LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP)—Louisville center Samardo Samuels has declared for the NBA Draft but will not hire an agent, leaving open the possibility of returning for his junior season.

Samardo Samuels has declared for the NBA Draft but will not hire an agent.

Cardinals coach Rick Pitino said Samuels and his family approached Pitino about [...]]]> Associated Press

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP)—Louisville center Samardo Samuels has declared for the NBA Draft but will not hire an agent, leaving open the possibility of returning for his junior season.

Samardo Samuels has declared for the NBA Draft but will not hire an agent.

Cardinals coach Rick Pitino said Samuels and his family approached Pitino about testing the NBA draft and that he supports Samuels “100 percent.”

The 6-foot-9, 265-pound sophomore has until May 8 to withdraw from draft consideration. He averaged 15.3 points and 7.0 rebounds last season for the Cardinals.

Pitino said he will orchestrate Samuels’ meetings with NBA teams.

Jerry Smith #34 of the Louisville Cardinals reaches around to foul Jerome Randle #3 of the California Golden Bears during the first round of the 2010 NCAA men's basketball tournament at Jacksonville Veteran's Memorial Arena on March 19, 2010 in Jacksonville, Florida.

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Jerome Randle and Theo Robertson scored 21 points [...]]]> Associated Press

Jerry Smith #34 of the Louisville Cardinals reaches around to foul Jerome Randle #3 of the California Golden Bears during the first round of the 2010 NCAA men's basketball tournament at Jacksonville Veteran's Memorial Arena on March 19, 2010 in Jacksonville, Florida.

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Jerome Randle and Theo Robertson scored 21 points apiece and eighth-seeded California squandered most of a seemingly comfortable lead before pulling away to 77-62 victory over ninth-seeded Louisville on Friday night in the first round of the NCAA tournament.

California’s distractions seem about as distant now as the Pacific Ocean.

That disappointing loss in the Pac-10 tournament? Getting sent across the country to open the NCAA tournament? The suspension of a starter?

The Golden Bears overcame them all – and showed even more resiliency in the first round against Louisville.

Jerome Randle, Patrick Christopher and Theo Robertson – Cal’s senior stars – stole the show, carrying the eighth-seeded Bears to a 77-62 victory over the No. 9 seed Friday night and advancing to the second round for the first time since 2003.

Randle and Robertson scored 21 points apiece, Christopher added 17 and the Bears (24-10) responded to everything the Cardinals (20-13) could muster in the South Regional game at Veterans Memorial Arena.

Their reward? No. 1 seed Duke on Sunday.

The Bears don’t want to think about that one just yet. They’d rather savor this victory. There was plenty to enjoy, too.

They jumped out to an 18-point lead, watched Louisville whittle it down to six, then pulled back out front by 14. They watched that lead get cut to 62-58 with 6:55 remaining, then stepped on the gas for good. Cal finished the game on a 15-4 run.

Rakeem Buckles led Louisville with 20 points. Samardo Samuels added 16.

But the inconsistent Cardinals had no answers early and even less late. Coach Rick Pitino tried to foul Max Zhang in the final minutes, attempting to send the 50-percent free throw shooter to the line, but officials called Kyle Kuric for an intentional foul that got the coach’s blood boiling and led to a technical.

Randle and Zhang made their free throws, ending any thoughts of a late comeback.

Cal shot 51 percent from the field, even better from 3-point range (53.3 percent) and made 17 of 22 free throws. But the real damage came in the opening minutes.

The game was delayed 19 minutes because of a malfunctioning shot clock, but once it started, the Cardinals looked like the ones who needed repairs. They missed 11 of their first 13 shots and had no answer for the hot-shooting Bears.

Cal connected on seven of its first 10 shots, including four of six from 3-point range, and opened an 18-point lead with a little more than 6 minutes gone in the game.

Christopher, taking advantage of so much attention on Randle, hit three from behind the arc. Jamal Boykin dropped a couple of jumpers, Robertson chipped in five points and, all of a sudden, no one was questioning whether Cal would miss suspended forward Omondi Amoke.

Amoke was “temporarily suspended” for an undisclosed violation of team rules. Coach Mike Montgomery went with a three-guard lineup, starting Jorge Gutierrez. The move paid off, as Gutierrez hit a couple shots and dished out four assists in the first half.

Louisville, meanwhile, couldn’t seem to do anything right.

The Cardinals had three turnovers in their first eight possessions, got called for an intentional foul and even had a band member yelling, “Don’t be afraid to score.”

