The Open Thread: No. 19 UConn at No. 11 Louisville, 2pm on CBS

As I type this, Memphis is beating SMU about halfway through the second half. UConn fans want the Tigers to hold onto that lead because it gives us a shot to grab finish third in the conference and earn a favorable match-up in the AAC quarterfinals.

Standing in our way even if Memphis can hold on are the eleventh ranked reigning National Champions from Louisville. Led by AAC POY candidate Russ Smith and athletic specimen Montrezl Harrell, the Cardinals actually have a chance to win the conference regular season title in their first and only season as a member.

A loss for UConn means they will likely have to face Memphis on their home court at FedEx Forum. If you compare that to playing Houston on a neutral court, you can see how important it is for the Huskies to bring it today. Conference standings aside, it's important to notch another quality win for the resume as I'd like to see us earn slightly better than the 6-seed we are currently slotted in by bracketologists.

Shabazz Napier versus Russ Smith in the season finale with implications all over the place. What more could you ask for. This should be an entertaining game and with Shabazz continuing to step up his game, I'm downright giddy to see how far he can take us as we hit March Madness.

This is the open thread folks, join the conversation as we close out another magnificent season of Husky Hoops!