Once top-seeded Louisville was on the verge of finishing off Duke on Sunday afternoon to clinch its second Final Four bid in the past two seasons, forward Chane Behanan stripped off his own jersey and donned the No. 5 of teammate Kevin Ware.

It was a fitting gesture for the player who inspired the Cardinals not to let their championship dreams go to waste on his behalf.

As he was lying in front of the Louisville bench in the first half with his right leg broken so badly that the bone was protruding from the skin, Ware called his teammates over and told them not to worry about him and to go win the game. The top-seeded Cardinals did just as he asked, breaking open a three-point game at halftime and pulling away from second-seeded Duke for an 85-63 rout.

[Slideshow: Players, coaches react to Kevin Ware's gruesome injury]

Ware's injury was on the minds of his teammates throughout their game-changing 24-8 blitz midway through the second half. Since Ware is an Atlanta native and that is the host city for the Final Four, coach Rick Pitino said Louisville players and coaches reminded one-another during every timeout that the goal was to bring Ware home.

"We won this for him," Pitino told CBS sideline reporter Tracy Wolfson. "We're all choked up with emotion for him. We wanted to get back to Atlanta."

It was two of Louisville's other guards who were most responsible for the Cardinals turning a 35-32 halftime lead into a rout. Seniors Russ Smith and Peyton Siva torched Duke off the dribble via the pick and roll the entire game, beating their defenders easily and then drawing fouls on late-arriving Duke big men around the rim.

Read More »from Inspired by Kevin Ware’s request, Louisville wins for its injured teammate

Louisville players react after Kevin Ware's injury (Getty Images)

As Kevin Ware lay in front of the Louisville bench screaming in anguish after breaking his leg in gruesome fashion during Sunday's game against Duke, one glance at the reaction of his teammates demonstrated how close the Cardinals are.

The four other Louisville players on the court crumpled to the ground and hid their tear-stained eyes in their hands or jerseys to keep from looking at Ware. Players on the Cardinals bench all recoiled in horror and several reportedly even appeared to vomit. And as medical staffers loaded Ware onto a stretcher and prepared to transport him to an Indianapolis hospital, even Louisville coach Rick Pitino had to wipe away tears.

Before Ware left the floor, he called his teammates over to him. CBS sideline reporter Tracy Wolfson said he told the rest of the Louisville players, "Don't worry about me. I'll be OK. You guys go win this thing."

[Slideshow: Players, coaches react to Kevin Ware's gruesome injury]

Ware sustained the injury trying to defend a Tyler Thornton 3-pointer with 6:33 left in the first half Sunday's final Elite Eight game and Louisville leading Duke 21-20. CBS showed the replay twice when it happened, but the network made the appropriate decision not to air a close-up shot or to air it again during its halftime show.

We've included a video of the injury at the bottom of the post for those who want to see it, but frankly I recommend not scrolling down that far. It was horrific enough that one of the few athletes who has suffered a similar injury chose to lend his condolences on Twitter as Ware was being taken off the floor and Louisville fans in the stands were chanting his name.

"Watching Duke/ Louisville my heart goes out to Kevin Ware," tweeted ex-Washington Redskins quarterback Joe Theismann.

The timing of the injury could not be worse for Louisville on multiple levels.

[Also: Sports world reacts to Ware's injury]

Read More »from Kevin Ware’s gruesome broken leg inspires grief and compassion from Louisville teammates

Michigan might have been voted least likely to succeed from the Big Ten Conference when the NCAA tournament began two weeks ago.

The Wolverines struggled down the stretch of the regular season and lost in ugly fashion to Wisconsin in the Big Ten tournament. But they regrouped and found the offensive mojo that led them to a No. 1 ranking earlier in the year and blew away Florida 79-59 Sunday in the Elite Eight.

The Wolverines advanced to the Final Four for the first time since 1993 and the days of the Fab Five.

[Related: Michigan backup provides heady play in Elite Eight victory]

Read More »from Michigan saves the day for the Big Ten beating Florida to reach first Final Four since 1993

Not a lot was going right for Florida through the first 30 minutes of its third Elite Eight game in the past three years Sunday. The Gators weren't doing themselves any favors with sloppy passes and quick shots on the offensive end.

Speedy Michigan backup point guard Spike Albrecht came up with a play early in the second half sure to make the highlight reels regardless of the outcome.

With the Gators making a bit of run to eat into what was a 24-point Michigan lead, Albrecht stole an inbound pass from the Gators immediately after a made basket by Mitch McGary. Albrecht made an acrobatic layup for what amounted to a four-point trip down the court for the Wolverines.

It was a heady play for the freshman backup and one the Gators won't soon forget.

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Read More »from Michigan backup Spike Albrecht making heady plays in Elite Eight game against Florida

Ryan Harrow (Getty Images)Unlike most transfers in which one side wins and one side loses, Ryan Harrow's decision to leave Kentucky appears to be mutually beneficial.

