LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — Louisville coach Rick Pitino is heading to New Orleans to watch the Cardinals’ women’s team play Connecticut in Tuesday night’s NCAA championship — but without his players.

Under NCAA rules, neither the school nor Pitino could pay for the players to get to New Orleans to attend the game. The NCAA says it granted a waiver to Louisville early Tuesday that would have allowed the school to pay for the trip, but the school says it had already made plans to go home.

Pitino, his staff and several administrators were expected to attend the women’s final. The players were expected back on campus by 2:15 p.m. EDT.

After Louisville beat Michigan 82-76 Monday night in Atlanta, players and Pitino hinted at going straight to New Orleans to support the surprising women’s team against the Huskies in the final. The men and their coach have frequently attended women’s games this season and both programs have said they feed off each other’s success.

For the women’s big moment against the Huskies, it will be Pitino looking on from the stands.

“They all wanted to go to the women’s game,” Pitino said after the game. “We asked the NCAA and they said it’s illegal, we were going to take the plane and go see them, which is a shame. I guess it’s an extra benefit. …

“If we could ever win two championships, men’s and women’s, it would absolutely be awesome.”

Back home, city officials were figuring out how to honor the school’s success.

The mayor’s office said in a statement Tuesday morning that it was working with the university on a community celebration to celebrate both programs’ success. The date and time depended on when coaches and players from the teams would be in town at the same time.

In the meantime, the school, the city and even Kentucky Gov. Steven Beshear are basking in another milestone for Bluegrass State basketball.

Last year was Kentucky’s turn in the spotlight, achieved with a Final Four win over Louisville en route to its eighth championship. This season began with the Cardinals and Wildcats ranked 2-3 behind Indiana but ended with Louisville reigning over the sport.

“It couldn’t be a bigger day for the Commonwealth of Kentucky,” Beshear said. “For the Cardinals to win it this year, UK won it last year. You talk about the basketball capital of the world, it’s right here in Kentucky.”

Most pundits expected Louisville to be in the national championship game, but no one expected Luke Hancock to play an important role. The Cardinals roster is full of stars, Russ Smith had an excellent tournament before the Final Four, Peyton Siva is a strong point guard and center Gorgui Dieng is a projected first-round draft pick. Luke Hancock was just a sharpshooter off the bench. And then he became the first bench player to ever win the Most Outstanding Player honors in the Final Four.

The junior forward from Roanoke, Virginia was a solid, yet not spectacular, player off the bench this season. He provided some scoring punch at times, knocking down his threes at a 40 percent clip and averaging 8 points per game. His scoring came in waves; five points in one game, 19 the next. He put together a solid streak in the Big East tournament, averaging 11 points per game.

He seemed to lose that momentum early in the tournament. Through the first four games, he shot only 33 percent from 3 and averaged less than 7 points per game. In the Final Four, the sharpshooting Hancock took his game to another level. Against Wichita State, Hancock knocked down three of his five three-pointers and led the Cardinals with 20 points in the 72-68 win. In the National Championship, Hancock made all five of his threes and seven free throws to lead Louisville with 22 points.

His shooting helped pull the Cardinals back into the game after they fell behind by double digits early to Michigan. At one point, he scored 14 straight points for Louisville. Impressively, he managed to play this well while dealing with off-the-court personal struggles of having an ill parent and after witnessing his teammate suffer a gruesome injury in the Elite 8 round.

It’s easy to write off Hancock’s streak as just a player getting hot at the right time but to put in perspective: he is the first bench player in 75 years to earn the Most Outstanding Player honors. He shot 80 percent from beyond the arc in the Final Four and bailed his teammates out of a dangerous hole in the title game.

Louisville’s championship run has plenty of storylines, from their Hall of Fame head coach, to the standout stars and the gruesome injury to Kevin Ware that captivated the country, but it was an oft-overlooked, sharpshooting reserve who stole the stage in the biggest game of all.

Mark Chalifoux is a college basketball contributor for CBS Local Digital Media and can be reached at mark.chalifoux@gmail.com and @markchalifoux on Twitter.

By Andrew Kahn

The preseason No. 2 team finishes 35-5 and wins 16 in a row to close the season, culminating with a national championship. No dominant team in college basketball this year? Maybe not like Kentucky last season, but Louisville is certainly a worthy champion. On Monday, the Cardinals beat Michigan 82-76 for their third title in school history.

Hancock saves Cards, again

In going with the theme of a wild, unpredictable season, Luke Hancock became the first substitute to win the Final Four’s Most Outstanding Player. After scoring 20 points to save Louisville against Wichita State in the semifinals, Hancock came off the bench in the first half with his team down 12 and drained four straight three-pointers. The junior transfer from George Mason finished 5-for-5 from deep and scored 22.

Spike!

If Hancock’s performance was unexpected, Spike Albrecht’s was downright shocking. With Trey Burke on the bench with two fouls, Albrecht, whose previous career high was 7 points, scored 17 in the first half. He nailed all four of his three-point attempts in the half, including one from several steps beyond the line. Whether Burke should have been on the bench is a different story. He picked up his second foul with 11:09 left in the first half and sat until halftime. Albrecht ended up with 28 minutes to Burke’s 26.

Missing McGary

The emergence of Mitch McGary—his first start came in the Tournament opener—gave Michigan the inside scoring presence it had been lacking all season. He scored in double digits in each of the previous five Tournament games, including two 20+ point efforts. On Monday night, however, he was limited to just 6 points. Like Burke, McGary had to sit with some foul trouble, but he never looked as comfortable as he had in previous Tourney games.

