Kevin Ware Inspires Team to Win; Surgery Goes Well

Kevin Ware's injury is one that will not be easily forgotten by any who say it. The amount of pain that the sophomore guard had to be in is unimaginable to say the least. No one would have faulted Ware for crying his eyes out and screaming so loud he woke the dead, but instead he does something that is inspiring and absolutely selfless.

"Kevin Ware really was the reason why we pulled this game out," Louisville guard Peyton Siva told reporters. "...he told us countless times, 'Just go win this game for me. Just go win this game. Don't worry about me. I'm fine. Just go win this game.' I don't know how he did it. I don't know how he got the strength to do it, but he told us to go out there and win."

Win they did. The Cardinals took a 35-32 lead into the half, but came out into the second half ready and raring to go. Duke managed to tie the game up at 42-42 off a Mason Plumlee dunk, but were never able to pull ahead.

About midway through the half the Cardinals went on a 24-8 and never looked back en route to a 85-63 win.

"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."

According to a late-night release from the university, Ware has already undergone surgery to repair his leg. Over the course of a two-hour surgery doctors inserted a rod, reset the bone, and repaired the wound caused by the bone breaking the skin.

Following the game and surgery the coaches dropped by the hospital in order to see how he was doing and give him a chance to hold the trophy for winning the Midwest Region (see picture). Ware is expected to remain at Methodist Hospital in Indianapolis till at least Tuesday