely took over the game, forcing turnover after turnover as the Orange collapsed down the stretch.

With the win, Louisville has likely clinched a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament and have proved that they are a force to be reckoned with. They will be a heavy favorite to reach the Final Four. Syracuse will probably stay on the No. 4 or 5 line after choking away the big lead.

what in the hell

what is even happening

But it was the one he missed, a 15-foot jumper, that drew coach Jim Boeheim’s ire.

“What are you doing,” indeed.

No. 19 Syracuse (26-8, 11-7) is one of the original Big East schools, coached by the great Jim Boeheim. The Orange had lost four of its last five games before the tournament began, but have gotten back on track. Syracuse has beaten Seton Hall, Pittsburgh and Georgetown to get here, showing it is once again a legitimate power.

No. 4 Louisville (28-5, 14-4) of course has Rick Pitino on its sidelines, looking for its second-consecutive Big East championship. The Cardinals have been terrific down the stretch, winners of their last nine including victories over Villanova and Notre Dame in the tourney.

After uprooting Georgetown, the No. 1 seed in the Big East tournament, Syracuse will look to finish its time in the disintegrating Big East with a conference championship. Standing in its way is Louisville, who smashed Notre Dame in a double-digit win to move on.

The classic Big East rivalry between Syracuse and Georgetown provided yet another thriller as the Orange prevailed in overtime, 58-55.

Don’t adjust your computer set. The 1990s are not actually back. Still, you might want to lie down for a while, not listen to MC Hammer and try not to think about Fido Dido.

In that second game, the Cardinals won the same way they’ve won every game during this current winning streak, with defense. Over their last eight games, Louisville (27-5, 14-4) has only allowed an opponent to crack the 60-point barrier once. In the Big East quarterfinals the Cardinals suffocated Villanova’s offense, forcing 24 turnovers on their way to a 74-55 win.

The winner will advance to the Big East Tournament championship, where Notre Dame would seek its first title and Louisville its third. No matter who wins, one thing is for certain, both teams will be wearing something crazy as their Adidas uniforms have been one of the hot topics at the tournament.

The magic of the Big East Tournament has seemed endless over the years, but its future is not. After three more tournament games in Madison Square Garden, the tournament as we know it will dissolve on account of the poaching and self-inflicted implosion known as conference realignment.

But until then, Friday’s semifinals have a lot of promise to deliver that magic for which the tournament is known.

Have you ever wondered what a basketball jersey version of the Seattle Seahawks’ bright green uniforms would look like, but with less blue? Wonder no more, Notre Dame is here to help!

If nothing else, it might help them distract their opponents. I definitely wouldn’t be able to play with full concentration against a team dressed head to toe like giant boogers.

The game got ugly pretty fast, as Louisville started things off with an 18-8 run and never looked back. Their defense stymied Villanova early, getting nine steals and forcing 17 turnovers in the first half alone. They went into halftime up 30-21.

Villanova still couldn’t get going in the second half, and when Louisville put up a 15-6 run around the 10-minute mark, the rest of the game was a mere formality. The Wildcats shot only 38.9 percent from the field, including a miserable 2-of-12 on three-pointers. They finished with 24 turnovers and allowed the Cardinals to get 12 steals. The Wildcats never held a lead once in this game.

The game started off back-and-forth, with both teams trading shots. After a 14-14 tie, however, Syracuse went off with a 13-1 run. The Orange were led by James Southerland, who had 17 points and made all five three-point shots in the first half. The Orange went into halftime up big, 40-27.

The Orange move on to the Big East semifinals, where they will face Georgetown and have a chance for revenge, after the Hoyas routed them, 61-39, in the regular-season finale.

Parker came back from halftime fired up. He came away with two straight steals and four straight transition points -- two free throws and a layup -- to cut the lead to one, and after giving up a bucket, a three from Wright tied the game at 31.

The Bearcats went on to take a lead, but it was short-lived. Georgetown would score seven straight and kept the lead growing as Cincinnati was left hoisting threes. The Hoyas would extend the advantage steadily until the final buzzer.

The quarterfinals of the 2013 Big East tournament start on Thursday. The second round on Wednesday didn’t feature many surprises. Villanova stayed in the bubble picture by taking care of St. John’s, Cincinnati has all but punched their ticket after blowing out Providence, and Syracuse and Notre Dame both took care of business.

Nearly everyone left will be dancing next week, so if you’re looking for a great preview of the NCAA tournament, now’s the time to start tuning in.