The 2012 Big East Tournament Championship Game will not feature conference stalwarts such as Syracuse or Georgetown. Rather, an old Conference USA matchup will take the stage when the No. 4 seed Cincinnati Bearcats take on the No. 7 seed Louisville Cardinals. The two teams will square off Saturday night at 9:00 p.m. at the basketball mecca that is Madison Square Garden.
Cincinnati upset No. 1 seed Syracuse 71-68 on Friday evening, handing the Orange just their second loss of the season. Louisville has knocked off the No. 2 seed Marquette and the No. 3 seed Notre Dame on their way to the title game.
These two teams met earlier in the season, with the Bearcats scoring a 60-56 win over the Cardinals. This is the Bearcats first ever appearance in the Big East Championship Game. Louisville won the tournament in 2009
Big East Championship Game: Saturday, March 10
9 p.m.: No. 4 Cincinnati vs. No. 7 Louisville (ESPN)
For more news, analysis, and discussion of the Bulls' run to March Madness, check out Voodoo Five, SB Nation's USF blog. For all your Big East news during championship week, check out Big East Coast Bias. Click here for more on the 2012 Big East Tournament.