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NEW ORLEANS (AP) -- Break out the sunglasses, Louisville is sporting its infrared uniforms for the Final Four.
The Cardinals are 5-0 in their orange, err, "red" uniforms, and they're not about to mess with that success with a trip to the NCAA title game on the line. The fourth-seeded Cardinals (30-9) play top-seeded Kentucky (36-2) on Saturday night.
"We're in the Final Four. If anybody has a problem with (the uniforms), they can just chalk that up," Louisville point guard Peyton Siva said. "We're not going to change anything."
Kentucky coach John Calipari said this week that the uniforms had been outlawed and they wanted to wear blue.
"As a matter of fact the higher seed has a choice of color, and we pick blue," Calipari joked.
As the higher seed, the Wildcats have to wear home whites.
Louisville was one of several teams that made fashion statements -- if you can call it that -- in the postseason. Baylor did its best imitation of a highlighter with its fluorescent yellow uniforms, and its green camouflage combo can be re-used during hunting season. Cincinnati had some color combos that even the Crayola folks didn't realize existed.
And the Cardinals? They made everyone see red -- though not a hue anyone recognizes.
"I didn't think Coach P would like them," Siva said, referring to coach Rick Pitino, who has set the trend for coaches with his finely tailored suits and designer shoes. "Coach P doesn't like change."
But Pitino can't argue with Louisville's track record when wearing the duds.
Doesn't need his reading glasses, either.
"We're going to hopefully get him in an infrared tie soon," Siva said.
OFFICIAL STRIPES
The NCAA selected Les Jones, Doug Shows and Joe DeRosa to officiate the first game between Kentucky and Louisville on Saturday night.
Jones is leading the crew as part of his fourth consecutive Final Four; Shows is officiating a Final Four game for the second straight year; and DeRosa will make his Final Four debut after a long career as an NBA official.
Jones had worked five previous games featuring Kentucky or Louisville this year, including the Wildcats' regional finals win over Baylor last week. He also officiated the Cardinals' one-point home loss to then-No. 2 Syracuse on Feb. 13.
Shows has worked 11 games featuring the teams, including with Jones in Kentucky's victory against St. John's and Louisville's victory over Western Kentucky in December. DeRosa has had no experience with either school this year.
In the second game featuring Kansas and Ohio State, Jamie Luckie is working a Final Four for the third consecutive year. He's joined by Tom Eades, who is part of the Final Four for the third time in five years, and Patrick Adams, who is assigned for the second time in three years.
Luckie officiated Ohio State's victory over Cincinnati in the regional semifinals in Boston and a Kansas win over Georgetown at the Maui Invitational in November. Eades also worked the game in Maui between Georgetown-Kansas and four other Jayhawks games along with three Ohio State games this year.
Adams has worked two Kansas games this season, but none featuring the Buckeyes.
The standby official is Roger Ayers, who will be available for both games. Ayers, at his first Final Four, was part of the crew that didn't catch a sixth player on the court in Louisiana-Lafayette's 72-70 overtime victory over Western Kentucky on Jan. 5.
WOODEN AWARD
Kentucky freshman Anthony Davis won the Wooden Award on Saturday, the latest honor in his accolade-filled season.
Davis becomes the second freshman to win the Wooden Award after Kevin Durant also accomplished the feat in 2007. Hall of Fame coach John Wooden's grandson, Greg, presented the award on behalf of the Los Angeles Athletic club.
Davis won AP Player of the Year on Friday.
