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While it was Connecticut and Pittsburgh who drew most of the national attention all season, Louisville (28-5) seemingly flew under the radar to capture both the regular-season title and conference tournament title. It's the Cardinals' first title since joining the Big East four years ago and should earn them a No. 1 seed in the NCAA tournament.
Pittsburgh (28-4) and Connecticut (27-4) may still draw top-seed consideration in spite of quarterfinal losses. The Panthers have the added bonus of beating UConn twice during the season. Aside from the top three, Villanova, Marquette, Syracuse and West Virginia are also seen as locks for the Big Dance.
Despite losing the championship game, it's not a tournament runner-up Syracuse will soon forget. In the quarterfinals, the Orange outlasted Connecticut 127-117 in the second-longest Division I game ever played. The six-overtime affair finished one short of the record set in Cincinnati's 75-73 victory over Bradley on Dec. 21, 1981. Syracuse followed it up with another OT win in the semis against West Virginia.
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