Earl Clark scored 17 points Friday and fifth-ranked Louisville overcame an eight-point halftime deficit to defeat Villanova 69-55 in the Big East semifinals. Louisville (27-5) will face either Syracuse or West Virginia in Saturday's title game.

Earl Clark had 22 points and eight rebounds Monday night to lead the sixth-ranked Louisville Cardinals to a 76-58 victory over the Georgetown Hoyas. Terrence Williams added 10 points, 12 rebounds and seven assists and Samardo Samuels and Preston Knowles each had 10 points for the Cardinals (22-5, 13-2 Big East), who have won their last four games. Chris Wright had 12 points and Greg Monroe 10 points for the Hoyas (14-12, 5-10), who have lost four of their last five games. After giving up a pair of free throws to start the game, Louisville scored the next nine points for a 9-2 lead in three minutes and was ahead 23-11 with 11 minutes left in the first half.

Terrence Williams had 20 points and eight rebounds Saturday while pacing seventh-ranked Louisville to a 72-63 victory over Cincinnati. Earl Clark contributed 14 points and nine rebounds for the Cardinals (21-5, 12-2 Big East), who have won four of their last five games.

Jerry Smith's game-high 21 points off the bench Sunday fueled seventh-ranked Louisville in its sluggish 60-47 Big East win over Saint John's. Louisville trailed 22-19 at halftime, but after tying the game up at 34-34 went on an 11-2 run, capped by Smith's 3-pointer and one free throw, for a 45-38 edge with 6:21 remaining. After using solid defense, the lead grew gradually until the end. Earl Clark, the only other player in double figures, scored 12 points with eight rebounds for the Cardinals (18-4, 9-1), who bounced back from their 68-51 loss to top-ranked Connecticut last Monday. Sean Evans led SJU with 12 points and nine rebounds. D.J.

Earl Clark led a 10-0 game-ending spurt Sunday, keying 12th-ranked Louisville's 67-57 win over No. 8 Syracuse. The victory extended Louisville's winning streak to seven games and was Syracuse's second straight loss. The Cardinals have not lost since Dec.