The No. 1 overall seed, the Louisville Cardinals, proved why they were the best team in the tournament Monday after topping the Michigan Wolverines, 82-76, to win the 2013 NCAA Men’s Basketball Championship.
The Cardinals overcame an early 12-point deficit to hand Coach Rick Pitino his second national championship of his Hall of Fame career. After the game he thanked his team for their fight and relentlessness.
"This team is one of the most together, toughest and hard-nosed teams," Pitino said. "Being down never bothers us. They just come back."
Louisville got huge performances from veteran guard Peyton Siva, who finished with 18 points, 6 rebounds, 5 assists, and 4 steals, and forward Luke Hancock who shot 5-for-6 from the 3-point line and chipped in with 22 points.
Star guard Russ Smith had a rough showing in the championship game. Smith, who has been the Cardinals’ leading scorer with 18.7 points per game, only just nine points on 3-for-16 from the field.
Hancock was red hot Monday night; in the first half he hit four consecutive 3-pointers. This came after Wolverine guard Spike Albrecht nailed four 3-pointers and finished with 17 points for the game. Albrecht went into the tournament averaging 1.8 points per game.
Hancock continued his outstanding outside shooting with another 3 in the second half. He finished 5-for-5 from the arc and 7-for-10 from the free throw line. He hit two key free throws late to seal the game after a late charge by the Wolverines.
Michigan star guard and National Player of the Year, Trey Burke, finished with 24 points on 7-for-11 shooting from the field.
"A lot of people didn't expect us to get this far," he said. "A lot of people didn't expect us to get past the second round. We fought. We fought up to this point, but Louisville was the better team today, and they're deserving of the win."
"We feel bad about it," said Wolverine Head Coach John Beilein. “There are some things we could have done better and get a win, but at the same time, Louisville is a terrific basketball team. We have not seen that quickness anywhere."
The Cardinals did not forget guard Kevin Ware in the win. They walked out with warm up jerseys that had his number 5 on the back and the phrase “Ri5e to the Occasion” on the front. Ware suffered a gruesome leg injury in the Cardinals’ Sweet 16 game against the Duke Blue Devils.
"These are my brothers," Ware said. "They got the job done. I'm so proud of them, so proud of them."
Despite an outstanding week for Pitino, who was inducted into the Naismith Hall of Fame and saw his son Richard get a prestigious coaching job, there was a downside to the win.
"Our biggest motivation," Siva said, "was to get coach a tattoo." Pitino had bet his players that if they won, he would get a tattoo.
"I have a couple of ideas," said Hancock, who became the first sub in tournament history to be designated as most outstanding player. "He doesn't know what he's getting into."
The Louisville Cardinals women's basketball team will play for their chance at a national title against the University of Connecticut Huskies on Tuesday at 8:30 pm.
