Bittersweet game as the Louisville Cardinals and the Syracuse Orange faced off in the Big East championship game. It’s the last game with the Big East in the form we’ve come to know and love. The Cardinals came back from a woeful first half and 16-point deficit to win. Read more after the jump.
Syracuse came out firing, hitting 8/15 from three-point land and taking advantage of Louisville’s blown coverages. The Orange was led by CJ Fair and James Southerland but things quickly went left when Southerland got into foul trouble.
The Cardinals pounced on the opportunity led by star point guard Peyton Siva. Siva had trouble hitting his long range shots but continued attacking the basket as well as setting an aggressive tone on defense. Syracuse continued to watch and fold as Montrezl Harrell came off the bench firing and attacking the boards. Harrell dropped 20 points and 7 rebounds. Siva finished with 11 points and 8 assists. CJ Fair was the leading scorer for Syracuse dropping 21 points and 7 rebounds. Peyton Siva was awarded the Most Outstanding Player award for the second year in a row, joining the likes of former NBA star Patrick Ewing.
This game was particulary special because not only was it a championship game, it was also the last game for the Big East in this form. Syracuse and Pittsburgh leave for the ACC in 2013, Lousiville leaves for the ACC in 2014, Rutgers leaves for the Big 10 in 2014 and Villanova leaves for the ACC in 2015.
The Big East was known as one of the best conferences in the league and unfortunately its now come to an end.
