March Madness

Louisville vs. Wichita State, Final Four predictions: Cardinals favored to win

Louisville is heavily favored to end Wichita State's tournament run in the Final Four.

By Jon Benne@LordBenne Apr 3, 2013, 6:31pm EDT

The 2013 Final Four tips off in Atlanta on Saturday, and the first game on the ledger is the Louisville Cardinals vs. the Wichita State Shockers.

Complete game coverage: Card Chronicle Mid Major Madness

The Cardinals breezed through the tournament with ease as the No. 1 overall seed. They steamrolled North Carolina A&T, Colorado State, Oregon and Duke on the way to the fifth Final Four appearance in school history. Oregon was the only team they didn't beat by double-digit points.

Wichita State is one of the big surprise stories of the tournament. They took out Pittsburgh, Gonzaga, La Salle and Ohio State to reach the Final Four for the first time since 1965. They are also the first Missouri Valley Conference team to make it this far since Indiana State in 1979.

That said, most people expect their run to end here. All four of CBS Sports' experts are picking Louisville to win, and the Cardinals are 10.5-point favorites to move on to the national title game. It's not the first time Wichita State has faced long odds in this tournament, however, and they are fully capable of pulling off another shocking upset.

The teams will tip off at 6:09 P.M. ET on CBS Saturday.