Louisville trounces Marquette

And while some concerns remain to be addressed over the second half of their league schedule, the No. 12 Cardinals reclaimed some of their swagger with Sunday's 70-51 rout of No. 25 Marquette in Louisville.

Russ Smith scored 18 points, Peyton Siva added 14 and Louisville shot 52 percent to run away from Marquette. The Cardinals' reserves helped out by outscoring the Golden Eagles' by 19-10 - 21 points below Marquette's average coming in.

That contribution helped snap Louisville (18-4, 6-3) out of an early funk and the Cardinals went on to their most decisive victory since they started 4-0 in the league and beat opponents by an average of 18.5 points per game. That dominance was forgotten in a three-game losing streak and a close win over Pittsburgh, which made the Cardinals feel even better about getting it back.

"The guards got back and got on the glass. I think we matched their physicality," said Siva, who shot 6-for-9 from the field, including a three-pointer to break out of a 7-for-31 slump in the four previous games. He also had seven assists. "Coach [Rick Pitino] told us they were going to come in here and be physical with us. I think we did a better job after 5 minutes of matching their intensity."

Marquette had an opportunity to take a one-game lead in the league on Syracuse, but the Golden Eagles were left settling for a first-place tie with the Orange. The Cardinals, meanwhile, moved a half-game closer to both schools with their second straight win, remaining in a four-way tie for third.

The Cardinals finished 27-for-52 from the field after a 1-for-8 start while holding the Golden Eagles (15-5, 6-2) to 36 percent shooting (19-for-53). They outrebounded Marquette, 38-26.

In another game * 

At Minnesota, Austin Hollins hit a go-ahead three-pointer with 11.6 seconds left, lifting No. 23 Minnesota to a 62-59 victory over Iowa. Hollins finished with 17 points to help the Gophers (17-5, 5-4 Big Ten) survive a rough second half and escape the scrappy Hawkeyes (14-8, 3-6).

With Minnesota trailing 59-57, the 6-4 Hollins came off a screen to get open in the corner on an inbounds play and made the shot over 6-1 Mike Gesell. Hollins then hounded Gesell in the corner on the other end to force the ball out of bounds.

Andre Hollins, who had 15 points, made two free throws to stretch the lead to three, and Gesell's tying attempt rolled off the front rim.

Before Gesell's miss at the buzzer, the Hawkeyes turned the ball over on three straight possessions. Junior Roy Devyn Marble went scoreless for Iowa for the first time since his freshman year.

The Minnesota student section started the "We hate Iowa!" chant right away, and the Gophers surged ahead 14-2 behind their full-court press.