NCAA Tournament 2012: Is Louisville a Contender Now in the Elite 8

After a big win against No.1 seed Michigan St. last night, Rick Pitino and the Louisville Cardinals are in the Elite 8 for the third time in six years.

After a long season of ups and downs no one envisioned the Cardinals making it this far. One thing that we have learned in the NCAA Tournament is don't count out Pitino or a Big East team.

Pitino has proved that he is one of the best college coaches to ever walk the sideline.

With a win against Tom Izzo and the Spartans, this makes Pitino the first coach to take three different schools to the semifinals. Also being 10-0 in the regional semifinals, Pitino has found something that is working for his team getting them one step closer to a trip to New Orleans for the Final Four.

This year, the thing that has propelled the Cardinals has been a stingy zone defense. This defense has stopped big name players from getting into a flow that they have been used to.

Last night Gorgui Dieng was the cornerstone of the defense, clogging up the middle with seven blocks and three steals. Every Spartan driving to the basket had to think twice before throwing up a shot with a force like Deing protecting the basket.

Michigan State couldn't find an answer for the zone, scoring only 44 points the entire game—one of the lowest scoring outputs for a No.1 seed in NCAA history.

One thing that you can't forget to mention is that Louisville hasn't lost a game since starting the Big East tournament. Winning four games in four days to win the Big East championship sounds like a page right out of Uconn's championship run last year.

Could this be Louisville's year to run the tables, and become the second straight Big East team to win 11 games in a row to end the season?

For now, they have to get past Billy Donovan and the Florida Gators, who have been shooting lights out behind the arc.

This matchup should be another one for the books with Bradley Beal playing like a NBA lottery pick in his freshman year for the Gators. Not to mention that Billy Donovan is Rick Pitino's protege, can Daniels son beat Mr. Myagi in this one?