GAME NOTES: The 13th-ranked Marquette Golden Eagles invade Freedom Hall tonight for a Big East Conference showdown with the formidable Louisville Cardinals. Marquette figures to enter with a wealth of confidence, as the club is coming off a 92-66 romp over Notre Dame on Saturday. That win was the second in a row for the Golden Eagles, who have lost just two games all season to Duke and West Virginia. As for Louisville, it has won its last three games and seven of the last eight to move to 12-4 overall. The Cardinals were most recently in action on Sunday as they posted a 64-49 decision over Rutgers on the road. Louisville owns a 35-24 series lead over Marquette, including a thrilling 61-59 decision over the Golden Eagles in the most recent meeting.

Overall this season, Marquette is netting 80.1 ppg on 48 percent shooting from the floor, and it is limiting opponents to 61.3 ppg on 39.6 percent field goal efficiency. While the Golden Eagles have not been as statistically dominant in league games, they are 3-1 in Big East play, the only stat that really matters. Domonic James has not led Marquette in scoring in any of the last four outings, but he still paces the squad with 14.9 ppg and 67 assists. Jerel McNeal checks in with 13.5 ppg, and Lazar Hayward is contributing 13.1 ppg and 6.4 rpg. The fourth and final double-digit scorer for the Golden Eagles is Wesley Matthews with his 10.5 ppg. In the romp over Notre Dame, McNeal tallied 18 points to lead a balanced offensive attack. Hayward finished with 17 points and 11 rebounds for Marquette, which managed a 12-of-24 effort from three- point range.

In the victory over Rutgers on Sunday, Louisville got 14 points from Jerry Smith and 14 rebounds from Terrence Williams. Edgar Sosa tallied 10 points off the bench for the Cardinals, who limited the Scarlet Knights to 31.4 percent shooting from the floor. A 40-33 rebounding advantage also helped the cause. Overall this season, Louisville is netting 70.9 ppg while limiting the opposition to 58.9 ppg on 37.4 percent shooting from the field. Williams leads his team with 11.6 ppg, and he is pulling down 8.0 rpg as well. Earl Clark checks in with 11.4 ppg and a team-high 9.8 rpg, and Smith is scoring 11.2 ppg. As for Derrick Caracter, he is the fourth and final double-digit scorer in the fold with 10.9 ppg.

Expect tonight's game to go down to the wire, as Louisville and Marquette appear to be evenly matched. In an upset, go with the Cardinals at home.