Louisville. Kentucky. Big Easy. Final Four. Are you kidding?

Two of college basketball's most hated adversaries are headed to New Orleans for the Final Four in what could be one of the most epic games in this long-standing rivalry.

This isn't for bragging rights in the Battle for the Bluegrass. This is for a spot in the national title game.

It won't be a state holiday, but it might feel like it on Saturday when the streets clear and the couches fill.

And when it's over, the winner's fans will be elated, the loser's inconsolable.

"It would be great for our state ... on both sides," Louisville coach Rick Pitino said. "There will be people at Kentucky that will have a nervous breakdown if they lose to us. You've got to watch. They've got to put the fences up on bridges. There will be people consumed by Louisville."

Kentucky beat Louisville 69-62 in Lexington on Dec. 31 in the teams' only meeting this season.