The King of Kentuckys

Rick Pitino became the first coach to win national titles at two schools (he also won at Kentucky in 1996). The championship capped off an unbelievable week for Pitino, who was elected to the Hall of Fame, had a horse qualify for the Kentucky Derby, and saw his son get a Big Ten head coaching job. Next order of business might be a tattoo for the 60-year-old, who was coaxed into promising to get one should Louisville win it all.

Rematch?

Louisville’s loses a critical player, point guard Peyton Siva, and it’s possible that juniors Gorgui Dieng and Russ Smith declare for the NBA draft. If they return, Louisville will be dangerous again. Michigan would certainly be the preseason No. 1 if everybody comes back. None of Michigan’s rotation players are seniors, but sophomore Trey Burke is expected to leave, and Tim Hardaway, Jr., Glenn Robinson III, and even McGary could join him. It will be an anxious time for Michigan fans as the draft deadline approaches.

Andrew Kahn is a contributor to CBS Local who has written for ESPN the Magazine and The Wall Street Journal. He writes about college basketball and other sports at AndrewJKahn.com. Email him at andrewjkahn@gmail.com and follow him on Twitter at @AndrewKahn.

ATLANTA (97.1 The Ticket) ”Everybody’s down a little,” an obviously emotional Mitch McGary said in the locker room after Michigan’s NCAA championship loss to Louisville.

McGary, whose high-flying play earned praise from the Fab Five’s Jalen Rose, among many others, said his only plan for Tuesday was to “wake up and get back at it.”

But he sidestepped one big question — Will he return to Michigan next season?

“I don’t really know,” McGary said. “I’m not going to answer that question right now.”

Discussing Michigan’s special season led by a roster of young players, McGary said the loss at the end doesn’t shade the whole year, saying, “Just to go through the season and make it this far, to fight through that adversity, is just a tremendous accomplishment for this team.”

He added the coaches told players after the game to keep their heads high. “A lot of the coaches, players said they wish they could have been part of this, going off that, that’s something special when people like Cazzi Russell, the Fab Five are saying that and wishing they could have been part of this,” McGary said.

Hundreds streamed onto Cardinal Boulevard after Louisville’s 82-76 victory over Michigan on Monday night, screaming, dancing and lighting off small fireworks in revelry that lasted into the early hours.

The celebration got briefly out of hand as it was winding down, with an attack on a police officer that prompted authorities to send in other officers using riot gear. Students quickly fled the area but several scuffles ensued and bottles were thrown, to which police responded with tear gas. Order was restored about 2:30 a.m. after an armored carrier was brought in.

The citywide party could be repeated Tuesday night if the Cardinals’ women’s team beats Connecticut for the NCAA championship in New Orleans. For now, the area is savoring the Cardinals’ men’s achievement.

“This means everything,” said Connor Millay, 19, a Northern Kentucky University student who traveled to Louisville despite facing two tests Tuesday.

“I’ve been waiting for this my whole life,” Millay said. “My dad experienced this. My grandpa experienced this. I needed one of these.”

Elsewhere around town, Cardinals faithful partied in dormitories and around campus, in bars and restaurants and in living rooms after Louisville claimed its third national championship.

Most chose the quiet comforts of home over the noisy crowds that assembled in the Fourth Street Live! entertainment district. But when Louisville emerged victorious at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta, emotions were felt everywhere.

“We’ve been waiting for this for the past 27 years,” said Joe Barnes, 61, a University of Louisville alumnus who walked among the thousands of students on Cardinal Boulevard. “This has been one of the best teams that U of L has had. Ever. They’ve showed more spirit, more hustle. They believe in each other.”

Standing ready were a combination of Louisville and campus police and sheriff’s deputies, prepared for large crowds and celebrations that have been commonplace since the Cardinals reached the Final Four and then beat Wichita State in Saturday night’s semifinal.

University spokesman John Drees said more than 5,000 people were estimated to be packed onto Cardinal Boulevard.

“Everybody’s happy,” he said. “Everybody’s celebrating.”

He said police arrested 10 people on charges of drunken and disorderly conduct. Several were injured, two on falls and one with a cut foot.

However, things got out of hand around Cardinal Boulevard and Third Street as the celebration was winding down.

Riot police were called in after an officer was attacked. Students quickly fled the area but several scuffles ensued and bottles were thrown, forcing police to use tear gas. The armored carrier was brought in and order was restored before 2:30 a.m.

The citywide party could be repeated Tuesday night if the Cardinals’ women’s team beats Connecticut for the NCAA championship in New Orleans. For now, the area is savoring the Cardinals’ men’s achievement.

“It’s huge,” said freshman Paul DeNeve. “We have not only won tonight but the women’s team plays tomorrow.”

Including the football team’s Sugar Bowl win over Florida on Jan. 2, he said, “we are arguably one of the nation’s best sports universities right now.”

The men’s championship was a nervous watch for Louisville’s fan base, which saw the Cardinals trail by 12 in the first half before rallying to 38-37 at the break. Louisville eventually went ahead and led by 10 in the second, withstanding Michigan’s attempts to come back.

At halftime, the near-capacity crowd at Cluckers bar was on their feet, leaping in unison after the Cardinals erased that deficit. That boosted confidence in closing the deal on Louisville’s first title in a generation — not to mention, anticipation for how to toast it.

“It’s going to be a party,” said Elliott Benjamin, 21, of Jeffersonville, Ind. “Not like Kentucky (last year). But it’s going to be something.”

Krissy Van Laan and friend Lindsay McDaniel had their spots at the Ri’ Ra’ Irish Pub, staying all the way through and witnessing the mayhem that unfolded immediately afterward.

