By John Solomon
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Independent voices from the TWT Communities
Louisville men's coach Rick Pitino went to New Orleans to watch the Cardinals' women's team play Connecticut in Tuesday night's NCAA championship game.
With a national championship slipping away in the final minutes, Trey Burke raced back on defense and gave Michigan fans one more spectacular play to remember.
With injured teammate Kevin Ware cheering them on from the bench, the Cardinals capped their run through the NCAA tournament, coming back again from a 12-point deficit to beat Michigan 82-76 in the championship game Monday night.
Two minutes. Four 3-pointers. Safe to say, Luke Hancock knows how to make good use of his time.
Plenty of teams talk about how tight-knit they are, how the team matters more than any individual accomplishment.
Someday soon, Rick Pitino is going to have to explain the tattoo to his grandkids.
The backup forward, better known as "Plan B" for Rick Pitino's talented team, went on a shooting spree for the ages Monday night, making four straight 3-pointers over a two-minute span late in the first half to help pull Louisville out of a double-digit deficit and into a one-point lead.
Their best player was struggling and their main backup was on the bench with a broken leg.
Start studying, Louisville.
What a week for Rick Pitino! He's elected to the Hall of Fame. His horse is headed to the Kentucky Derby. His son gets a prominent head coaching job. Then he caps it off with what he wanted most. Another national championship.
The Cardinals are not only the favorites to win the national championship, they've become sentimental favorites, as well, after rallying around Kevin Ware, the guard whose compound leg fracture in last week's regional final turned stomachs, while also warming hearts and setting the story line for this week in Atlanta.
Kevin Ware couldn't stay seated for this one.
Playing hunches does not get a coach into the Hall of Fame. It certainly didn't get Rick Pitino to the threshold.
Tip-off time is nearing. Time to see if Louisville can live up to the hype or one of those other guys can turn the Final Four into their party.
Luke Hancock came off the bench to score 20 points, walk-on Tim Henderson sparked a second-half rally with a pair of monster 3s and Louisville advanced to the NCAA title game Saturday night, escaping with a 72-68 victory over Wichita State.
"There's no way to describe how it feels that my dad was here," Hancock said.
"Coach Pitino made this feel like a home," Hancock said. "I'm so excited for our team to be in this situation and finally be here."
