Malcolm Grant scored 11 points against No. 13 Louisville.

March 2, 2008

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) -- 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 the Wildcats (17-11, 7-9 Big East) with 11 points, but Villanova 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.