“Everybody was so excited. It was unbelievable,” Van Laan said. “Once it got down to 4 seconds left, I knew we had it. People were running out in the streets and excited. This is just unbelievable.”

Police officers were stationed in areas where rowdy outdoor celebrations were expected, as they were on Saturday night after Louisville’s win over Wichita State in the national semifinal.

Louisville assistant chief Kenton Bucker said additional police were moved to a two-block area of West Broadway because of fighting and disorderly behavior there this past weekend. There were nine arrests in the area, and crowds stayed out until around 1 a.m.

Buckner said about 200 police officers, sheriff’s deputies, corrections officers and medical staff were working at sites where crowds were likely to gather.

(© Copyright 2013 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

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Luke Hancock’s knack for making big shots was on display well before he transferred to Louisville.

In 2011, Hancock played for George Mason and knocked down a late three-pointer to beat Villanova in the second round of the NCAA Tournament.

The stage was big, but Hancock wanted more.

He craved something bigger.

He finally got it last night.

Trailing by 12 late in the first half against Michigan in the national title game, Hancock single-handedly propelled Louisville back to within striking distance. The stone cold wing knocked down four three-pointers in the first half, and got the Cardinals to within a single point of the Wolverines at half time.

Hancock finished with 22 points and he only took six shots.

Louisville finished with a national championship.

“These are the 13 toughest guys I’ve ever coached,” said Louisville coach Rick Pitino, who became the first coach in history to win titles at two different schools.

But the toughest guy of the bunch is Hancock.

Peyton Siva was the heart of this team, but the feisty senior point guard doesn’t have Hancock’s ability to make big shots.

Chane Behanan tallied a double-double (15 points, 12 rebounds), and was relentless on the backboards, but he doesn’t have Hancock’s consistency.

The former George Mason wing was named a co-captain for Louisville before he ever played a game for the Cardinals.

He’s a special player that continues to play special in big situations.

The NCAA Tournament is about providing a forum for student athletes to leave a mark.

That’s just what Hancock did over the last two games.

By winning Most Outstanding Player at the Final Four, Hancock now has a seat at the table alongside college basketball royalty.

Pitino has called his crafty wing “Cool Hand Luke.”

After a performance like this, who could really blame him?

Your thoughts on the NCAA title game? Sound off in the comments!

Luke Hancock produced another huge game off the bench, scoring 22 points, and Pitino became the first coach to win national titles at two schools when relentless Louisville rallied from another 12-point deficit to beat Michigan 82-76 in the NCAA championship game Monday night.

This title came on the same day Pitino was announced as a member of the latest Hall of Fame class, a couple of days after his horse won a big race on the way to the Kentucky Derby, and a few more days after his son got the head coaching job at Minnesota.

This was the best feeling of all. The Cardinals (35-5) lived up to their billing as the top overall seed in the tournament, though they sure had to work for it.

Louisville trailed Wichita State by a dozen in the second half of the national semifinals, before rallying for a 72-68 victory. This time, they fell behind by 12 in the first half, though a stunning spurt at the end of the period wiped out the entire deficit.

“I had the 13 toughest guys I’ve ever coached,” said Pitino, who plans to follow through on a promise he made to his players if they won the title – by getting a tattoo.

No one was tougher than Hancock, named the most outstanding player. He came off the bench to hit four straight 3-pointers after Michigan got a boost from an even more unlikely player.

Freshman Spike Albrecht made four straight from beyond the arc, too, blowing by his career high before the break with 17 points. Coming in, Albrecht was averaging 1.8 points a game and had not scored more than seven all season.

While Albrecht didn’t do much in the second half, Hancock finished what he started for Louisville. He buried another 3 from the corner with 3:20 remaining to give the Cardinals their biggest lead, 76-66.

Michigan wouldn’t go away, but Hancock wrapped it up by making two free throws with 29 seconds left.
While Pitino shrugged off any attempt to make this about him, there was no doubt the Cardinals wanted to win a national title for someone else – injured guard Kevin Ware.

Watching again from his seat at the end of the Louisville bench, his injured right led propped up on a chair, Ware smiled and slapped hands with his teammates as they celebrated in the closing seconds, the victory coming just 30 miles from where he played his high school ball.

Any pain he was feeling from that gruesome injury in the regional final, when he landed awkwardly, snapped his leg and was left writhing on the floor with the bone sticking through the skin, was long gone as he hobbled gingerly onto the court with the aid of crutches, backing in a sea of confetti and streamers.
Louisville again came out wearing Ware’s No. 5 on the back of their warmup jerseys, which said “Ri5e to the Occasion” on the front. When the title belonged to the Cardinals, Ware put on a championship cap and got a big hug from Pitino. Then, they lowered the basket so the injured player could cut a strand out of the net.
This one belonged to him as much as anyone on the court.

“These are my brothers,” Ware said. “They got the job done. I’m so proud of them, so proud of them.”

Peyton Siva added 18 points for the Cardinals, who closed the season on a 16-game winning streak, and Chane Behanan chipped in with 15 points and 12 rebounds as Louisville slowly but surely closed out the Wolverines (31-8).

Michigan was in the title game for the first time since the Fab Five lost the second of two straight championship games in 1993. Players from that team, including Chris Webber, cheered on the latest group of young stars.

But, like the Fab Five, national player of the year Trey Burke and a squad with three freshman starters came up short in the last game of the season.

The first half might’ve been the most entertaining 20 minutes of the entire tournament.

