INDIANAPOLIS (AP) a' With tears to them and Kevin Ware inside their hearts, there was no way Louisville was losing this game. Russ Smith won 23, Gorgui Dieng had 14 points, 11 boards and four blocks, and top-seeded Louisville put away the shock from Ware's horrible leg problems for earn another straight visit to the Final Four having an 85-63 victory over Duke on Sunday evening. Because the closing seconds ticked down, Chane Behanan set Ware's jersey on and stood at the conclusion of the Louisville counter, screaming. Cardinals fans chanted "Kevin Ware! Kevin Ware!" "We won this for him," coach Rick Pitino said. "We were all blocked up with emotion for him. We'll get him back again to normal. We've got great health practitioners, great trainers." The Final Four is in Ware's hometown of Atlanta, just increasing the emotion for the successful Cardinals. "We discussed it every timeout, 'Get Kevin home,'" Pitino said. This was initially Pitino and Mike Krzyzewski had met in the regional finals since that 1992 classic that ended with Christian Laettner's improbable buzzer-beater, a game now considered one of the most useful in NCAA tournament history. This game will undoubtedly be remembered, too, but also for a really distinct a' and a whole lot more somber a' purpose. With 6:33 left in the very first half, Ware, who has played a key part in Louisville's 14-game winning streak, got to try and stop Tyler Thornton's 3-point shot. When he landed, his right leg clicked midway between his ankle and knee, the bone skewing nearly at a right angle. Ware slipped to the ground right in front of the Louisville table and, nearly in unison, his teammates turned away in fear. Thornton grimaced, putting his hand to his mouth as he turned around. Louisville forward Wayne Blackshear fell to the ground and Behanan seemed as if he was going to be ill on the court, kneeling on his hands and feet. Luke Hancock patted Ware's chest as doctors done the sophomore and Smith went away, pulling his jersey over his eyes. Pitino had tears in his eyes as he attempted to console his players. Dieng draped an arm across the shoulders of Smith, who repeatedly wiped at his eyes and shook his head. Before he left the Cardinals (33-5) collected at halfcourt to regroup and try before they were called by Pitino over to the sideline, saying Ware wished to speak to them. "Basically, the bone sprang out from the skin. It broke in two spots," Pitino said. "Remember the bone is six inches out of his knee, and all he's shouting is 'Win the game, get the game.' Anything has never been never seen by me like that." Social media was dominated by news of the injury. Joe Theismann whose NFL career ended with a horrific broken leg, explained on Twitter, "Watching Duke/ Louisville my heart goes out to Kevin Ware." Fans chanted "Kevin! Kevin" as Ware was loaded onto the stretcher, and Pitino wiped away tears again as Ware was wheeled off the court. The Cardinals fought to place the horrific damage behind them, lacking four of their next five shots along side two free throws after play resumed. They regrouped following a timeout, with Smith's finger spin sparking a 12-6 run to complete the half that gave them a 35-32 cause. Johnson picked up where he left off at the start of the second half, creating all three free throws after being fouled on a 3-point attempt to give Louisville a 38-32 lead, its greatest of the overall game to that point. But just like he did against Michigan State, Duke star Seth Curry got hot after halftime, producing two 3s in the first 3 minutes. Mason Plumlee dunked to tie the overall game at 42. That, nevertheless, was all Louisville needed. Hammering for every rebound, diving on a floor for loose balls and cranking the power up even greater on their ferocious safety, the Cardinals weren't going to drop. And everyone, Duke included, knew it. A layup was made by Smith, the most outstanding player of the Midwest Region,. Peyton Siva had a wonderful jumper towards the top of the key, and then followed with a layup. Just like that, the Cardinals were off on the victory that was sealed by a 20-4 run. Siva had 16 factors and Luke Hancock added 10 for the Cardinals, who'll play Wichita State in the national semifinals next Saturday. The ninth-seeded Shockers (30-8) added to their talent of problems with a triumph over Ohio State on Saturday night. Plumlee concluded with 17 points and 12 rebounds. Curry included 12, all in the second half. The Blue Devils (30-6) needed Curry ahead up big as he did against Michigan State should they were likely to have any opportunity against the Blue Devils. But Curry didn't have a opportunity until nearly seven minutes in to the sport, and missed all of his three images in the first half. This is only the second time the Blue Devils have reached the regional finals and failed to allow it to be to the Ultimate Four. The only other time? In 1998, once the Blue Devils lost to eventual national champion Kentucky. The loss eliminated Krzyzewski a' for the time being a' from tying John Wooden's history of 12 Final Four appearances.
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