Big East Tournament Quarterfinals—Providence Friars at Louisville Cardinals

Providence Friars (10-8, 19-12) at Louisville Cardinals (16-2, 25-5)

Big East Tournament - Quarterfinals
Thursday, March 12 - 12:00 PM EST on ESPN

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Preview

Last season, the Big East regular season title came down to the final game of the season, and the Cardinals fell short against the Georgetown Hoyas. This season was a completely different story, and Louisville secured their first Big East regular season title. Thursday marks the beginning of their next quest—the Big East Tournament title.

Providence began their tournament title quest on Wednesday with an 83-74 win over DePaul. The Friars have been very surprising this season, although their win over the Blue Demons was expected. They are trying to make their case for an at-large bid, and a strong tournament performance would go a long way.

The Friars' strength lies in their backcourt—their two guards Weyinmi Efejuku and Sharaud Curry average 27 points between them, and guard/forward Marshon Brooks adds another 11. Against the Blue Demons, Curry had a team-high 25 points and Efejuku added 23.

Louisville has a strong team all around, although their presence is typically felt under the basket. Their frontcourt consists of Earl Clark, Terrence Williams, and Samardo Samuels, who account for 38 points.

This will be the second time this season that coach Pitino faces his former team. In their first meeting, Louisville won by 18.

By The Numbers

	Record	Conf	ATS	RPI	SOS	PF	PA
Providence	19-12	10-8	10-15-1	72	47	79.1	76.9
Louisville	25-5	16-2	18-11	9	14	74.1	61.9

	FG%	D. FG%	3P%	D. 3P%	FT%	RPG	SPG	APG	TPG
Providence	45.4	44.9	32.2	34.3	67.7	41.1	7.7	15.1	14.3
Louisville	45.0	39.5	36.2	31.0	64.4	40.9	8.8	16.4	13.5

Stat Leaders

	Providence	Louisville
PPG	W. Efejuku - 15.4	E. Clark - 13.6
	S. Curry - 11.6	T. Williams - 12.8
	M. Brooks - 11.2	S. Samuels - 11.8
RPG	G. McDermott - 8.6	E. Clark - 8.8
APG	S. Curry - 4.4	T. Williams - 5.1
SPG	G. McDermott - 1.5	T. Williams - 2.3
BPG	G. McDermott - 1.2	E. Clark - 1.5

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Prediction

To see Ryan's FREE Pick Against the Spread, please head over to CBBPlace.com!