Burke started out on fire for Michigan, hitting his first three shots and scoring seven points to match his output from the semifinal victory over Syracuse, when he made only 1-of-8 shots.
Then, when Burke picked up his second foul and had to go to the bench for the rest of the half, Albrecht took control. The kid whose nickname comes from his first pair of baseball spikes showed he’s a pretty good hoops player, knocking down one 3-pointer after another to send the Wolverines to a double-digit lead.
When Albrecht blew by Tim Henderson with a brilliant hesitation move, Michigan led 33-21 and Louisville was forced to call timeout. The freshman was mobbed on the Michigan bench, like the Wolverines had already won the national title, with one teammate waving a towel in tribute.
Not so fast. Not against Louisville.

The Cardinals kept coming back.

“We just went into war right there with a great Michigan team,” Hancock said. “We needed a rally and we’ve been doing it for a couple of games straight, being down. We just had to wait and make our run.”

Burke, who played only six minutes in the first half because of foul trouble, finished with 24 points and did his best to give Michigan its first championship since 1989. But he couldn’t do it alone. Albrecht was held scoreless after the break, and no one else posted more than 12 points for the Wolverines.
Still, it was quite a run for a fourth-seeded team that knocked off No. 1-seeded Kansas with the greatest comeback of the tournament, rallying from 14 points down in the second half to beat the Jayhawks in the round of the 16.

But they came up against the ultimate comeback team in the final.

“I’ve had a lot of really good teams over the years, and some emotional locker rooms, and that was the most emotional we’ve ever had,” Michigan coach John Beilein said. “The team unity we had, the sacrifice we had from five seniors who did not get to play very much, to these young guys buying into the team concept.

“We feel bad about it. There are some things we could have done better and get a win, but at the same time, Louisville is a terrific basketball team. We have not seen that quickness anywhere.”

Louisville had already pulling off a stunning rally in the Big East championship game – down by 16 in the second half, they won by 17 – and another against Wichita State. They surged back again behind their own ace off the bench.

Hancock matched Albrecht from the 3-point stripe. Then, trapping the youngster and knocking the ball away, he set up a fast break that ended with Siva flipping up a lob that Montrezl Harrell slammed through for a dunk, capping a stunning 16-3 run in less than 4 minutes that gave the Cardinals their first lead of the night, 37-36.

Glenn Robinson III made two free throws with two seconds left to give Michigan a 38-37 lead at halftime.
But everyone knew this game was just getting started.
And when it was done, Pitino, Ware and the Cardinals were celebrating in the middle of the mammoth Georgia Dome, assuring the national title will stay in the bluegrass another year.

Last season, it was Kentucky winning it all, the same team that gave Pitino his first title in 1996.
Now, he’s got another one – right down the road in Louisville.

(© Copyright 2013 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

ANN ARBOR (WWJ) - University of Michigan basketball fans in Ann Arbor took the heartbreaking loss as well as could be expected.

Inside the M Den, the crowd was in high spirits, and just like their home team — fans tried every trick in the book to bring home the title game.

From hat tricks to Hail Marys, students like Thomas Stephenson remained hopeful up until the last seconds that U-M had a fighting chance.

“Trey Burke needs to start heating up, that’s why we’ve got the rally caps on,” he said.

And while the prayers did seem to help bring the score up in the final half, all the spirit fingers in the room weren’t enough to bring home the victory. Louisville rallied from a 12-point deficit to beat Michigan 82-76 in the NCAA championship game Monday night.

Outside, fans began to trickle out and tell their tale of sadness. Student Daniel Cohen said he’s coping, but it’s tough.

“We had a great run, though. I’m not depressed by their effort, they made a great run, I mean, no one expected this, I didn’t expect this,” he said.

The bittersweet ending for some students carried over to the campus’ Diag. Ann Arbor police made three arrests and responded to a handful of furniture fires, but otherwise said it was just a typical night.

For many students, however, it was a night to remember.

“We’re on hunger strike until we win the championship. It’s about the ring, it’s about that championship. We’ve got to get that ‘W,’ you know what I’m saying,” said sophomore Connor Anderson.

MORE: Louisville Beats Michigan 82-76 For NCAA Title

Fans Celebrate Tourney Run, Look Forward To Next Year

A Great Night For Michigan Basketball

Luke Hancock produced another huge game off the bench, scoring 22 points, and Pitino became the first coach to win national titles at two schools when relentless Louisville rallied from another 12-point deficit to beat Michigan 82-76 in the NCAA championship game Monday night.

This title came on the same day Pitino was announced as a member of the latest Hall of Fame class, a couple of days after his horse won a big race on the way to the Kentucky Derby, and a few more days after his son got the head coaching job at Minnesota.

This was the best feeling of all. The Cardinals (35-5) lived up to their billing as the top overall seed in the tournament, though they sure had to work for it.

Louisville trailed Wichita State by a dozen in the second half of the national semifinals, before rallying for a 72-68 victory. This time, they fell behind by 12 in the first half, though a stunning spurt at the end of the period wiped out the entire deficit.

For that, they can thank Hancock, named the most outstanding player. He came off the bench to hit four straight 3-pointers after Michigan got a boost from an even more unlikely player, freshman Spike Albrecht. He, too, made four straight from beyond the arc, blowing by his career high before the break with 17 points. Coming in, Albrecht was averaging 1.8 points a game and had not scored more than seven all season.

While Albrecht didn’t do much in the second half, Hancock finished what he started for Louisville. He buried another 3 from the corner with 3:20 remaining to give the Cardinals their biggest lead, 76-66. Michigan wouldn’t go away, but Hancock wrapped it up by making two free throws with 29 seconds left.

While Pitino shrugged off any attempt to make this about him, there was no doubt the Cardinals wanted to win a national title for someone else — injured guard Kevin Ware.

