Kevin Ware in the hospital after his horrific injury while playing Duke. (@peypeysiva via Instagram)
INDIANAPOLIS – It was a show of Louisville heart and intensity, a demonstration of dominance that delivered as impressive a win as any in the NCAA Tournament this year.
Louisville barreled its way into the Final Four last night, overcoming a gruesome broken leg suffered by guard Kevin Ware in the first half and taking Duke apart in the second half en route to an 85-63 win at Lucas Oil Stadium. Behind a roaring and passionate crowd, the top-seeded Cardinals captured the Midwest Regional and will face Wichita State in the national semifinals.
There’s only one top seed that made it to Atlanta. It’s Louisville, unquestionably the favorite to win it all.
Rick Pitino’s team has now won an astounding 14 straight, and while the score last night probably didn’t reflect it, know this – this was as difficult a test as Lousiville could face. Duke probably should have been a 1-seed – the Blue Devils entered last night 21-1 this year when Ryan Kelly played – so it was a terrific opponent. But beyond that, Louisville had to somehow surge on after losing Ware with 6:33 to go in the first half, an injury that was so ugly that Pitino began crying and multiple Cardinals were visibly emotionally distraught.