The Big East standings were shaken up Monday night thanks largely to a 66-53 Louisville win over No. 7 Pittsburgh.

The game marked the Cardinals' (18-8, 8-4 Big East) first marquee win this season.

"We had to play Pitt, or someone like Pitt, because everybody is talking about signature wins and not paying attention to us," head coach Rick Pitino told The Associated Press after the game.

"We think that when we go to DePaul and South Florida and win in the fashion we win they're great wins, but nobody else does. As I watched TV, I realized I shouldn't coach or play anymore because we don't even get mentioned. The writers don't even mention us for the NCAAs."

Wins on the conference leader's home court tend to raise sportswriters' eyebrows.

Before Monday, Louisville had not beaten a ranked opponent since March 2005. But if the Cardinals can upset No. 12 Marquette Saturday night at the Bradley Center, they will become a virtual lock for the NCAA tournament. If not, Pitino's squad looks bubble-bound.

For that reason, head coach Tom Crean anticipates facing a desperate team Saturday.

"I expect to see a great basketball team," Crean said. "Hopefully they'll see one, too."

For that to happen, however, Marquette (21-6, 8-4) will need to recover from back-to-back losses at Georgetown and DePaul.

"It's a quick turnaround, so we got to have a short memory," sophomore Dominic James said Wednesday after the DePaul defeat. "Remember the loss, but just come out ready to play against Louisville on Saturday."

Louisville is fighting not only for an NCAA tournament berth, but also for a first-round bye in the Big East tournament. With the Cardinals' win and No. 23 West Virginia (19-6, 7-5) losing at Georgetown Monday, the Cardinals were hoisted into fourth place in the conference standings.

With five teams that are only one game behind them in the loss column, the Cardinals hope to avoid falling back into the middle of the Big East pack, a place they had spent most of the season prior to Monday. A win in Milwaukee could add separation.

For Marquette, the game has NCAA tournament seeding implications. The Golden Eagles are already a lock, but the team's record between now and March 11 will determine its seed.

The Golden Eagles already beat the Cardinals on Jan. 15, a 74-65 victory at Freedom Hall.

Louisville's win over Pitt Monday heightened the quality of Marquette's Jan. 15 win; being able to boast two wins over Louisville would shine favorably upon Crean's Golden Eagles come Selection Sunday (March 11).

Marquette trails both Pitt (22-4, 10-2) and No. 14 Georgetown, who play each other Feb. 24, by one game in the loss column. Marquette holds the tie-breaker over Pitt, while Georgetown holds the tie-breaker over Marquette.