Watching again from his seat at the end of the Louisville bench, his injured right led propped up on a chair, Ware smiled and slapped hands with his teammates as they celebrated in the closing seconds, the victory coming just 30 miles from where he played his high school ball.

Any pain he was feeling from that gruesome injury in the regional final, when he landed awkwardly, snapped his leg and was left writhing on the floor with the bone sticking through the skin, was long gone as he hobbled gingerly onto the court with the aid of crutches, backing in a sea of confetti and streamers.

(© Copyright 2013 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

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By Andrew Kahn

Tonight, the No. 1 overall seed takes on a team once ranked No. 1 and now playing its best basketball. On one side is Louisville, the favorite when the field was announced, trying to keep the national championship trophy in the state of Kentucky. On the other is Michigan, riding a crop of underclassmen that rival the Fab Five. Louisville’s men will vie for the title on Monday night, and the women play in the title game on Tuesday.

Cards find a way

Peyton Siva was the preseason Big East Player of the Year, but has been inconsistent all season. Louisville has found ways to win when its point guard doesn’t play well. They beat Oregon in the Sweet 16 despite Siva tallying as many turnovers as points (four). He went 1-for-9 against Wichita but the Cards won again, 72-68, to reach the title game. A question Louisville fans would rather not see answered: Can Louisville beat Michigan if Siva struggles? He doesn’t need to outplay Trey Burke, but he can’t disappear either.

Reserves shine for Wolverines

Back-up point guard Spike Albrecht may have played the most impactful four minutes of the college basketball season on Saturday night. He nailed two contested three-pointers—one from outside the Georgia Dome—in the first half and helped Michigan handle Syracuse’s full-court press in the final minutes. Caris LeVert had played 15 minutes all tournament before logging 21 minutes against Syracuse. He hit 3 of his 4 shots (including two threes), grabbed four rebounds, and played solid defense in Michigan’s 61-56 win. Both Albrecht and LeVert are freshmen.

Shockers can’t withstand run

Wichita was able to hold off Ohio State’s furious rally in the final minutes of the regional final. Such was not the case on Saturday, as the Shockers lost their 12-point lead over the final 13 minutes and lost 72-68. Wichita’s hot three-point shooting went cold (6 for 20) and two Louisville reserves—Luke Hancock and Tim Henderson—drained huge threes during the run. A controversial jump-ball call that gave possession to Louisville in the final seconds didn’t help. While many of the high-profile jobs have already been filled, there is still speculation that Gregg Marshall may land somewhere else after this magical run.

Orange offense stalls

Fifteen seconds left, Syracuse down three. Brandon Triche had just fouled out, joining fellow backcourt starter Michael Carter-Williams on the bench. Who would Jim Boeheim turn to for a bucket? After a timeout, freshman reserve Trevor Cooney attempted a low-percentage shot that was rebounded by Michigan. Game over. The Orange overcame subpar offensive performances against California and Indiana, but couldn’t against Michigan. Due to graduation and potential early departures, offense will once again be a question mark for ’Cuse next year in the ACC.

Title game preview

Louisville opens as a small favorite against the young Wolverines. Louisville’s depth is definitely a concern; the fact that Tim Henderson was counted on to make baskets against Wichita is telling. While the Cardinals don’t rely on turnovers as much as VCU, a team Michigan dominated in the second round, they still like to play fast and turn defense into offense. Michigan protects the ball better than any team in the country. Power forward Chane Behanan is a tough matchup for most teams, but Glenn Robinson III is especially vulnerable in the paint. How he holds up will be a key to the game. Louisville’s Gorgui Dieng is taller than Mitch McGary, but McGary is stronger and playing with a lot of confidence. If he can get Dieng in foul trouble, it would open up more driving lanes for Michigan.

Andrew Kahn is a contributor to CBS Local who has written for ESPN the Magazine and The Wall Street Journal. He writes about college basketball and other sports at http://andrewjkahn.com. Email him at andrewjkahn@gmail.com and follow him on Twitter at @AndrewKahn.

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The season that none of us could predict is set to give us a title game that none of us will forget.

In a year where college basketball was dominated by unpredictability, two high-level schools — Louisville and Michigan, led by two high-level coaches in Rick Pitino and John Beilein – are set to give us a battle tonight that should be everything that everyone who follows the sport deserves.

Pitino is in many ways the standard in the coaching profession.

He took Providence to the Final Four in 1987. He made Kentucky a dominant force in the 1990s before heading to the NBA. And now, in his third trip to the Final Four at Louisville, he’s chasing the one thing that’s eluded him since he returned to college coaching — a national championship.

Beilein meanwhile, is a throwback. This is a man that’s never been an assistant, and is still known as a guy who cuts in his own grass. He’s a coach’s coach, and maybe that’s why so many people have such an affinity for him.

Beilein has reached the pinnacle of his profession by doing the only thing he knows — grinding.

He won at Canisius, and then Richmond, before making his mark nationally at West Virginia. When Michigan called, Beilein didn’t even look at the campus before accepting the job.

Now, he’s going against Pitino for the sport’s richest prize.

Louisville has been the best team in college basketball for the majority of the season, but the tragic loss of reserve guard Kevin Ware, who suffered a gruesome leg injury against Duke, affects the Cardinals’ perimeter depth.

Will Michigan benefit?

No question.

The Wolverines have the best back court in college basketball in Trey Burke and Tim Hardaway Jr., while burly big man Mitch McGary has blossomed into a burgeoning prospect.

Louisville is the the team that was expected to be here. Michigan is the team that destiny put here.

Down 12 in the Sweet 16 against Kansas, the Wolverines got a deep three from Burke to tie the game late in regulation and send it to overtime. Ever since then Michigan has been like a runaway train.

