NEW YORK -- When the West Virginia Mountaineers saw the Big East Conference tournament bracket, it didn't take them long to realize that they could make their stay in New York a satisfying one.

After all, what better way to go into the NCAA tournament than beating your archrival in the conference tournament, especially after they beat you twice in the regular season?

The Mountaineers will get a third shot at Pitt tonight after defeating Notre Dame, 74-62, last night in a second-round game at Madison Square Garden. The third edition of the Backyard Brawl tips off at 7 p.m. today.

"We came into the tournament, saw the bracket and saw that we would have a chance against them," said West Virginia senior guard Alex Ruoff, who led the Mountaineers with 25 points last night.

"We lost twice to them. One game, we made mental mistakes and let it get away from us. The next game, they outmanned us, and we got into foul trouble. We're excited to get back out there against them."

Pitt won the first two meetings this season, 79-67 at WVU Coliseum and 70-59 at the Petersen Events Center. The game tonight will mark the second time Pitt and West Virginia have met in the Big East tournament. The Panthers beat the Mountaineers, 68-57, in a 2006 quarterfinal.

West Virginia, which beat Notre Dame for the second time this season, also got a big effort from junior forward Da'Sean Butler.

Butler scored 20 points, including a few crucial baskets in the second half when Notre Dame was attempting to make things interesting.

Butler, West Virginia's leading scorer, struggled in the game against the Panthers in Pittsburgh. He was in foul trouble most of the night and scored four points in 18 minutes.

"That was probably my most disappointing game of the season," Butler said. "I got frustrated with the fouls and hung my head. I didn't act the way a leader should in the game."

Butler said he learned a couple of valuable lessons from the first two meetings against Pitt. He said the Mountaineers know they can't have many mental errors and expect to win.

"You have to play perfect defense," he said. "You have to execute. This game means a lot more than the first two. There is a golden opportunity for us to win this game."

West Virginia had little trouble in setting up the third game with Pitt. The Mountaineers made seven of their 11 3-pointers in the first half, including three apiece from Ruoff and Truck Bryant, and led, 36-18, at the intermission.

When Ruoff made his first 3-pointer a little more than six minutes into the game, he set the school record for most career 3-pointers, breaking the record of Kevin Pittsnogle.

By the time Ruoff made his second 3-pointer with 12:23 remaining the half, he boosted the Mountaineers' lead to 17-2. Notre Dame never recovered despite a spirited, albeit short-lived, comeback bid early in the second half when the Fighting Irish trimmed the lead to nine before the Mountaineers quickly re-established control.

Butler and Ruoff got the lead to a comfortable margin in quick order by leading a 13-5 run over the next four minutes.

The Mountaineers dominated the game with their rebounding. They had 23 offensive rebounds, which led to numerous second-chance points in the lane.

Freshman Devin Ebanks led the Mountaineers with 18 rebounds.

Other games

nMarquette 74, St. John's 45: Wesley Matthews scored 20 points and No. 21 Marquette (24-8) snapped its four-game losing streak by holding St. John's (16-17) to a tournament-record 10 points in the first half en route to an easy victory.

nProvidence 83, DePaul 74: Sharaud Curry scored 25 points and Providence (19-12) held DePaul (9-24) without a field goal for nearly eight minutes to beat the surprising Blue Demons in the second round, enhancing its chances for an NCAA tournament bid.

nSyracuse 89, Seton Hall 74:Eric Devendorf scored all but one of his 19 points in a technical-foul filled second half as No. 18 Syracuse (24-8) pulled away to beat Seton Hall (17-15).

• Pitt senior point guard Levance Fields did not practice for the third consecutive day yesterday, but he is expected to play tonight. Fields, bothered by a sore groin, was injured last week in a game against Marquette.