Louisville Crushes Arizona and Looks Ready to Make Their Run at the Championship

Louisville has been a team on a mission all year long and last night they proved yet again that they are the team to beat this year in NCAA Basketball. They won the regular season in what has been conceded to be the best conference in college basketball this season. They further solidified their position and guaranteed themselves an overall number one ranking when they scooped up the Big East Tournament. Now they are pillaging every school that dares step on the court with them during this NCAA Championship Tournament.

There were few times during the regular season when Louisville showed any chinks in the armor. One of the more unforgettable games that they had during the regular season was their straight up win at Villanova. I was sitting right behind the bench and could hear the relentlessness in Pitino on every play. When he wasn't giving direction, one of his assistants was. It was right then and there that I felt that they were going to make an honest run at the championship. They gutted out a huge win that day and then they started to steamroll through the rest of their schedule.

Louisville got an early scare in the first round, but like all great teams do, they made adjustments at half time and then buried Morehead State. While you almost knew Sienna was going to give them trouble, the game itself was never in question. The score was much tighter than anyone would have liked, but they managed to get the job done. They rolled into the Sweet 16 with a ton of confidence and finally at ease in their role.

The game with Arizona was over before it ever even started. It was as though men were on the court with children. Louisville left little to the imagination in this one and quickly shattered Arizona's glass slipper. They played the most solid game of a number one so far in this tourney and they look poised to hoist the championship trophy next week.

A solid Michigan State teams stands between Louisville and the Final Four, but it would not seem to be much of a roadblock. This is not a knock on Michigan State's talent, they simply cannot match up against the power game that Louisville brings night in and night out. The game should be competitive early on emotion alone, but it will probably start to separate about half way through the first half.

Louisville may have overlooked Siena or been a little too confident going into a matchup with a team that they were not familiar with. That will not be the case with Michigan State. This is a focused team that is ready to do whatever it takes to cut down the nets. There is a certain swagger about the coach that you don't see very often. It is almost as though he knows what the future holds for this incredible team that he has put together.

After their next game, it will more than likely be a Big East Shootout, save Oklahoma. If Oklahoma manages to get past the winner of the Villanova-Pittsburgh game, Louisville will more than likely be waiting at the door for them in the final game of the tournament. There are few schools that can go head to head with the Big East for 3 out of 4 games and come out on top of every one of them, especially when the teams they are playing are the highest ranked teams in the conference.

No, it does not seem likely that Louisville is going to allow anyone to stand in their way of what could be considered a perfect season. I know they did not go undefeated, but winning the Big East regular season, the Big East Tournament and then winning the NCAA Championship is about as close as you are ever going to be to perfection.