After 66 games, the field of 68 teams in the 2013 NCAA Tournament has been narrowed down to a pair of finalists: The No. 1 overall seed Louisville Cardinals will face off with the fourth-seeded Michigan Wolverines for the national championship. In a matchup between Louisville's tenacious defense and Michigan's multi-faceted offense something has got to give.
No. 1 Louisville Cardinals
(34-5, 14-4 Big East)
vs.
No. 4 Michigan Wolverines
(31-7, 12-6 Big Ten)
Tip-Off Time: 9:23 PM ET
Georgia Dome
Atlanta, Ga.
On Monday night, Rick Pitino's Cardinals will throw their full-court pressure at Michigan's Trey Burke, this year's John Wooden Award winner and AP Player of the Year.
“We know how good Burke is. We just have to be prepared for what he’s getting ready to bring," Louisville's Russ Smith said on Sunday, via The Sporting News.
The Wolverines have already faced formidable defense during the tournament. In the third round, they demolished the "Havoc" of VCU. In the national semifinals, Michigan even solved Jim Boeheim's vaunted 2-3 zone defense. With Mitch McGary flourishing in the paint and several high-talent options on the wings, Burke leads arguably the most talented attack -- and inarguably the youngest -- in the tournament.
But can they withstand the Louisville pressure?
For its part, Louisville steamrolled opponents in the early rounds before grinding down Oregon and Duke in the Sweet 16 and Elite Eight. The Cards ultimately blew out No. 2 Duke in the regional final by more than 20 points despite losing guard Kevin Ware to a horrific injury. In the Final Four, No. 9 Wichita State nearly pulled off a major upset but Louisville came out on top in what Pitino called a "dog fight."
In a matchup that may be more like a horse race (something Pitino knows a bit about), does Louisville have the thoroughbreds to keep pace with Michigan? The oddsmakers in Las Vegas seemed to think so, installing Louisville as 4-point favorites after the matchup was set, according to the Las Vegas Sun.
The top choice of the selection committee and the consensus pick of the experts ahead of the tournament, the Cardinals have done everything expected of them thus far but Burke, McGary and company are poised to provide their toughest test yet.
Will Pitino become the first coach in history to win the national championship with two different schools? Or will these youthful Wolverines bring the title back to Ann Arbor on the 20th anniversary of the Fab Five's infamous defeat against North Carolina?
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