Cards Rout Villanova in Tuneup for Hoyas

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LOUISVILLE — Juan Palacios scored 13 points in his final game at Freedom Hall to lead No. 13 Louisville to a 68-54 win over Villanova on Sunday, setting up a showdown with No. 11 Georgetown next weekend for the Big East title.

Jerry Smith added 10 points and 10 rebounds to lead a balanced offense by the Cardinals (24-6, 14-3 Big East), who won their ninth straight and remained tied with the Hoyas for first-place in the Big East. The two teams meet in Washington, D.C., on Saturday. Louisville beat the Hoyas 59-51 on Feb. 9.

Malcolm Grant led Villanova (17-11, 7-9 Big East) with 11 points, but the Wildcats shot just 40 percent from the field and turned the ball over 14 times in losing their second straight, damaging their hopes for an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament.

Villanova guard Scottie Reynolds didn't start for the first time this season after being late for a morning shootaround with teammate Corey Fisher. Reynolds entered when the game was five minutes old, while Fisher didn't get on the floor until just before halftime.

Reynolds tied a season-low with four points on just 1-of-6 shooting and missed all four of his 3-point attempts. Fisher went scoreless, missing his only shot from the floor.

Palacios, whose mother Maria traveled from their hometown of Medellin, Colombia to watch her son play in person for the first time in his collegiate career, played an inspired 21 minutes while making his first start in over a month.

The Cardinals appeared drained early from an emotional pregame ceremony saluting Palacios and fellow seniors David Padgett and Terrance Farley. Villanova took an early 15-11 lead, but the Cardinals collected themselves midway through the half, taking charge with a 17-3 run punctuated by some hot shooting from guard Andre McGee and a suffocating defense.

Louisville forward Earl Clark, who convinced coach Rick Pitino to start Palacios in his place as a tribute to the oft-injured senior, made the most of his 22 minutes, scoring eight points, grabbing seven rebounds and blocking four shots.

The Cardinals led 35-24 at the half and never let the Wildcats really get back into the game. Villanova didn't get within single digits over the game's final 17 minutes, as Louisville used its drastic size advantage to push the Wildcats around. Louisville outrebounded Villanova 38-29 and turned 12 offensive rebounds into 20 second-chance points.

Louisville simply wore down the Wildcats in the second half, using its depth to prevent any comeback.