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Louisville goes for second straight win over ranked opponent

Feb 17, 2007 - 4:49 PM Louisville (18-8) at No. 13 Marquette (21-6) 9:00 pm EST

MILWAUKEE (Ticker) - Louisville dominated No. 5 Pittsburgh its last time out and will look to do the same against another tough opponent Saturday.

The Cardinals take on No. 13 Marquette in a key Big East Conference matchup.

Marquette (21-6, 8-4 Big East) has lost two in a row after an eight game winning streak to drop into a third place tie with Louisville in the Big East.

The Golden Eagles' latest loss came at the hands of DePaul Wednesday night, 72-67. Dominic James led Marquette with 17 points and Jerel McNeal added 16 but the Golden Eagles could not overcome a 39 percent shooting effort.

Louisville (18-8, 8-4) dropped the last meeting between the two teams, 74-65 on January 15. Dominic James led Marquette with 18 points and Ousmane Barro added 14 points and 11 rebounds. Louisville was led by David Padgett with 18 points and 9 boards.

The Cardinals have played better lately, winning their last two with Padgett again leading the way with 16 points in Louisville's win last Monday over Pittsburgh.

A win over another ranked opponent would not only give Louisville sole possession of third place in the Big East but establish Rick Pitino's young squad as a team to be watched come tournament time.