Is Louisville the team to slow it down?

We can’t wait to find out.

TALE OF THE TAPE

LOUISVILLE

Record: 34-5

Coach: Rick Pitino

Starting Five: Peyton Siva, Russ Smith, Wayne Blackshear, Chane Behanan, Gorgui Dieng

Top Reserve: Luke Hancock

Strength: Front court depth

Weakness: Half court offense

MICHIGAN

Record: 31-7

Coach: John Beilein

Starting Five: Trey Burke, Tim Hardaway Jr., Nik Stauskas, Glenn Robinson III, Mitch McGary

Top Reserve: Jordan Morgan

Strength: Outside shooting

Weakness: Front court depth

PREDICTION: LOUISVILLE 71, MICHIGAN 67

Who do you have in Monday night’s title game? Make your prediction in the comments!

Vegas says Louisville will win by four. It’s familiar territory for this young Michigan team; they’ve been the underdog since late in the regular season. Many people looked at South Dakota State as a possible Cinderella story; Shaka Smart’s VCU was going to roll over the maize and blue. Then Kansas was the impossible opponent, then the Gators were going knock them out. National media carried on about the Syracuse zone like they were 1985 Bears and gave Michigan little chance, a seeming foregone conclusion that Michigan’s offensive firepower would be smothered under a blanket of stifling defense. 

Michigan wasn’t always the underdog. Through the early months of the regular season, the Wolverines looked like they could be built for a deep run in the tournament. The schedule was helpful, they faced tomato soup cans for the first two months of the season. They hung 100 points on Slippery Rock, 88 on CMU, 94 on Northwestern, 95 on Iowa. They looked unstoppable at times but many said the same thing: They haven’t played anyone yet.

The first stiff competition came in Columbus on January 13th, when the Buckeyes brought them the season’s first loss. It was only a preview, because the last two months of the season were far less kind. They lost to Indiana and Wisconsin before they went into the Breslin Center, where MSU dismantled them. The twenty point margin in the final score doesn’t really give an accurate impression of what a beating occurred on prime time national television. The game wasn’t close and sent even the most ardent Wolverine supporters into the corner to lick their wounds.

Then they lost to Penn State, a team that didn’t have a win in the Big Ten yet.

When the season is later examined, there will be some debate about where the season reached its low point, either in East Lansing or Happy Valley. You might also point to the heartbreaking loss at home to Indiana. Either way, they were all horribly humbling humiliations for a team that was once ranked number one in the nation. They looked lost and John Beilein looked ill equipped to help them find their way.  Some people said that Beilein could be on the hot seat.

The Big Ten tournament didn’t offer any hope either, they were bounced by Wisconsin. Everything, especially when they drew South Dakota State in the first round of the tourney, looked like a repeat of last year when they were bounced in the first round by Ohio. Those who were still rooting for the Wolverines, and there were very few at that point, braced for the worst case scenario.

Michigan spent an entire month getting in their own way. They lost in especially embarrassing fashion many times. They absolutely limped into the tournament, not looking at all like the team who beat up on all those aforementioned soup cans early in the season. They looked like the same team who took all those dumb shots last year, throwing prayers from the three-line.

Then in the first round of the tournament, Mitch McGary woke up. They moved the ball better than they ever had during the season, they showed patience to wait for the open look. Burke was suddenly just as likely to send a pass to the low post; they looked like they could play physical near the basket. They certainly picked a good time to exercise all their earlier problems on the post.

Vegas is taking Louisville. Blue finds themselves in a very familiar position, maybe the best one for them. For the first two months, Michigan looked at as the dominant team in the most dominant conference. Then February happened. They’ve been climbing out of the pit since then. In almost every game of the tournament, they’ve been the underdog.

It sounds like they may have the Cardinals right where they want them.

The Cardinals may be a national powerhouse, but they’re still considered second fiddle in their own state. The Kentucky Wildcats are the blue bloods of the bluegrass, while Louisville settles for being viewed as more of a blue-collar school.

The Michigan basketball team knows what that’s like. Football rules on the Wolverines’ campus — rightly so, said Tim Hardaway Jr., given that program’s long, storied history.

“We still have a ways to go,” said Hardaway, Michigan’s junior guard. “Football has a lot more national championships than we do.”

Well, it’s kind of hard to overlook either team now.

Louisville and Michigan will meet Monday night in the NCAA championship game.

The Cardinals (34-5) have lived up to their billing as the tournament’s top overall seed, blowing through their first four opponents before rallying from a dozen points down in the second half to beat surprising Wichita State 72-68 in the national semifinals.

It’s been quite a run for the Louisville athletic program, in general. The women’s basketball team also reached the Final Four, while the football team won a Big East title and stunned Florida in the Sugar Bowl.

All the while, they’re battling with Kentucky for the state’s affections.

“We’re not a who’s who like Harvard and Yale in the alumni world,” coach Rick Pitino said Sunday. “We’re a blue-collar school that supports each other. One of the coolest places I’ve ever worked.”

Pitino should know. He also worked at Kentucky, leading the Wildcats to a national title in 1996.

Now, he’s got a chance to become the first coach to win championships at two schools.

“I haven’t thought about it for one second,” insisted Pitino, already the first coach to guide three schools to the Final Four. “We have built a brand on Louisville first. Everything we do is about the team, about the family. I’d be a total hypocrite if I said (winning another title is) really important. It really is not important. I want to win because I’m part of this team. That’s it.”

Football may come first at Michigan (31-7), but the Wolverines haven’t exactly been pushovers on the hardwood.