Harrow will get a fresh start, plenty of playing time and the opportunity to be closer to his Atlanta home as a result of his decision to transfer to Sun Belt Conference-bound Georgia State. And Kentucky will avoid the potential chemistry issues that could have arisen from Harrow losing his starting point guard position to incoming freshmen Andrew or Aaron Harrison.

Since Harrow already sat out the entire 2011-12 season after transferring from NC State to Kentucky, he would only have one year of eligibility remaining if he also has to sit out the 2013-14 season at Georgia State. He will petition the NCAA for a waiver because part of the motivation for his decision to attend Georgia State is to be closer to his father, who suffered a stroke last year.

"I really need to be home with him to be closer to him to make sure he’s taken care of," Harrow told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. "My dad is really into basketball. He wants to be at games but he can’t travel. With me being here I can go and check on him and make sure he’s OK."

If Harrow is able to attain that waiver – no sure bet considering playing time also probably played a role in his decision – the third party that stands to benefit is Georgia State. Even though Harrow was unable to play at the level of John Calipari's previous point guards at Kentucky and Memphis, the former five-star recruit still would fill a need for a Panthers team that is thin at point guard.

Harrow averaged 9.9 points and 2.8 assists per game at Kentucky, stats similar to those he produced as a freshman at NC State during the 2010-11 season. His outside shot and his perimeter defense have room for improvement, but his quickness and ability to finish at the rim would be assets for a Georgia State team that went 15-16 in its final CAA season but brings back its three leading scorers.

Read More »from Ryan Harrow leaves Kentucky for Georgia State, a decision that may be good for everyone

It's up to you Michigan.

The overall strength of the Big Ten Conference has been one of the major story lines of this college basketball season, but after Ohio State lost in the West Region final Saturday night to upstart Wichita State, the Big Ten is in danger of being shut out of the Final Four.

So much for all the hubbub earlier this week about a possible All-Big Ten Final Four.

Michigan is the last Big Ten team remaining from seven that played in the Round of 64 and four that advanced to the Sweet 16. The Wolverines, a team many believed was ripe to be upset early entering the tournament, must beat Florida on Sunday to capture the South Region and advance to their first Final Four since those Fab Five guys made history in the early 1990s.

Read More »from Whiff? The Big Ten is in danger of missing the Final Four completely after dominating the season

LOS ANGELES — They were overlooked before the season because last year's five leading scorers graduated. They were dwarfed in their own league by highly touted Creighton. And they were overshadowed during their NCAA tournament run because another Cinderella story was even more unfathomable than their own.

Only now that they've vanquished the best the West Region had to offer can the Wichita State Shockers not be ignored any longer.

Despite temporarily losing two of their best players to second-half injuries and allowing a determined Ohio State team to cut a 20-point deficit to three in the final minutes, Wichita State refused to fold and escaped with for a 70-66 victory. The ninth-seeded Shockers advance to the school's first Final Four since 1965, where they'll again be an underdog against either Duke or Louisville next Saturday.

[Related: Big Ten in danger of being shut out of Final Four]

"We've been called the underdogs all year and nobody believed we could get to this point," Wichita State junior Nick Wiggins said. "It's just an unbelievable feeling to actually prove everyone wrong, make it to the Final Four and have this success."

Wichita State becomes only the fifth team seeded ninth or higher to make the Final Four, joining Penn (No. 9 in 1979), LSU (No. 11 in 1986), George Mason (No. 11 in 2006) and Virginia Commonwealth (No. 11 in 2011). The Shockers didn't have an easy path either, knocking out Big East power Pittsburgh, No. 1 seed Gonzaga and streaking upstart La Salle just to advance to the Elite Eight.

Toppling Ohio State was especially impressive simply because the surging Buckeyes were playing their best basketball in March. Buoyed by an elite defense and the emergence of complementary scorers who have taken the pressure off Deshaun Thomas, they had won 11 in a row entering Saturday's game to advance within one game of a second straight Final Four.

The most remarkable part of Wichita State's run was the Shockers did it with ex-walk-ons, junior college transfers and overlooked prospects that a powerhouse like Ohio State wouldn't even dream of recruiting.

Read More »from Wichita State’s band of castoffs survives Ohio State comeback, advances to Final Four

One of the key questions so far in the NCAA tournament has been whether any team can outscore No. 1 overall seed Louisville. It's time to consider if anyone will solve the Syracuse zone.

The Orange frustrated fellow Big East member Marquette, a team that is accustomed to Jim Boeheim's famous defense, throughout their Elite Eight battle today. The Golden Eagles never looked comfortable on the offensive end and it was reflected on the scoreboard throughout Syracuse's 55-39 victory.

In a season in which Boeheim won his 900th game, the Orange are returning to the Final Four as East Region champions. They were a No. 4 seed and didn't get any breaks along the way, beating No. 1 seed Indiana and No. 3 seed Marquette to earn their first trip to the national semifinals since winning it all in 2003 with Carmelo Anthony and Co.

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Read More »from Syracuse smothers Big East rival Marquette to reach fifth Final Four