Pitino even seemed to get into a heated confrontation with an assistant coach during one timeout. Pitino was equally short-tempered with his players.

But they responded. After trailing 22-4, the Cards started getting to loose balls, creating turnovers, grabbing offensive rebounds and hitting 3s.

They really got things turned around with a 12-0 run that made it 30-24 with 6:48 remaining in the half. Edgar Sosa hit a jumper in the lane, Buckles got a steal and a layup, Samuels got an easy one in the paint and then Jared Swopshire and Buckles hit 3-pointers.

But Cal cranked it back up. Randle made two free throws, Christopher hit a 12-footer and then Randle drained a long-range 3 at the buzzer. He missed his first two shots from behind the arc, but this one swished the net and had Louisville’s players shaking their heads as they headed to the locker room.

They never really recovered.

9:45 PM ET, March 19, 2010 Jacksonville Veterans Memorial Arena, Jacksonville, FL

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (AP)—California and Louisville are shuffling their starting lineups for their first-round matchup in the NCAA tournament.

The Golden Bears had to. The Cardinals wanted to.

Cal coach Mike Montgomery suspended starting forward Omondi Amoke indefinitely for an unspecified [...]]]> Associated Press

9:45 PM ET, March 19, 2010 Jacksonville Veterans Memorial Arena, Jacksonville, FL

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (AP)—California and Louisville are shuffling their starting lineups for their first-round matchup in the NCAA tournament.

The Golden Bears had to. The Cardinals wanted to.

Cal coach Mike Montgomery suspended starting forward Omondi Amoke indefinitely for an unspecified violation of team rules. Louisville coach Rick Pitino benched forward Terrence Jennings in favor of Jared Swopshire, hoping a smaller frontcourt combination will clear out the lane for leading scorer Samardo Samuels.

Both moves could be key when the eighth-seeded Bears (23-10) and ninth-seeded Cardinals (20-12) meet in the South Region on Friday at Jacksonville Veterans Arena.

“Well, just like life, things are going to be thrown at you, and the way you handle it, I think, defines you,” Cal guard Patrick Christopher said. “We can’t really worry about things that we can’t control. This is a situation that we can’t control. We have to move forward with it, work with the guys and work with our chemistry that we have. I think we’ll be fine.”

Montgomery said Amoke is “temporarily suspended” and didn’t make the cross country trip with his teammates. “That’s what it is. The kid made a mistake and we felt like we had to take action, and we did, and pretty much the end of the story.”

Cal declined to divulge what prompted Amoke’s suspension and played down his absence—little surprise since he averaged 4.8 points and 4.6 rebounds, and had more fouls (72) than baskets (58) this season.

Still, the loss leaves the Bears with less muscle and a new rotation against Louisville. That could mean a big game for Samuels, one of the Big East’s best big men. The 6-foot-9 Jamaican leads the team with 15.3 points and 7.0 rebounds, and had five double-doubles.

“We really need to pound it into Samardo and let him get going early for us,” said guard Jerry Smith, who will return to the starting lineup after missing the Big East tournament with a thumb injury. “That’s going to be the main factor.”

The 6-10 Jennings had started 10 of the last 13 games alongside Samuels. But Pitino believes the 6-8 Swopshire, who started early in the season, will make it easier for Samuels down low.

“We’re going to try to open it up a little bit with Jared,” Pitino said.

Swopshire also could help more on the perimeter. Cal has three regulars shooting better than 40 percent from 3-point range.

Although Theo Robertson (44 percent) and Jorge Gutierrez (42 percent) are more accurate, Pac-10 player of the year Jerome Randle might be the most dangerous.

Randle is averaging 18.7 points, has made 88 3-pointers and shown the kind of range that forces many opponents to pick him up near midcourt.

“If I see an opening, if I feel like that’s sagging off, I’m pretty sure I can hit from there if I’m really on top of my game,” he said. “One thing I know is they’re not going to give me a lot of open shots anyway, so I have to figure out another way to get my teammates involved or score with the basketball.”

Guard play could be huge for both teams.

The Bears start three senior guards in Christopher, Randle and Robertson. The trio helped Cal win its first Pac-10 championship in 50 years and reach the NCAA tournament for the second consecutive year.

Cal lost to Maryland in the opening round last season, and those seniors don’t want to end their careers like they did last year.

