In hindsight, the first three games of Elite Eight look a bit like the undercard for this heavyweight battle between Louisville and Duke.
No. 1 Louisville (32-5)
vs.
No. 2 Duke (30-5)
Midwest Region Final
Indianapolis, Ind.
Lucas Oil Stadium
5:05 p.m. EST
Through three games, Louisville has looked every bit the No. 1 overall seed in the 2013 NCAA Tournament, but No. 2 Duke will provide a far stiffer test than No. 12 Oregon, No. 8 Colorado State and No. 16 North Carolina A&T. With its stifling end-to-end defense and Russdiculous offense, Louisville has cruised through its portion of the Midwest Region. Coach Mike Krzyzewski's Blue Devils also impressed en route to regional final, with Seth Curry notably pouring in 29 points against No. 3 Michigan State in the Sweet 16.
Duke edged Louisville (playing without Gorgui Dieng) in November, but this Elite Eight meeting marks the first time that Pitino and Krzyzewski have faced off in the NCAA Tournament since 1992. With arguably the most memorable basket in NCAA Tournament history, Christian Laettner lifted Coach K's Blue Devils past Pitino's Kentucky Wildcats and into the Final Four.
"To me, it's one of the best losses I've ever had,'' Pitino said ahead of the Elite Eight, via The Associated Press. "A bad loss is where your guys play terrible, you don't play. It was a great loss because my guys played almost a perfect game and we just had the wrong ending for us. But it was one of the greatest basketball games ever played because it was so high-powered with great play. One great play after another. That was fun to be part of.''
Will Pitino gain some measure of revenge for that memorable defeat? Or will Coach K tie UCLA legend John Wooden with 12 career Final Four appearances?
With Russ Smith and Peyton Siva in the backcourt for Louisville and Duke's lineup featuring Seth Curry, Ryan Kelly and Mason Plumlee, the players on the court will be heard from in this one, too.
Who comes out on top?
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