Victory celebrations in the Big East last about as long as raw meat in the middle of a pack of hungry wolves.

By the time the Huskies left the XL Center in Hartford on Wednesday night following a hard-fought 78-70 victory over No. 9 Georgetown, they had shifted attention to the next big game on the schedule.

Fortunately for No. 13 UConn, its Big East opponent tonight, No. 16 Louisville, also is facing the challenge of playing its second game in 48 hours. Starting time is 9 p.m. at the KFC Yum! Center in Louisville.

UConn (20-5, 8-5) and Louisville (19-7, 8-5) are locked in a four-way tie for fourth place in the Big East standings.

"Thank God, we played Louisville before," Calhoun said. "It's very, very difficult for the both of us. There's a lot at stake for Louisville and for us."

The Huskies suffered their most painful loss this season - a 79-78 double-overtime defeat - in the last meeting Jan. 29 in Storrs. They blew a four-point lead with 37 seconds remaining in the first overtime. It was the first of two straight home losses.

Louisville also hit a rut following that game, going 2-3 since then, including losing at Cincinnati, 63-54, Wednesday.

Revenge is on UConn's mind tonight.

"It's a game that we have to get," senior Donnell Beverly said. "We let one slip away at home, which we can't do. We really want to get this win against Louisville. I feel like we know what to do, we've just got to go out and do it."

Louisville was the first of a string of opponents that used an active matchup zone to freeze UConn's attack. The Huskies settled for jump shots, shooting 38 percent and taking 30 3-pointers.

But the Huskies have a new zone-busting weapon in sophomore Jamal Coombs-McDaniel, who's averaging 24 points in the last two games. His surprising contribution has been vital because freshmen Jeremy Lamb, Roscoe Smith and Shabazz Napier are in scoring funks.

Coombs-McDaniel found seams in Georgetown's zone and buried a couple perimeter shots.

"I've just been knocking down shots," Coombs-McDaniel said. "The guys always joke around, saying, 'You're always open.' I try to watch a lot of tape and just sneak around in the back of the zone. And my guards are great passers and they've been able to find me."

UConn also will be focused on stopping dribble penetration. Guard Peyton Siva continually dribbled free down the lane for easy baskets, scoring 19 points. He also passed the ball out to open perimeter shooters; Louisville relies heavily on 3-point baskets.

"He killed us the first time, no question," Calhoun said. "He was star of the game. He made the difference, set up those late 3-point shots, caused us all kinds of problems. … With a really good player like him, it's the No. 1 thing you need to stop.

"We have to stop their break. When they get going on their runs, generally speaking, a lot of them are 3-pointers off their fast break."

The outcome of tonight's game simply may come down to the team with the edge in energy.

A rejuvenated Kemba Walker played an entire 40 minutes Wednesday for the second straight game and looked scary good doing it, finishing with 31 points, 10 assists and seven rebounds. Calhoun planned to let Walker take it easy in practice Thursday.

With Walker's re-emergence and contributions from his supporting cast, the Huskies are back to playing a lethal brand of basketball. They've regained their strong finishing touch, improving to 9-3 overall in games decided by eight points or less with Wednesday's dramatic win.

"We find ways to win," Calhoun said. "We rebound and defend down the stretch. And (coming off) a year of turnovers, we don't turn the ball over very much. We take care of the basketball."

Do all of the above tonight and UConn will increase its odds of kicking off a tough stretch - three of the next four games on the road - with a third straight victory.

g.keefe@theday.com

NO. 13 UCONN AT NO. 16 LOUISVILLE

Location: KFC Yum! Center.

Tip-off: 9 p.m. (ESPN).

Records: UConn 20-5 overall, 8-5 Big East; Louisville 19-7, 8-5.

Last game: UConn beat No. 9 Georgetown, 78-70, Wednesday; Louisville lost at Cincinnati, 63-54, Wednesday.

Probable starters: UConn, 6-1 jr. guard Kemba Walker (23.2 pts, 5.3 rebs, 4.7 assists), 6-5 fr. guard Jeremy Lamb (10.0 pts, 4.5 rebs), 6-8 fr. forward Roscoe Smith (7.0 pts, 5.4 rebs), 6-9 so. forward Alex Oriakhi (10.2 pts, 8.5 rebs), 7-0 sr. center Charles Okwandu (2.8 pts, 3.1 rebs). Louisville, 5-11 so. guard Peyton Siva (10.4 pts), 6-1 sr. guard Preston Knowles (14.9 pts), 6-4 jr. forward Kyle Kuric (9.9 pts, 3.2 rebs), 6-9 so. forward Stephan Van Treese (3.3 pts, 3.7 rebs), 6-9 jr. center Terrence Jennings (9.8 pts, 5.4 rebs).

Noteworthy: All-time series tied 5-5, UConn won five of last seven. … Cardinals took first meeting, 79-78 (2OT), Jan. 29 in Storrs. Siva had 19 points and seven assists. Louisville shot 48.4 percent, tying for the second-highest mark by an opponent this season. Matchup zone frustrated Huskies (37.7 percent shooting). … Louisville ranks sixth in nation in steals (9.4) and first in Big East overall with 9 3-pointers per game. … UConn 5-4 vs. ranked foes; Louisville, 4-4. … Cardinals 16-2 at home. … Hot: Coombs-McDaniel first UConn reserve since Rashad Anderson (2005-06) to score 20 or more points in consecutive games, averaging 24 points. Cold: Smith averaging 5.0 points in last five games. … Calhoun needs two wins to reach 300 in his career in Big East play. … Up next: UConn hosts Marquette on Thursday in Hartford.

- Gavin Keefe