Russ Smith scored 23 points and Gorgui Dieng racked up 14 points and 11 rebounds as the Louisville Cardinals overcame a gruesome injury to guard Kevin Ware to beat the Duke Blue Devils, 85-53, in their Midwest Regional Final showdown at Lucas Oil Stadium.

Rick Pitino and the Cardinals are back in the Final Four, though they needed an inspiration from a wounded player to shake off the Devils for good.

Ware, who scored 11 points on 5-for-7 shooting against the Oregon Ducks in their Sweet 16 matchup, suffered a broken fibula after he contested a shot by Tyler Thornton and landed awkwardly, causing a portion of his bone to pop out of its skin.

Louisville and Duke players could not believe what they saw, prompting officials to halt the game until Ware was taken out of the floor.

But before Ware left, the 6-foot-2 guard gave some words of encouragement for his teammates, asking them to beat Duke and advance to the Final Four in Atlanta, where he played his entire high school career.

The Cardinals then turned a 35-32 halftime lead into a blowout, thanks to a 51-point explosion in the second half.

Duke's offense ground to a halt, with Seth Curry (12 points) and Mason Plumlee (17) having a hard time putting the ball into the basket.

The Blue Devils shot 36.5 percent from the field and 25.0 percent from the three-point line.

Pitino, making his seventh appearance in the Final Four, will have to prepare his team for a tougher grind as they take on the Shockers of Wichita State in the semifinals at Georgia Dome on April 6.

Gorgui Dieng had 14 points, 11 rebounds and four blocks, and Louisville put aside the shock from Kevin Ware's gruesome leg injury to earn a second straight trip to the Final Four with an 85-63 victory over Duke.

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Louisville Blows by Duke to Second Straight Final Four Appearance