No. 4 Louisville 78, No. 20 Syracuse 61: Freshman Montrezl Harrell had a career-high 20 points and seven rebounds as the Cardinals rallied from a 16-point second-half deficit to cruise past the Orange at Madison Square Garden and win their second straight Big East tournament championship.

Peyton Siva added 11 points, eight assists and four steals while center Gorgui Dieng tallied nine points, nine rebounds and eight assists for Louisville (29-5), which collected its third Big East tournament title in the last five years. Russ Smith and Luke Hancock finished with 10 points apiece for the Cardinals.

C.J. Fair recorded a game-high 21 points and seven rebounds while Michael Carter-Williams posted 11 points and nine assists for Syracuse (26-9), which was outscored 56-26 in the second half.

The Cardinals fell behind 35-20 late in the first half largely due to 25.9 percent shooting and trailed by as many as 16 points following a 3-pointer from Southerland with 15:51 remaining. However, Southerland picked up his fourth foul 20 seconds later and the Orange offense wilted, committing eight turnovers over a 7:11 stretch as Louisville turned the game around with a 29-4 run.

Louisville continued to stretch the margin behind eight straight points from Harrell as Syracuse endured a field-goal drought of 11:05, allowing the Cardinals to take a 73-55 advantage on a 3-pointer from Wayne Blackshear with 2:03 remaining. Fair finally ended the Orange’s dry spell – and Louisville’s 44-10 second-half surge – on a 3-pointer with 1:49 remaining.

GAME NOTEBOOK: Louisville’s rally from its 35-22 halftime deficit was the largest in Big East tournament history. … Southerland shot 3-for-8 beyond the arc and finished 19-for-33 during Syracuse’s four-game run at this event, breaking the tournament record (16) set by former Syracuse star Gerry McNamara. ... Louisville’s 16-point deficit matched its largest of the season, set against Memphis on Dec. 15 in an 87-78 Cardinals' victory.