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One of the major developments in the game's first half happened when Michigan Guard Trey Burke got into early foul trouble which forced freshman backup guard Spike Albrecht to play extensive minutes, where he made four threes in the first half and scored 17 points overall in the game.
However, Luke Hancock, the Cardinals' captain also made four threes in the half, and ultimately made all five of his three point shots for the game. Hancock scored a total of 22 points, and added three assists. His big shots in the first half were a major factor in keeping the Cardinals in the first half of the game, and ultimately may have been why they won the game. Senior Guard Peyton Siva also contributed big for Louisville adding 18 points, 6 rebounds, 5 assists, and 4 steals.
Our resident Michigan fan Nate was disappointed with his team's loss, but had this to say:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p>Welp. Still a good season for Michigan's men & women. Fun ride. Plenty to be proud of.</p>— Nate P (@NateP_SBN) <a href="https://twitter.com/NateP_SBN/status/321471128268840961">April 9, 2013</a></blockquote>
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With all of that said, given Louisville's win in the D-I men's basketball championship, the Big East Conference is guaranteed to sweep both the men's and women's basketball championships for the 2012-2013 season. Louisville and UConn will play in the women's final later tonight at 8:30 PM on ESPN. Should Louisville win the women's championship tonight, the Cardinals will sweep the men's and women's championships for the first time since 2004 when UConn did the same.
To read more on the NCAA men's basketball championship game from fan perspectives, read Card Chronicle for Louisville's perspective and Maize n Brew for Michigan's. For a more objective perspective, read SB Nation's StoryStream.
Read more on our preview on Louisville's and UConn's women's national championship game by clicking here. And our Women's Final Four StoryStream can be accessed here.