Top-seeded Louisville Advances

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Published on March 30 2013 2:00 pm
Last Updated on April 1 2013 8:37 am
Written by Greg Sapp

Louisville, Michigan Complete Final Four Picture

It took 21 years, but Rick Pitino finally got his revenge against Duke. Russ Smith scored 23 points and helped trigger a pivotal second-half run that vaulted Louisville into its second straight Final Four, with the Cardinals pulling away for an 85-63 triumph over the Blue Devils in the first NCAA Tournament showdown between Pitino and Mike Krzyzewski since Duke's unforgettable overtime win over Pitino's Kentucky squad in the 1992 Elite
Eight. Unlike Christian Laettner's famed last-second shot that gave the Blue Devils a 104-103 decision over Pitino's Wildcats in Philadelphia more than two decades ago, there was no such drama after Smith, Gorgui Dieng and Peyton Siva led the Cardinals on a  20-4 tear that turned a tie game into a 16-point differential Duke never came close to overcoming.

Louisville guard Kevin Ware is suffering from a broken leg. The gruesome injury occurred as he landed awkwardly after attempting to block a shot in the first half of Sunday's Midwest Regional final against Duke. The game was delayed for nearly 10 minutes while Ware was attended to. He was eventually carried off the court on a stretcher and hospitalized with the injury.


Michigan 79, Florida 59

A fabulous all-around performance has Michigan in the Final Four for the first time since the days of the Fab Five. And fittingly, it was a pair of freshmen that led the charge for the Wolverines. Nik Stauskas delivered a near-perfect shooting display to match a career high with 22 points, while Mitch McGary came through with 11 points and nine rebounds as Michigan put forth a 79-59 drubbing of Florida in the South Regional final. Stauskas knocked down all six of his 3-point  attempts and 7-of-8 field goal tries overall for  Michigan (30-7), which netted the game's first 13 points, led by as many as 24 in the
first half and never allowed the Gators to seriously challenge the rest of the way en route to reaching the national semifinals for the first time since 1993, though that trip would be later vacated due to NCAA violations.

 

Women's College Basketball

Irish Women Roll To Elite Eight

(Norfolk, VA)  -- The top-seeded Notre Dame women's team rolled into the Elite Eight Sunday with a 93-63 victory over 12th-seeded Kansas. Skylar Diggins scored 27 points to become the all-time leading scorer in Fighting Irish history. Notre Dame will play second-seeded Duke Tuesday for a spot in the Final Four.


Top-Seeded Lady Bears Lose To Louisville

(Oklahoma City, OK) -- Top-seeded Baylor is out of the NCAA women's basketball tournament. Fifth-seeded Louisville upset the Bears 82-81 in the Oklahoma City Region of the Sweet 16. Baylor star Brittney Griner was held to 14 points on 4-of-10 shooting as the Bears finish their season 34-2. Louisville will play Tennessee in the Elite Eight.


NCAA Men's Tournament


Midwest Region (at Indianapolis, IN)

#1 Louisville Cardinals 85, #2 Duke Blue Devils 63


South Region (at Arlington, TX)

#4 Michigan Wolverines 79, #3 Florida Gators 59