Louisville coach Rick Pitino told Kevin Ware to stay down after his gruesome compound fracture. Credit: CHUCK LIDDY

INDIANAPOLIS—The first half ended with Louisville holding a 35-32 lead on Duke. The game changed irrevocably, though, midway through the period, when Cardinals guard Kevin Ware suffered a compound fracture in his right leg that left his right tibia exposed.

Ware jumped to defend a Tyler Thornton 3-pointer and collapsed in a heap. Lying on his back right in front of the Louisville bench, his right tibia was sticking through his skin. The reaction by his teammates and coaches was immediate.

Mason Plumlee has led Duke to the Elite Eight. Credit: CHUCK LIDDY

When: 5:05 p.m.
Where: Lucas Oil Stadium, Indianapolis
TV/Radio: CBS/WKIX-102.9 FM

Additional reading

Miles, Mason & Marshall Plumlee maybe the most famous players from Warsaw, Indiana, but they had to leave to flourish

Duke needs Quinn Cook to be sharper than he was against Michigan State

Luke DeCock on Mike Krzyzewski and Rick Pitino's past and the future of the ACC

Speaking of Luke, here's his handy work on previewing today's game

Scouting Louisville (32-5)

RPI: 3

How they got here:Big East champion

Keep an eye on:

Giorgui Dieng

Ryan Kelly and Mason Plumlee were all over the boards in the win against Michigan State. Credit: CHUCK LIDDY

INDIANAPOLIS—When the Blue Devils arrived at Lucas Oil Stadium, they were assigned to the same locker room they had used during their 2010 national championship run. The three seniors said the memories came flooding back. The underclassmen, though, said not much reminiscing occurred.

That’s because there was—and still is—work to do.

Here's the game story from Duke's 71-61 win over Michigan State .For more reading, here's a column from Luke DeCock. And here are a few more lingering thoughts before we flip the switch to the Louisville rematch:

Seth Curry was raining 3s on the Spartans. Credit: CHUCK LIDDY

INDIANAPOLIS—Tom Izzo joked the day before the game that he didn’t think his Spartans had gotten their fair share of wins against Duke. Perhaps this was their time, he said.

Not this year.

Duke played its best basketball of the postseason to beat Michigan State 71-61 and advance to the Elite Eight. It’s the Blue Devils’ first trip to region final since their 2010 national championship.

It was also Mike Krzyzewski’s eighth win (against one loss) when facing Michigan State.

Seth Curry will need all the quickness he has to guard Michigan State's Gary Harris. Credit: CHUCK LIDDY

Duke vs. Michigan State
When: 9:45 p.m.
Where: Lucas Oil Stadium, Indianapolis
TV/Radio: CBS/WKIX-102.9 FM
Subplots: Ryan Kelly's body stretches the floor—his shot could stretch the difference on the scoreboard.
Soon-to-be Northwestern head coach Chris Collins feels a bit like a senior now

Scouting Michigan State (27-8)

RPI: 8

How they got here: At-large bid; finished the regular season tied for second in the Big 10

Keep an eye on: Gary Harris

Everybody hates Duke.

At least that's what many media outlets will lead you to believe.

There are, undoubtably, people, many people, that root against Duke. On the flip side, though, there are a lot of people that like Duke and even root for Duke. One way to count that is through social media.

DURHAM — It’s not officially official yet, but Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski didn’t hesitate on Wednesday to praise Chris Collins, the Blue Devils assistant who is reportedly set to become the next head coach at Northwestern.

“I hope that’s what it turns out to be,” Krzyzewski said. “That’s not a done deal. But I hope that it will be, and that will be terrific, and I’ll comment on it if that’s what happens.”

Chris Collins, center, is believed to be the leading candidate for the Northwestern opening. Credit: CHUCK LIDDY

12:30 p.m. Update a Duke source has confirmed that Chris Collins has accepted the job at Northwestern

Duke assistant coach Chris Collins met with the Northwestern administration about their head coaching opening Monday night, a Duke source confirmed. The news was first reported by CBS Sports' Jeff Goodman.

Wherever Duke McDermott was, there was a Blue Devil defender was close by. Credit: CHUCK LIDDY

PHILADELPHIA—The majority of the postgame thoughts are here in this story. Duke's Mason Plumlee talked about the need to be flexible in the NCAA tournament. The Blue Devils certainly flexed to get by Creighton.

A few other thoughts that didn't make it in that story or the hastily written game story from Sunday night/Monday morning:

Mason Plumlee and Amile Jefferson celebrate Duke's return to the Sweet 16. Credit: CHUCK LIDDY

PHILADELPHIA—The Blue Devils and the Bluejays spent all day waiting for their third-round game, which tipped at 9:40 p.m.

The much-vaunted offenses, though, never showed up.

In a game that featured more fouls than field goals, it was the Blue Devils that prevailed, collecting a 66-50 victory to send the program back to the Sweet 16.

The 50 points for the Bluejays represented their lowest output for the season. Creighton was whistled for 26 fouls and made just 16 field goals.

“There’s different flows to games,” Ryan Kelly said, “And that was not the one that anyone expected.”