Runnin' On Empty: No. 14 Louisville 81, Marquette 56

Not much left to say this morning after YOUR Marquette Golden Eagles got run out of the Garden by the Louisville Cardinals in the nightcap of Day 3 at the Big East Tournament.  The Cardinals, to their credit, forced Marquette to play at a pace that was murder for a team playing its third game in as many days and took advantage of Marquette's porous three-point defense en route to a 25-point blitzing.  When the going got tough in the second half, Louisville had another gear that Marquette couldn't match and left us in the dust. 

And that about sums it up: our best (only?) bet coming into last night, against a well-rested, very good Louisville team, was: "Hey, it's March, sometimes crazy [poop] happens."  But after the Golden Eagles threw their single solid punch to open the game -- if memory serves, Marquette was up 11-3 as Louisville was shaking off the rust of its five-day layoff -- the legs went dead, the jump shots went flat, and the defensive rotations went slow.  As Fr. Marquette might say: c'est la vie.

All of that said: I'll take 2-1 in the Big East Tournament any year -- and especially this year, given our precarious bubble position coming into Tuesday.  Good work, fellas; now heed Hulk Hogan's advice and get some rest:

Jimmy Butler Player of the Game Big East Tournament: He didn't have the best night last night -- 7 points, 1-7 from the field, two assists, three rebounds -- but Junior Cadougan grew up in a big way over the last three days.  His Herculean effort against West Virginia alone -- including the two cold-blooded throws that he hit to put the team up five and ice the game -- secures this award for the little man.

Joe Fulce Undersung Eagle of the Game Big East Tournament: Sorry for the repeats from last night, but Davante Gardner's contributions in the last three days can't be overlooked.  He also struggled yesterday -- his line was just 2/4/0 -- but Marquette doesn't win the West Virginia game without his 10 points.

A Special Joe Fulce Undersung Eagle of the Game: No, friends, your eyes didn't deceive you: that was really Jamail Jones getting significant run last night, and he put those minutes to good use: a team-high seven rebounds in just 17 minutes, plus four points and two steals.

Up Next: The NCAA Selection Show, this Sunday afternoon (after the Big 10 teams get done with their wrasslin' tournament).