“Last year, we came in not really knowing what to expect coming here to compete and play basketball,” Christopher said. “But this year, we have another year under our belt … so taking that into account I think we’re pretty well prepared for something like this.”

The Cardinals feel the same way. The backcourt duo of Smith and Edgar Sosa had led Louisville to the regional finals the last two years—and could have the talent to get even further this year.

“We’ve been to two straight Elite Eights, coming off a Big East championship the year before, so we have a lot of experience in the backcourt,” Pitino said. “This is their fourth NCAA tournament appearance, our backcourt. So I think they know what it’s all about.”

Louisville's Edgar Sosa is carried on the shoulders of fans after his team defeated No. 1 Syracuse 78-68 in an NCAA college basketball game in Louisville, Ky., Saturday, March 6, 2010.

LOUISVILLE, KY — Louisville gave Freedom Hall a memorable send-off.

Kyle Kuric scored all of his career-high 22 points in the second half and [...]]]> Associated Press

Louisville's Edgar Sosa is carried on the shoulders of fans after his team defeated No. 1 Syracuse 78-68 in an NCAA college basketball game in Louisville, Ky., Saturday, March 6, 2010.

LOUISVILLE, KY — Louisville gave Freedom Hall a memorable send-off.

Kyle Kuric scored all of his career-high 22 points in the second half and the Cardinals upset No. 1 Syracuse 78-68 on Saturday, providing one last highlight at their 54-year-old home.

Louisville (20-11, 11-7 Big East) may also have assured itself a return trip to the NCAA tournament by sweeping the season series from the Orange (28-3, 15-3). Their only other loss all season came against Pittsburgh, and Saturday was their first road loss.

Although Syracuse led by eight points late in the first half, Kuric was a one-man wrecking crew in the second. He made 9 of 11 shots – including four 3-pointers – to make for a happy ending at Freedom Hall, before Louisville moves to a new downtown arena in the fall.

Trailing 42-39 early in the second half, the Cardinals found their inside game with three straight baskets in the paint that gave them the lead for good. Kuric had two of them, a fastbreak dunk and layup.

In a span of just over five minutes, Kuric also had all four of his 3-pointers. After his second one, Syracuse’s Scoop Jardine immediately answered with a 3, so Kuric simply answered right back with another one. Jardine finished with 20 points.

With under four minutes left, it was Kuric’s dunk that pushed the Louisville lead to 10, and he got another one on a break that buried the Orange with under two minutes left.

It was a completely different game in the first half, when Syracuse dominated the paint, getting 26 points there compared to 12 for the Cardinals.

Syracuse took an early 21-20 lead with more than six minutes to go in the first half on a dunk by Rick Jackson, then stretched it to a game-high eight points a couple minutes later after a 3-pointer and fastbreak layup by Jardine.

Edgar Sosa nailed a 3 seconds before halftime to make it 35-30 at the break.

Although the Cardinals connected on 46 percent of their shots and the Orange 44 percent by the end, the two were cold from the gate, combining for 11 shots but no points over the opening three minutes. Jerry Smith finally hit consecutive 3s for the Cardinals, and later turned in one of the more dazzling plays of the game, grabbing a steal out of midair and cruising the other way to finish with a one-handed dunk.

Smith was sidelined the second half after injuring a finger on his right hand.

This one had all the pageantry of the final Louisville game in one of college basketball’s most storied venues. The stands were filled long before tipoff, and fans waved towels with glowing red flashlights during player introductions.

Louisville coach Rick Pitino, sporting a bright red suit coat to match the attire of most fans in attendance, introduced the team’s seniors before the game and expressed some sentimental thoughts about Freedom Hall.

“This building will close, but what our legends have done for our university will never pass and close,” he said.

Freedom Hall has hosted six national championship games, a handful of NCAA tournament regional finals and 683 Louisville victories.

Denny Crum, who led the Cardinals to national titles in 1980 and 1986 and whose name is adorned on the court, was introduced at halftime alongside players from those teams.

“I love them all,” Crum said. “It’s just really fun to be here, be around them.”

Marquette's Darius Johnson-Odom (1) reacts after scoring against Louisville in the second half of an NCAA college basketball game Tuesday, March 2, 2010, in Milwaukee. Marquette won 69-48 and Johnson-Odom scored 22 points to lead Marquette.

MILWAUKEE — Darius Johnson-Odom scored 22 points and Marquette used an 18-0 run straddling halftime to beat [...]]]> Associated Press

Marquette's Darius Johnson-Odom (1) reacts after scoring against Louisville in the second half of an NCAA college basketball game Tuesday, March 2, 2010, in Milwaukee. Marquette won 69-48 and Johnson-Odom scored 22 points to lead Marquette.

