No time to take a closer look at North Carolina, so "them boys is good" will have to suffice.
Nerves are dominating my life.
LOUISVILLE CARDINALS (27-8, 14-4) vs. NORTH CAROLINA TAR HEELS (35-2, 14-2)
Time: (Approximately) 9:04 p.m.
Television: CBS
Site: Charlotte Bobcats Arena: Charlotte, N.C.
Favorite: North Carolina by 6
All-Time Series: North Carolina leads 7-3
Last Meeting: Louisville won 97-80 on 12/23/99
Probable North Carolina Starting Lineup
G Ty Lawson........12.9 ppg
G Wayne Ellington....16.8 ppg
F Deon Thompson....8.5 ppg
F Marcus Ginyard...7.4 ppg
F Tyler Hansbrough....22.8 ppg
Notable
--The Tar Heels are 24-1 in NCAA tournament games played in the state of North Carolina, including 8-0 in Charlotte.
--U of L and UNC have met three times in the NCAA tournament, with Carolina owning a 2-1 advantage in those games.
--Rick Pitino is 0-3 against North Carolina in his career.
--Louisville has an 8-3 record all-time as a three seed. The Cards advanced to the Final Four as a three in 1982.
Quotable
--We'll play at any tempo we need to play fundamental basketball. If we're playing Miami of Ohio or Cincinnati and they're forcing us to play in the 50s or 60s, we're not going to break our fundamentals. We'll play slower. Other teams want to run, and we'll run with them." --Rick Pitino
--"I don't think we've played a team of this style. Clemson is probably close. But Louisville may be a little more athletic than Clemson and a couple of inches taller at every position." --Roy Williams
--"Can he get on a plane for the first time and let's play the game at Freedom Hall if he feels that way ... or go to Lexington? I don't think there's a home-court advantage. I think those are mostly mannequins dressed in powder blue." --Rick Pitino
--"I feel like I can get the ball to the middle and have a lot of options. I've got Tyler (Hansbrough) or Wayne (Ellington) on the side or Danny (Green) streaking to hit a three. So I like the idea of a press." --Ty Lawson
--"It's kind of hard to watch TV and not see Tyler Hansbrough. It's going to be great post play. There are great post players and great matchups." --Earl Clark
--"We want to play inside-out regardless of whether they're playing zone. We want to make that zone collapse. They have to worry about Tyler down there, and he's going to get a lot of attention. If not, he'll get a one-on-one matchup, and that's what we want." --Wayne Ellington
--"Playing North Carolina here is as hard as it gets. But if you can win a game like this, you know you can win a championship." --Andre McGee
CC Prediction: North Carolina 78, Louisville 72
I would pick Louisville tonight if it were playing any one of the other six teams left in the tournament, but Carolina is a step above everybody else right now.
If I'm wrong, I'll happily buy the first round...naked.