Syracuse vs. Louisville: The Big East Reckoning Tour Continues

Here is every game between the Syracuse Orange and Louisville Cardinals since the Cardinals joined the Big East.

2/18/06: Syracuse 79-66, Syracuse, NY

1/27/07: Louisville 76-71, Louisville, KY

2/18/08: Louisville 61-50, Louisville, KY

1/25/09: Louisville 67-57, Syracuse, NY

3/14/09: Louisville 76-66, New York, NY

2/14/10: Louisville 66-60, Syracuse, NY

3/6/10: Louisville 78-68, Louisville, KY

2/12/11: Louisville 73-69, Louisville, KY

There's a reason Jim Boeheim flipped out last year after the Post-Standard printed a chart comparing him and Rick Pitino. As much as you hate to admit it, Pitino has owned Boeheim like Siegfried owned Roy since the Cardinals joined up. They've beaten us seven-straight times and we've never beaten them on the road.

That s**t ends now.

We've already slayed the Pittsburgh demon and we took care of business against the Georgetown, UConn and Villanova triumvirate. The only long-standing business left in the Big East this season is to end this Louisville reign of terror and re-assert order where there has been chaos.

I don't know which obscure white guy the Cardinals will dig up to have a career-best performance against us but the Orange should be prepared for anything. Going to the YUM! Center to play a game is like entering The Hunger Games. Expect anything and just start killing anything that moves before it has a chance to do the same to you.

Scoop Jardine and Kris Joseph have never beaten Louisville and that is a aggression that will not stand, dude. The duo got their first win over Pitt and it would only be apropos for them to get over the Pitino hump (get it?) as well.

"I know that it’s just another game and we’re very capable of winning," Joseph said. "I’m not going in there pressing, like, ‘I’ve got to beat Louisville.’ But it would be nice to go over to their house and get a win. That would be something that I can finally say I did."

For once, the Orange might be going head-to-head with a team that can spread out the scoring just as much as them. Louisville has five players five players averaging in double figures with senior guard Kyle Kuric leading the way with 13.2 ppg. Wayne Blackshear is second-best netting 13.0 ppg, while freshman Gorgui Dieng is posting 10.1 ppg, and leads the team in rebounding (9.2) and block shots (3.2).

Syracuse leads the Big East in field-goal shooting at 48.1 percent and Louisville leads the Big East in field-goal percentage defense (37.2 percent). I believe this is the part of the story where someone says "something's gotta give." Well, something's gotta give.

For Syracuse, a win tonight would be fait accompli. Proof positive that this team does not live according to its past and creates its own destiny. Sound a little fancy? Good, cause this is a fancy Orange squad and one that deserves to crush some Cardinal wings for a change.