MILWAUKEE — Darius Johnson-Odom scored 22 points and Marquette used an 18-0 run straddling halftime to beat Louisville 69-48 on Tuesday night and improve its NCAA tournament hopes at the expense of another bubble team.

Maurice Acker added 15 points and Joe Fulce had 11 for the Golden Eagles, who have won nine of their last 10, including the last three wins in overtime. Marquette (20-9, 11-6 Big East) had no need for five extra minutes against the Cardinals after thoroughly dominating them in an 8 1/2-minute stretch.

Louisville (19-11, 10-7) still has a strong postseason resume, but now may need one more signature win. The Cardinals will get that chance on Saturday when they host No. 1 Syracuse in the final regular-season game in Freedom Hall after 54 years. Louisville beat Syracuse 66-60 at the Carrier Dome on Feb. 14.

Louisville (19-10, 10-6 Big East) at Marquette (19-9, 10-6 Big East), 9:30 PM ET, March 2, 2010 Bradley Center, Milwaukee, WI

As accurate as ESPN’s NCAA Tournament guru Joe Lunardi has been predicting bids and seeds, the University of Louisville didn’t breathe a sigh of relief after Sunday’s win over Connecticut.

Lunardi no longer [...]]]>

Louisville (19-10, 10-6 Big East) at Marquette (19-9, 10-6 Big East), 9:30 PM ET, March 2, 2010 Bradley Center, Milwaukee, WI

As accurate as ESPN’s NCAA Tournament guru Joe Lunardi has been predicting bids and seeds, the University of Louisville didn’t breathe a sigh of relief after Sunday’s win over Connecticut.

Lunardi no longer listed the Cardinals as a bubble team — one of his last four teams in or out — in his NCAA Tournament predictions. Lunardi projected U?of?L as a No.?8 seed in his latest bracket.

“In Joe we trust,” Uof?L coach Rick Pitino joked after the 78-76 win.

Actually, the Cards (19-10, 10-6 Big East) don’t trust him that much. They’re still gunning for their goal of an 11th conference win, beginning Tuesday at Marquette.

After watching Providence become the only 10-win team under the league’s current format to miss the NCAA Tournament last season, one more win is the only way the Cards can breathe easy.

“If we get 11 Big East wins it’s like a guaranteed NCAA Tournament berth, and that’s the thing we’re really focused in on right now,” U?of?L senior Jerry Smith said. “We have to lock in and go in there fighting.”

The Wauwatosa, Wis., native expects plenty of fight from the school he grew up watching.

Marquette (19-9, 10-6) has lost seven games by five points or less. The Golden Eagles, who are tied with U?of?L in fifth place, apparently learned from their close calls. They’ve gone to overtime in each of their past three games and won all three — a first in Big East history.

“Marquette has played more close games than any team in America,” Pitino said.

The Golden Eagles have won their share partly because of their outside shooting and the way they take care of the ball. In that respect, the Cards could be facing another Notre Dame.

Marquette ranks fifth in NCAA Division?I with 40.9 percent three-point shooting but is second behind the Irish in the Big East. It leads the league with 10.4 turnovers per game, just ahead of the Irish at 10.5.

“They run their dribble-drive offense where they get in the lane and kick it back out to the 3,” Pitino said. “They’re probably as tough a team to prepare for as in the Big East.”

Louisville's Edgar Sosa, right, drives the ball to the basket for the game-winning shot while Connecticut's Kemba Walker, left, defends during the second half of Louisville's 78-76 win over Connecticut in an NCAA college basketball game in Storrs, Conn., on Sunday, Feb. 28, 2010.

STORRS, Conn. — Edgar Sosa‘s driving layup with 8 [...]]]> Associated Press

Louisville's Edgar Sosa, right, drives the ball to the basket for the game-winning shot while Connecticut's Kemba Walker, left, defends during the second half of Louisville's 78-76 win over Connecticut in an NCAA college basketball game in Storrs, Conn., on Sunday, Feb. 28, 2010.

STORRS, Conn. — Edgar Sosa‘s driving layup with 8 seconds left gave Louisville a 78-76 victory over Connecticut on Sunday, adding another conference road win to the Cardinals‘ NCAA tournament resume.