They won a national title in 1989, beating Seton Hall in overtime, and they’ve lost three other times in the championship. The school is best known for the Fab Five, that group of five stellar recruits who led Michigan to back-to-back final appearances in 1992 and ’93.

This team is cut from the same mold, with three freshmen starters and two other first-year players who made big contributions in a semifinal victory over Syracuse.

“The Fab Five was a great team. I mean, a really great team,” said freshman guard Caris LeVert, who came off the bench to score eight points against the Orange. “They did some great things for our school.”

But these guys can do something the Fab Five never did — win it all.

“Just making it to the Final Four, we are going to hang up a banner in the Crisler Center,” said another freshman, Glenn Robinson III. “But we aren’t done. Having the chance to hang another one up for a national championship … is all kind of surreal to us.”

Both teams got to this point with crucial assists from the backups.

LeVert and Spike Albrecht — yep, another freshman — both hit a pair of 3-pointers in Michigan’s semifinal win, points that were desperately needed with player of the year Trey Burke struggling through a brutal night. The sophomore guard made only 1-of-8 shots and finished with seven points, just the second time this season he’s been held in single digits.

Burke said he’ll gladly hand off the scoring duties to someone else again Monday if the Cardinals take a similar approach to Syracuse.

“Pretty much every time I got the ball, I had two people in my face,” he said. “I tried not to force anything, but I probably forced two or three shots. That 3 I hit (from way out and his only basket of the game) wasn’t a good shot. But I try not to force things and just look for different ways to find the open man.”

Louisville, inspired by the gruesome injury to Kevin Ware but needing others to step up while he’s down, got an even bigger contribution off the bench than Michigan.

Luke Hancock scored 20 points. Walk-on Tim Henderson, moving up in the rotation because of Ware’s broken leg, knocked down back-to-back 3-pointers that turned the momentum when it looked as though Wichita State might pull off another shocker.

There’s always a chance for the more obscure players to step up on the biggest stages.

“Those guys, not that you don’t pay attention to them, but your strategy is not toward them.” Pitino said. “We’re all trying to stop the great players defensively, choreograph our defensive plan to stop the great players.”

But there’s no doubt that Michigan needs Burke to have a much better game, especially against Louisville fearsome press, just as the Cardinals will be counting on Russ Smith to lead the way. He scored 21 points in the semifinals despite a woeful night at the foul line.

Smith is on the verge of completing quite a journey, considering it looked for a while like he might not even finish his career with the Cardinals. Unhappy with his playing time and constantly sparring with Pitino, the now-junior guard considered transferring after his freshman season.

Boy, he’s sure glad he stayed.

“I was leaving, but I talked to my dad and decided to come back,” Smith remembered. “I decided to work hard and try to earn some minutes.”

He still gets into it with Pitino from time to time — remember, the coach dubbed him “Russdiculous” for some of the shots he puts up — but it’s hard to envision where this team might be without him.

“I just try to make winning plays,” Smith said. “I don’t look at myself as a point guard or a shooting guard. I look at myself as a winning player.”

Pitino has tried to stress to his players the importance of winning one more game. They may hang a banner for making it to the Final Four at Louisville, too, but the best way to ensure you don’t get overlooked is to win it all.

To drive that point home, he showed his team the recent documentary on North Carolina State’s improbable title in 1983, the one that left coach Jim Valvano running around the court looking desperately for someone to hug, the one that his players still get together to reminisce about — on and off camera.

“We were the No. 1 seeds. We weren’t Cinderellas like N.C. State,” Pitino said. “But I wanted them to understand that because (the Wolfpack) won a championship, for the rest of their lives they will sit around that table. Every year, they will get together — for the rest of their lives.”

(© Copyright 2013 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

NCAA Tournament

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Louisville, which held up its mantle as the tournament’s overall No. 1 seed, will take on Michigan, a No. 4 seed that knocked off the likes of Kansas, Florida and Syracuse on its way to the title game.

Both teams rely heavily on their backcourts and one guard in particular. Michigan’s Trey Burke was The Associated Press’ player of the year and though his scoring has been down in the tournament, he still directs the offense. Louisville’s Russ Smith has been dominating the Cardinals’ scoring and is the player who keeps the crowd on the edge of their seats with one “Russdiculous” move after another.

Both teams have impressive frontcourts and though it’s a different style, both rely on their defense to get their offense going.

A look at the teams who will play for the national title, a prize neither school has brought home since the late 1980s.

___

BACKCOURT

Michigan comes at you with a young team that feeds off Burke, its leader. If there is a knock on the sophomore it’s his inconsistency from game to game. In the five tournament games he has ranged from six points to 23 and those all came in the second half and overtime in the win over top-seeded Kansas. He has not shot better than 50 percent in any game and was 1 for 8 from the field against Syracuse. Tim Hardaway Jr. and Nik Stauskas have kept up the scoring when Burke doesn’t and a big surprise was the solid minutes from freshman Caris LeVert in the semifinal.

Smith and Peyton Siva dominate the minutes for the Cardinals in the backcourt and they are the core of the pressure defense that wears down opponents. They do force turnovers throughout the game but it’s the relentless pressure that changes the way teams play in the final minutes. Wichita State only committed 11 turnovers but the bulk of those came in the final minutes. Smith is averaging 25.0 points in the tournament and he has 15 steals in the five games. Siva has been struggling with his shot — 1 for 12 from 3-point range in the tournament — but he is still averaging 8.6 points and leads the team with 23 assists. Losing Kevin Ware to the broken leg against Duke has taken away a big part of the pressure defense.

