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Providence hopes to jump off the bubble vs. Louisville

Mar 12, 2009 - 12:34 PM Providence (19-12) at No. 5 Louisville (25-5) 12:00 p.m. EDT

NEW YORK (Ticker) -- Providence will be looking to impress the NCAA Tournament selection committee when it takes on No. 5 Louisville on Thursday in the quarterfinals of the Big East tournament.

The Friars (19-12, 10-8 Big East) have home wins over Syracuse and Pittsburgh on their resume but are decidedly on the bubble due to the fact that they have yet to beat a quality opponent on the road.

Sharaud Curry scored 25 points and Weyinmi Efejuku added 23 on Wednesday as Providence took down DePaul, 83-74, in a second-round contest. The Friars earned a first-round bye due to finishing eighth in the Big East.

Louisville (25-5, 16-2) can count on an at-large bid but would put itself in contention for a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament with a strong showing here.

Riding an eight-game winning streak, the Cardinals won the regular-season Big East championship and earned a double-bye into the quarterfinals by defeating West Virginia, 62-59, on Saturday. Terrence Willaims scored 20 points to lead the way.

The Friars actually led Louisville, 46-45, at the half in the first meeting between the teams on February 1, but fell off after the break, allowing the Cardinals to cruise to a 94-76 win.