They opened up play in the quarterfinals against Providence with an easy win over the Friars, but would have their hands full with Villanova in the semifinal round. As they had done several other times during this crazy season the Cardinals came out flat and uninspired in the first half. Rick Pitino would tell his guys at half time that he didn’t know who they were. The Cardinals would eventually wake up in the second half and top Villanova putting them in the Finals against Syracuse.

#5 Louisville and #18 Syracuse would face of for the Big East Tourney crown after Cuse had played an epic 6 overtime game against Uconn the night before. This tourney seemed like destiny for Cuse, but the Cardinals would have something for their magical run. The Louisville pressure defense would be too much to overcome for a team that had played an extra half of basketball in overtime games. Louisville would pull away from Cuse in the second half and win 76-66

Louisville would win its first Big East Tournament Championship to go along with the first regular season title they had already claimed. They would do this in what most believed the toughest year since the Big East’s inception. The Big East would have 9 teams ranked in the polls at one time during the regular season, and four teams were ranked in the top 10 when the Big East Tourney started. This included the #2 and #3 teams. Rick Pitino would say of his teams accomplishment “These guys have bought into total team.” “We did it in the toughest year in the history of the Big East to sweep both. I’m gushing with pride.”