Samardo Samuels led four Cardinals in double figures with 14 points. Jerry Smith and Preston Knowles each had 12 and Kyle Kuric added 10 for Louisville (19-10, 10-6 Big East).

The Cardinals have won six of their past eight, starting with a win over UConn on Feb. 1.

Kemba Walker led UConn with 28, but his drive to the basket in the final seconds was stuffed by Samuels to preserve the win.

UConn seniors Gavin Edwards (17), Stanley Robinson (14) and Jerome Dyson (13) also scored in double figures in their final home game.

Louisville's Samardo Samuels (15) goes over Georgetown's Julian Vaughn to dunk a shot during first half of an NCAA college basketball game in Louisville, Ky., Tuesday, Feb. 23, 2010.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Austin Freeman scored 24 of his 29 points in the second half and Georgetown (No. 13 ESPN/USA Today, [...]]]> Associated Press

Louisville's Samardo Samuels (15) goes over Georgetown's Julian Vaughn to dunk a shot during first half of an NCAA college basketball game in Louisville, Ky., Tuesday, Feb. 23, 2010.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Austin Freeman scored 24 of his 29 points in the second half and Georgetown (No. 13 ESPN/USA Today, No. 11 AP) bounced back from consecutive losses with a 70-60 victory over Louisville on Tuesday night.

The Hoyas (19-7, 9-6 Big East) trailed the entire first half but took control after that behind some sizzling shooting from Freeman and an extended scoring drought by the Cardinals (18-10, 9-6).

Freeman scored the first eight points of the second half, including two 3-pointers, the second of which gave the Hoyas their first lead, 37-35.

The Cardinals tied the game at 37 on a driving layup by Edgar Sosa, who finished with 24 points and eight assists. However, that was the only field goal Louisville managed in more than 15 minutes — a drought that spanned back to a 3 by Reginald Delk more than 5 minutes before halftime.

Freeman matched a career high with his fifth 3-pointer — all in the second half — with just over 3 minutes to go. He made it a 4-point play, adding a free throw after Delk fouled him. That gave the Hoyas their largest lead of the game, 64-49.

The Cardinals were able to cut the deficit to seven after consecutive 3s by Jerry Smith and Sosa, but Freeman tacked on two free throws to ice the win.

Georgetown missed its first six shots of the game and was down 4-0 before Freeman gave the Hoyas their first points on a driving layup 3:30 in. Louisville answered seconds later on a dunk by Samardo Samuels, and Delk nailed a 3-pointer to widen the lead to 9-2.

The Cardinals would push the lead to 11 — their largest of the half — on Delk’s second of three 3s in the game, but Georgetown went on a 10-2 run capped by a 3-pointer by Hollis Thompson.

Louisville wasn’t able to sustain any long scoring runs early, despite Sosa’s 13 first-half points and Delk’s 11 — including going 3 of 4 from 3-point range.

The Cardinals made plenty of mistakes to allow the Hoyas to stay close, even before Freeman’s scoring barrage.

Delk made a sloppy foul on Vee Sanford when he was in the process of heaving a desperation 3-pointer, and consecutive Louisville possessions midway through the first half resulted in airballs from Preston Knowles and Smith.

While Freeman was the second-half star for the Hoyas, Greg Monroe, who had prime position in the paint all game, provided most of the scoring early — getting 12 of his 16 points before halftime.

Coach Rick Pitino has told the Cardinals he believes they need 11 Big East victories to assure a spot in the NCAA tournament. To get there, Louisville needs to win two of the last three matchups against fellow bubble teams Connecticut and Marquette as well as the Freedom Hall finale against first-place Syracuse, which is trying to lock up an overall No. 1 seed.

Georgetown lost to Syracuse 75-71 last Thursday and lost its previous game to Rutgers, one of the bottom-feeders of the Big East.

(13) Georgetown (18-7, 8-6 Big East) at Louisville (18-9, 9-5 Big East), 7:00 PM ET, February 23, 2010 Freedom Hall, Louisville, KY

While Georgetown boasts a lofty ranking and appears to be playing for a high seed in the NCAA tournament, only recently has Louisville started to look like [...]]]> STATS LLC

(13) Georgetown (18-7, 8-6 Big East) at Louisville (18-9, 9-5 Big East), 7:00 PM ET, February 23, 2010 Freedom Hall, Louisville, KY

While Georgetown boasts a lofty ranking and appears to be playing for a high seed in the NCAA tournament, only recently has Louisville started to look like a team that will even be part of the field of 65.

