(Sports Network) -- The 21st-ranked Connecticut Huskies try to do the unthinkable as they shoot for their fifth win in as many days while suiting up against the 14th-ranked Louisville Cardinals in the title game of the 32nd annual Big East Conference Tournament at Madison Square Garden tonight.
UConn, which limped into the tournament after losing two straight and four of its last five games in the regular season, is gunning for a fifth straight victory tonight which would set a new standard for wins in consecutive days. On Friday night, the team played into overtime for the fifth time this season, but luckily the ninth-seeded Huskies came away with the 76-71 win over fourth- seeded and 11th-ranked Syracuse.
Over on the other side, the third-seeded Cardinals appeared to be on their way to the loss column early in their meeting against fourth-ranked Notre Dame, trailing by as many as 16 points in the first half and 14 at the break. But a steady push in the second half and strong defense forced the game into overtime where UofL took over en route to the 83-77 triumph. The victory was the second in a row and the sixth in the last seven games for the Cardinals, a team which won this event two years ago with a 76-66 win over Syracuse in the championship round.
The run by UConn in the tournament is unprecedented given that the team fell flat in the event the last few years and now has a chance at history. Nevertheless, winning the tournament would be nothing new for the Huskies who have six titles to their credit, the most recent of which coming in 2004 versus Pittsburgh (61-58).
Louisville won both regular-season meetings against the Huskies, first with a 79-78 double-overtime decision on the road in late January and then a 71-58 triumph in Kentucky the following month. As a result, the all-time series now sits at 6-5 in favor of the Cardinals.