The Semifinal Round of the Big East Tournament takes place on Thursday evening. On Wednesday, the Georgetown Hoyas went down to the Cincinnati Bearcats 72-70 in overtime. It was a hard fought game that saw the Hoyas let it slip away after an early first half lead. The Syracuse Orange advanced to the Semifinal round with a close 58-55 win over the Connecticut Huskies on Thursday afternoon, beating the Huskies for the third straight time this season. The Bearcats and the Orange will tip off at 7 p.m. in Madison Square Garden for the right to play in the Big East Tournament Finals.
The second matchup will pit Louisville against Notre Dame in the late game on Friday night. It wasn't an easy path for Notre Dame as they struggled to pull away from South Florida, needing overtime to win and make it to the semifinals, 57-53. They'll take on Louisville who made quick work of Marquette in their upset win 84-71. The Cardinals held a 10-point lead at halftime over the Eagles and just maintained through the second half for the win. The Irish took the regular season matchup from Louisville, but they needed double over time to do it.
Semifinal Round: Friday, March 9
7 p.m.: No. 4 Cincinnati vs. No. 1 Syracuse (ESPN)
9 p.m.: No. 7 Louisville vs. No. 3 Notre Dame (ESPN)
For more on the Hoyas, visit Casual Hoya, SB Nation's Georgetown 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.