What the Cardinals have unquestionably done is make a move in the Big East.

A three-game winning streak has Louisville in fifth place in perhaps the nation’s toughest league, while the 11th-ranked Hoyas come into Tuesday’s meeting at Freedom Hall looking to avoid a third straight loss and pull even with Rick Pitino’s club.

Georgetown (18-7, 8-6) has won six of its nine games against ranked opponents, but it’s also tripped up twice this month against Rutgers and South Florida, two of the conference’s bottom-feeders.

The Hoyas have lost back-to-back tight games against very different opposition. The first was a stunner, a 71-68 loss to the Scarlet Knights on Feb. 14, while the latest — 75-71 at home to then-No. 5 Syracuse on Thursday — was easier to stomach.

Georgetown fell behind the Orange by as many as 23 points in the second half before pulling within one in the final minutes, but couldn’t escape with a win despite 61 points from Greg Monroe, Chris Wright and Austin Freeman.

“After a loss there is nothing but misery and pain, but I’m proud of how our guys responded,” coach John Thompson III said. “In no way does this program, this team, believe in moral victories. But I’m just proud of our guys.”

While Thompson may have been encouraged by the comeback, he can’t be pleased with his team’s falling position in the Big East standings. Georgetown was 6-2 within the conference Jan. 23, but has gone 2-4 since to fall into a tie for sixth place.

The Hoyas have one game against an NCAA tournament shoo-in — No. 8 West Virginia — and three against teams fighting to get into the field — Louisville, Notre Dame and Cincinnati.

“We have to go on the road against a very good (Louisville) team and we have to try to get a win,” Thompson said. “(Losing) is misery and pain, you know, we can’t get stuck, we can’t wallow in that, because the next opponent will always be a good opponent.

The Cardinals (18-9, 9-5), however, seem to be working their way off the bubble and in to the tournament.

Pitino’s team has won three in a row and five of six, starting with a monumental 66-60 win at Syracuse on Feb. 14. A thrilling double-overtime victory over Notre Dame followed Wednesday, and Louisville earned its ninth conference win by knocking off DePaul 68-59 on Saturday.

The surge couldn’t have come at a better time. While the Cardinals appear to have solidified their case as a tournament team, their remaining schedule is daunting. After hosting Georgetown, they’ll travel to Connecticut and Marquette before closing the regular season — and the doors on Freedom Hall — against Syracuse.

“Before the season, I thought 10 (conference) wins would get us (to the NCAA tournament), and I thought 11 would guarantee it,” Pitino said. “It’s going to be a fun stretch, but right now we’re focused on Georgetown.”

The game’s best battle will likely come in the low post between a pair of sophomore big men. Louisville’s Samardo Samuels has averaged 17.2 points this month — including a career-high 36 at Notre Dame — while Georgetown’s Greg Monroe has averaged 18.7 points in his last six games.

Samuels and Monroe each had 10 points in Louisville’s 76-58 win at the Verizon Center on Feb. 23, 2009.

The victory was the third straight for the Cardinals (18-9, 9-5 Big East), who opened the week with a 66-60 upset of No. 5 Syracuse. The loss was the eighth straight for DePaul (8-18, 1-13).

ROSEMONT, Ill. — Samardo Samuels scored 14 points and Edgar Sosa 13 to lead Louisville to a 68-59 [...]]]> Associated Press

The victory was the third straight for the Cardinals (18-9, 9-5 Big East), who opened the week with a 66-60 upset of No. 5 Syracuse. The loss was the eighth straight for DePaul (8-18, 1-13).

ROSEMONT, Ill. — Samardo Samuels scored 14 points and Edgar Sosa 13 to lead Louisville to a 68-59 victory over DePaul on Saturday.

The victory was the third straight for the Cardinals (18-9, 9-5 Big East), who opened the week with a 66-60 upset of No. 5 Syracuse. The loss was the eighth straight for DePaul (8-18, 1-13).

Mac Koshwal paced the Blue Demons with a game-high 26 points, tying a career high. He added 10 rebounds.

A large contingent of Louisville fans — about half the house — watched the Cardinals use an 11-2 run late in the second half to turn a 49-48 deficit into a 59-50 lead with 3:05 to play.

The Cardinals led 32-27 after a first half that included four lead changes, the last with 6:35 left when Kyle Kuric hit a 3-pointer for a 22-21 Louisville edge. Kuric had seven first-half points and Samuels 12.