Preston Knowles and Louisville erased a major deficit as Marquette collapsed late in their most recent meeting. The senior and the Cardinals are trying to erase the memory of their own meltdown.
Knowles and third-seeded and No. 14 Louisville try to continue their success against the 11th-seeded Golden Eagles with a trip to the semifinals of the Big East tournament at stake Thursday night at Madison Square Garden.
The Cardinals (23-8) have won eight of 10 meetings with Marquette (20-13), dating back to their Conference USA days before joining the Big East for the 2005-06 season. This is the first postseason game between the rivals since a Golden Eagles win in 2002.
The latest matchup appeared to be going Marquette's way in dominating fashion Jan. 15, but Knowles scored 15 of his 17 points in the final 5:44 when Louisville overcame an 18-point deficit to win 71-70. The guard made four of his five 3s in the final four minutes.
The Cardinals got a taste of being on the losing end of a collapse Saturday, squandering a five-point lead with 25 seconds remaining in a 72-70 defeat to West Virginia. Knowles was at the forefront, committing a foul 75 feet from the basket with less than a second to play and the score tied.
"There was no crying in the locker room, but we were devastated," said coach Rick Pitino, who defended Knowles. "I told him I wouldn't trade him for five of the best players in the country."
Knowles, Louisville's leader with 14.5 points per game, would like to forget his performance in last year's conference tournament. He made just 1 of 12 field goals - 1 of 6 from beyond the arc - to finish with three points in a 69-66 loss to then 11th-seeded Cincinnati in the second round.
Kyle Kuric's recent play could provide a spark. Over the last two games, the junior guard has totaled 46 points while connecting on 18 of 27 shots, including 7 of 13 3-pointers.
Marquette, the only unranked team in the quarterfinals, is looking to reach the semifinals of the tournament for a third time in four years. The Golden Eagles got closer to that feat after beating sixth-seeded and No. 20 Mountaineers 67-61 on Wednesday, eliminating the reigning tournament champion one night after an 87-66 romp over Providence.
Winning a third night in a row would seemingly assure Marquette a spot in the NCAA tournament - quite possibly as the 11th team from the Big East.
"I went out early again (Wednesday), I was looking for someone on the selection committee. I didn't see anybody," coach Buzz Williams said in keeping his way of not answering the question about his team sealing its bid. "I thought they would be the best dressed here. I saw a lot of guys from Wall Street. I did not see anybody from the selection committee."
Darius Johnson-Odom has emerged as the Golden Eagles' top scoring threat in the tournament. The junior guard, tied with Jimmy Butler for the team lead at 16.0 points per game, came up big Wednesday by hitting two 3-pointers late in the second half after missing his first three of the game. He finished with 11 points after scoring 23 against the Friars.
"My teammates do a great job of finding me on shots, and it's my job to make 'em, knock 'em down," he said. "We did a great job guarding and I think if we do that, it'll be hard for teams to beat us."
Johnson-Odom is averaging 19.0 points in two meetings with Louisville, hitting 6 of 13 3-pointers.
