The Louisville Cardinals face the Wichita St. Shockers in the 2013 Men's NCAA Basketball Tournament at 6:09 p.m. ET. Check out the live stream of the action as Final Four is under way with the first of two matchups. Before we get you the live stream, here's the summary for tonight's game.
Louisville will try to prove why they were ranked No. 1 overall in the tournament. They have had an easy team through the first four rounds of the tournament and will look to make it five games straight in the tournament. Their opponent, Wichita State is making school history by appearing in the tournament for the first time in close to 50 years. They come in as the No. 9 seed out of the West Region, but that has not prevented them from destroying everything in their path.
The Cardinals have one of the toughest defenses in the league which helps create offense for them. This is why they are averaging 80 points per game in the tournament. For Wichita St., their strategy for this game is simple, but not the easiest to accomplish against the Cardinals Press.
"What you've got to do is not turn the ball over. If we're turning the ball over and giving them transition opportunities, then we're not doing what we're trying to do," said Shockers head coach Gregg Marshall.
Though the focus Louisville is in this game, they are trying to win for their injured player, Kevin Ware. He's received national attention and though it might be distracting, Louisville wants to win this one for their injured bench player and adjustments will have to be made.
Kevin Ware broke his leg as the Cardinals faced the Duke Blue Devils in the Elite Eight last week. It was in the first half of the game as the Cardinals were battling for position in the Final Four of the tournament.
Ware was attempting to block a shot when he landed on his leg an it snapped in half. The bone came out from his shin and the guard fell to the ground in agony. The pain affected coach Rick Pitino and teammates were pained just to watch what had taken place. Tyler Thornton of Duke connected on his shot, but Ware and his teammates couldn't care less. Thornton himself was deeply affected by the injury as he grimmaced while walking to the other side of the court. His teammates immediately dropped to the floor as they couldn't bare the site of the injury.
Now, this has turned from a national story to a focus for the team. Though it serves as a heartwarming story that his teammates want to win for him, the truth is that the Cardinals will have to play tougher and smarter basektball. "Our players totally understand the challenge that lies ahead with this Wichita State team. We understand with Kevin out that we not only have to play very hard, we have to play very, very smart," said Pitino.
Don't miss the live action. Click here for the free online live stream of Louisville Cardinals. vs. Wichita St. Shockers. Check out my predictions for this game in the Related Articles section.
