Philadelphia, PA (My Sportsbook) - Big East Conference powers collide in Philadelphia this afternoon, as the 23rd-ranked Louisville Cardinals challenge the 18th-ranked Villanova Wildcats.

Louisville opened Big East play on Wednesday with a 71-57 victory over South Florida. That tilt marked the first true road game of the season for the Cardinals, who are 10-3 overall. They have won their last two outings and are tremendously well coached by Rick Pitino.

As for Villanova, which is led by head coach Jay Wright, it is fresh off an 89-85 overtime victory over Seton Hall on Tuesday. The Wildcats needed that win, especially considering that they lost their Big East opener to Marquette last week. An 0-2 start would have been quite disappointing for the 'Cats, who are 13-2 overall.

Louisville owns a 6-5 series edge over Villanova, which includes a 68-54 decision over the Wildcats a year ago.

In the win over South Florida on Wednesday, Earl Clark came through with 22 points and nine rebounds for Louisville. Edgar Sosa pitched in 12 points for the Cardinals, who were fresh off an emotional victory over rival Kentucky. In that tilt, Sosa snapped a late tie with a three-pointer. On Wednesday, both Louisville and South Florida shot just over 36 percent from the floor, but the Cardinals forced 18 turnovers and benefited from a woeful free-throw shooting effort by the Bulls. Samardo Samuels entered the game against USF as the leading scorer for Louisville with 13.8 ppg, and although the freshman was held in check by the Bulls, he is a big-time performer up front. Clark and Terrence Williams are two of the better players in the Big East, and both can score and rebound effectively.

Dante Cunningham has emerged as a premier performer for Villanova this season, as he is scoring 17.1 ppg on 54 percent shooting from the floor to go with 7.9 rpg. Scottie Reynolds checks in with 15.9 ppg, and he is dishing out 4.1 apg. Reynolds, a streaky guard, is connecting on only 39.8 percent of his field goal attempts but is more than capable of taking over a game. Corey Stokes provides 10.5 ppg for Villanova, and Corey Fisher rounds out the double-digit scorers with 10.1 ppg. The Wildcats are racking up 75.0 ppg while limiting opponents to 60.9 ppg on 38.5 percent shooting. In the four-point overtime win over Seton Hall, Reynolds showed off his immense ability by pouring in 40 points on the strength of a 5-of-8 showing from three-point range and a 15- of-16 effort from the foul line. Cunningham produced 21 points and 13 rebounds for the Wildcats, who got 15 boards from Dwayne Anderson.