Watch Louisville Vs. Manhattan Live Online, 2014 NCAA Tournament

Fans can watch the Louisville vs. Manhattan basketball game live online as the Cardinals look to defend their national title in a matchup that has coach Rick Pitino more than a bit peeved.

The Louisville coach has expressed his disappointment with the pairing, which pits Pitino against his former assistant coach, Steve Masiello.

“I think the pairings sometimes lack common sense,” Pitino said. “I don’t think they would put somewhere down the road Duke-North Carolina so… the matchups don’t make sense to me. I’m OK with the seedings. I’m not OK with the matchups.

“But the selection committee is very fair, very honorable, very honest people, so I can’t protest too much because they’re doing the best job that they can do. Maybe they’re a bunch of soccer ADs, I don’t know.”

The teams will face off Thursday at 9:50 pm ET from the Amway Center in Orlando, Florida.

Fans who watch the Louisville vs. Manhattan basketball game live online will see a team many thought could be a No. 1 seed. Though Pitino won’t publicly disagree with his team’s seeding, many believed that putting Louisville at a No. 4 was a major snub.

But Pitino isn’t taking the matchup with the MAAC champions lightly, and said Manhattan could be a tougher matchup than when Louisville met with Florida in the 2012 regional final.

“We press like him, we trap like him, his offensive sets are just like ours,” Pitino said. “That’s why I don’t like the game. I don’t think it’s fair. I don’t like it. I don’t know why they would do it. I just don’t like the game at all for either one of us. We won the national championship and obviously we’re more heralded, but this is anybody’s game. This is not a 1-16.”

Manhattan’s players have also noted the similarities between their team and Louisville.

“Our philosophy is based after Louisville,” guard Michael Alvarado said. “We’re like them, but they’re on steroids pretty much. We both press, we both have similar philosophies and the better team is going to win.”

Fans who want to watch the Louisville vs. Manhattan game live online can click here.