ATLANTA - Louisville already had the bigger names, the favored team and some unfinished business after coming up short in last year’s Final Four.
The main thing Wichita State had was the crowd on its side as the underdog. Now the Shockers don’t even have that.
Kevin Ware is seemingly everybody’s favorite player since he broke his leg in gruesome fashion last weekend yet summoned the strength to encourage his teammates, and having him at the Final Four has given the top-seeded Cardinals (33-5) added motivation to claim the title that eluded them last year.
“We really want it, especially since we’re back here for a second year,” Louisville forward Wayne Blackshear said Friday. “With Kevin going down, especially the way he did, it’s just making us play harder.”
Louisville plays Wichita State (30-8) in the first national semifinal tonight. The Cardinals are 10½-point favorites.
Wichita State has one player, Carl Hall, who salvaged his career after working in a light bulb factory and two more, Ron Baker and Malcolm Armstead, who paid their way to come to school and started on the team as walk-ons. Its coach has invited fans into the locker room after big victories.
All of that would make it the team the entire country could get behind if it wasn’t for Ware.
“I’m just glad to know Kevin Ware now even more because he’s probably the most famous person I know,” Cardinals point guard Peyton Siva said, jokingly. “You know, when you have Oprah Winfrey and Michelle Obama call you, it’s pretty good to say you know that person.”
Louisville’s trip to last year’s Final Four was something of a surprise, coming after the Cardinals skidded into the Big East Tournament just two games over .500. So when they made it to the NCAA Tournament and finally were bounced by arch rival and top ranked Kentucky in the semifinals, it wasn’t a shock. Or a huge disappointment.
This year the Cardinals - and almost everyone else - expect Louisville to win it all.
“I think that’s the one difference from last year to this year,” forward Chane Behanan said. “Last year, I don’t want to say it was a fluke, because we were a great basketball team. This year is just totally different. We have the No. 1 seed. It’s a lot of pressure with everyone expecting us to win.”
Until Ware got hurt, the Cardinals seemed immune to the pressure and the expectations, to say nothing of letdowns.
They won their first four NCAA Tournament games by an average of almost 22 points. They limited opponents to 59 points and 42 percent shooting while harassing them into almost 18 turnovers. Oregon was the only team to get within nine points of Louisville at the buzzer. The Cardinals blew out Duke by 22 points.
Russ Smith was named Most Outstanding Player of the Midwest Regional after averaging 26 points in the first four games and tying an NCAA record with eight steals against North Carolina A&T. Gorgui Dieng has 10 blocks.
But losing Ware was big. He was the main substitute - the only substitute, really - for Smith and Siva, the high-octane guards who are the key not only to Louisville’s suffocating press but its offense, too.
“Our players totally understand the challenge that lies ahead with this Wichita State team,” Coach Rick Pitino said. “We understand with Kevin out that we not only have to play very hard, we have to play very, very smart.”
This is the first Final Four appearance for Wichita State since 1965, but the ninth-seeded Shockers are no fluke. They are big, athletic, they rebound and they can shoot three-pointers better than just about anyone.
Just ask Pittsburgh, a first round victim of the hot-shooting Shockers. Or No. 1-seeded Gonzaga, which was out before the first weekend of the tournament was over thanks to Wichita State.
Or Ohio State, a fashionable pick for a third consecutive Final Four until the Shockers sent them packing.
“Their whole team is tough. It’s not just one guy,” Siva said. “Macolm Armstead, of course, makes them go. But on any given night, anybody on the team can have a big night. It’s up to us to play collective defense, hit the glass and continue to play how we’ve been playing.”
Armstead is averaging almost 16 points during the tournament, one of four Shockers averaging at least 10. Tekele Cotton is 5 of 10 from three-point range, while Ron Baker is 6 of 15.
But the number that catches Pitino’s attention is 34, the shooting percentage for Wichita State’s first four opponents.
“What you’ve got to do is not turn the ball over,” Shockers Coach Gregg Marshall said. “If we’re turning the ball over and giving them transition opportunities, then we’re not doing what we’re trying to do.”
The key to avoiding that is containing Siva and Smith. Or getting them in foul trouble.
Siva, in particular, has a tendency to pick up fouls. He played only the first five minutes of the first half against Duke after getting whistled for two quick ones. He was in foul trouble in last year’s Final Four, too, sitting the last seven minutes of the first half.
“I try to avoid foul trouble every game. Sometimes it just finds me,” he said. “I don’t know how.”
Smith and Siva know they need to be more careful against Wichita State, but not to the point where it makes them cautious.
“We’re going to keep our aggressiveness,” Smith promised. “Nothing is going to change.”
After all, the Cardinals have unfinished business. For themselves and for Ware, who plans to be on the bench tonight.
“One of our teammates went down,” Behanan said. “We as a team have to step it up.”
Wichita St. vs. Louisville WHEN 5 p.m. Central RECORDS Wichita State 30-8, Louisville 33-5 SEEDS Wichita State No. 9, Louisville No. 1
NCAA SEMIFINALS Louisville vs. Wichita State, 5 p.m. Central today, CBS
PROBABLE STARTING LINEUPS
LOUISVILLE POS NAME, HT, YR PPG RPG G Peyton Siva, 6-0, Sr. 9.9 2.3 G Russ Smith, 6-0, Jr. 18.9 3.4 C Gorgui Dieng, 6-11, Jr. 10.2 9.5 F Wayne Blackshear, 6-5, So. 7.8 3.2 F Chane Behanan, 6-6, So. 9.6 6.3 OFF THE BENCH G Tim Henderson, 6-2, Jr. 06. 0.4 F Luke Hancock, 6-6, Jr. 7.4 2.6 F Montrezl Harrell, 6-8, Fr. 5.7 3.7 COACH Rick Pitino (662-239 overall, 308-111 in 12 seasons at Louisville)
WICHITA STATE POS NAME, HT, YR PPG RPG G Malcolm Armstead, 6-0, Sr. 10.9 3.8 G Tekele Cotton, 6-2, So. 6.4 3.9 G Demetric Williams, 6-2, Sr. 7.6 2.6 F Cleanthony Early, 6-8, Jr. 13.7 5.3 C Ehimen Orukpe, 7-0, Sr. 2.7 4.4 OFF THE BENCH G Fred Van Vleet, 5-11, Fr. 4.3 1.9 G Ron Baker, 6-3, Fr. 8.6 2.9 F Carl Hall, 6-8, Sr. 12.5 6.9 COACH Gregg Williams (333-152 overall, 139-69 in 6 seasons at Wichita State)
WHERE Georgia Dome, Atlanta RECORDS Louisville 33-5, Wichita State 30-8 SERIES Louisville leads 19-5 TV CBS
CHALK TALK Offensively, Wichita State will need to handle Louisville’s defensive pressure and get good shots from the floor.
If those shots don’t fault, the Shockers must make the most of its rebounding advantage. Defensively, the Shockers will need to stop Russ Smith, who is averaging nearly 19 points per game. Louisville’s depth at the guard spot is hurt with the season ending injury to Kevin Ware, so reserve Tim Henderson and others will need to step up when Smith or Peyton Siva are on the bench.
Sports, Pages 19 on 04/06/2013