Darius Johnson-Odom scored 22 points and Marquette used an 18-0 run straddling halftime to beat Louisville 69-48 on Tuesday night and improve its NCAA tournament hopes at the expense of another bubble team.
Maurice Acker added 15 points and Joe Fulce had 11 for the Golden Eagles, who have won nine of their last 10, including the last three wins in overtime. Marquette (20-9, 11-6 Big East) had no need for five extra minutes against the Cardinals after thoroughly dominating them in an 8 1/2-minute stretch.
Louisville (19-11, 10-7) still has a strong postseason resume, but now may need one more signature win. The Cardinals will get that chance on Saturday when they host No. 1 Syracuse in the final regular-season game in Freedom Hall after 54 years. Louisville beat Syracuse 66-60 at the Carrier Dome on Feb. 14.
