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Louisville hopes to stay perfect in Big East

Jan 31, 2009 - 11:22 AM West Virginia (15-5) at No. 7 Louisville (16-3) 12:00 p.m. EST

LOUISVILLE, Kentucky (Ticker) -- At the crowded top of the Big East Conference, No. 7 Louisville has managed to stay unblemished.

The Cardinals will be looking to stay ahead of the pack when they face West Virginia on Saturday.

Louisville (16-3, 7-0 Big East) has built its record with impressive victories over Pittsburgh, Syracuse, Villanova and Notre Dame and has three players in Earl Clark, Terrence Williams and Samardo Samuels averaging at least 13.1 points per game.

Edgar Sosa emerged as the leading scorer on Wednesday, pouring in 16 points in 19 minutes as the Cardinals easily dispatched South Florida, 80-54. It was an impressive defensive showing for Louisville, which forced 21 turnovers and held the Bulls to 37 percent shooting in the second half.

West Virginia (15-5, 4-3) has won four of its last five to climb into a tie for sixth place in the Big East.

Led by junior forward Da'Sean Butler and senior guard Alex Ruoff, the Mountaineers beat St. John's, 75-52, on Wednesday. Butler and Rouff combined for 38 points and 13 rebounds while Devin Banks chipped in 10 points and eight boards in the easy win.

This is the first of two meetings between the schools this season. They finish up the regular season against each other on March 7.