Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
Available On Air Stations
Watch Live

Squeak! Louisville Beats Wichita With Unexpected Difficulty

Louisville pulls out a win against Wichita State, 72-68, in the NCAA men's basketball Final Four round. It didn't happen without a fight, though.

As ESPN puts it, "The Cardinals overcame not just Wichita State but themselves to advance to the national title game."

Despite not having made it to the Final Four since 1965, Wichita initially "looked like the team who had been there before," The Associated Press reports. At its highest point, the No. 9 team was up 47-35.

Advertisement

During the game, NPR's Linda Holmes tweeted:

ESPN gives credit to Louisville's bench for ultimately pulling it off. USA Today reports:

"... [Louisville] got key contributions from two reserves -- Luke Hancock and walk-on Tim Henderson -- to rally from an 12-point second-half deficit and hold off the Shockers, 72-68, at the Georgia Dome."

The top-seeded team ached without sophomore Kevin Ware, who broke his leg during the Cardinals' game with Duke last weekend. (If his good spirits showed before, they were glowing from the bench Saturday.)

The title game is Monday, when Louisville will face the winner of the ongoing Michigan-Syracuse game.

Advertisement

Copyright 2013 NPR. To see more, visit www.npr.org.