EDGE: LOUISVILLE

___

FRONTCOURT

Mitch McGary is working his way into Michigan lore with an incredible NCAA tournament. The freshmen forward didn’t crack the starting lineup until the tourney and all he’s done since then is average 16.0 points and 11.6 rebounds while shooting 69.8 percent from the field. Glenn Robinson III is averaging 12.8 points and 6.2 rebounds and has taken advantage of all the attention paid to McGary for some easy points, especially on offensive rebounds.

Louisville’s big man in the middle, Gorgui Deing, has to bounce back from a scoreless semifinal and put up numbers like the 8.8 points and 7.2 rebounds he’s averaged in the tournament. He has 12 blocks and seven steals and with his wingspan he’s a big part of the pressure defense. Chane Behanan and Wayne Blackshear have been augmented up front by freshman Montrezl Harrell, who gave the Cardinals some good minutes against Wichita State.

EDGE: MICHIGAN

___

BENCH

Michigan’s biggest contribution from its reserves in the tournament has been the outside shooting of Spike Albrecht who has yet to miss in five 3-point attempts. LeVert came through against Syracuse.

Louisville unloaded its bench against Wichita State and with Luke Hancock leading the way, the Cardinals’ reserves scored 34 of the team’s 72 points. Hancock, who had scored in double figures once in the tournament when he has 10 points against Duke, chipped in 20 points on 6-of-9 shooting while Harrell had eight points on 4-for-4 shooting. The surprise of all was Tim Henderson, who had scored six points since Christmas and matched that total on two huge 3-pointers against Wichita State.

EDGE: LOUISVILLE

___

COACH

John Beilein, who is in his first Final Four, is considered among the top coaches in the country and his teams reflect his demeanor on the sideline, calm and in control.

Rick Pitino is trying to become the first coach to win a national championship at two schools, having won it all with Kentucky in 1996. His team’s style is a lot like his on the sideline, in control on the outside but going at a frenetic pace on the inside.

EDGE: LOUISVILLE

___

INTANGIBLES

Michigan’s last two championship game appearances were losses, the second of which ended with Chris Webber calling a timeout the Wolverines didn’t have in a tight game against North Carolina.

Louisville has inspiration sitting on the bench in Ware. Just a week after the country saw his horrific injury in the regional final, he is on crutches and with his teammates in his home state. The picture of Ware and his father hugging after the semifinal win will be shown for years to come.

EDGE: LOUISVILLE.

(© Copyright 2013 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

NCAA Tournament

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Michigan’s latest group of young stars is determined to leave its own legacy.

Attacking Syracuse’s suffocating zone defense in the first half with 3-pointers, crisp passing and a fearless attitude, the Wolverines advanced to the national championship game with a 61-56 victory over the Orange in the Final Four on Saturday night.

Michigan (31-7) will be going for its first national title since 1989 when it faces Louisville on Monday at the Georgia Dome. Syracuse (30-10) failed to complete an all-Big East final in the fabled league’s last season before breaking up.

The Wolverines got sloppy in the second half and had to hang on at the end, winning despite a tough night for Associated Press player of the year Trey Burke. He scored only seven points.

That made for some nervous moments as Michigan got a little too conservative trying to run out the clock.

Trailing 58-56, the Orange had a chance to force overtime. But Brandon Triche was called for a foul when Jordan Morgan stepped in to take the charge with 19.2 seconds left.

After Jon Horford made only one of two free throws, Syracuse called timeout and set up a play. Curiously, the Orange didn’t attempt a tying 3-pointer. Instead, Trevor Cooney drove the lane looking to put up an easier shot. But the ball was swatted away, Michigan saved it from going out of bounds and Morgan wound up taking a long pass the other way.

He threw down a thunderous slam with just over a second remaining to cap the triumph.

With Burke struggling (he made only one shot from the field all night), Michigan got an unexpected contribution off the bench from freshmen Caris LeVert and Spike Albrecht.

LeVert scored eight points and Albrecht chipped in with six — all of them crucial after the Wolverines went cold in the second half and struggled to put away the Orange. Tim Hardaway Jr. led the Wolverines with 13 points.

Of course, there’s nothing unusual about Michigan getting big performances from first-year players. This team starts three freshmen — Glenn Robinson III, Mitch McGary and Nik Stauskas — which, of course, rekindled memories of the great Fab Five teams of the early 1990s.

These kids want nothing to do with the comparisons, saying they haven’t done nearly enough to be mentioned in the same breath with a team that changed the face of college basketball.

Well, if the Wolverines can win their next game, they’ll accomplish something that eluded the Fab Five: a national title.

Syracuse was looking to give 68-year-old Jim Boeheim another title, a decade after the Orange won it all in their last trip to the Final Four. Boeheim has no plans to retire, but his quest for a championship is on hold for another year.

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As the final buzzer sounded, a Louisville player tossed the ball high into the air and injured Kevin Ware stood up, thrusting his arms above his head.

It was the 15th straight victory for the top-seeded Cardinals (34-5), who will play the winner of Syracuse-Michigan for the national title Monday night. It is the Cardinals’ first trip to the title game since they won it all in 1986.

Russ Smith led the Cardinals with 21 points, and Chane Behanan added 10.

Cleanthony Early had 24 for the ninth-seeded Shockers (30-9), who nearly pulled off their biggest upset of all. Wichita State had knocked off No. 1 seed Gonzaga and Ohio State on its way to its first Final Four since 1965, and it had a 12-point lead on the Cardinals with 13:35 to play. It was the largest deficit all tournament for the Cardinals, who seemed out of sorts with Ware on the bench, his broken right leg propped up on a chair.

But Louisville had come back to win five games after trailing by nine points or more already this year, including rallying from a 16-point deficit in the title game at the Big East tournament.

This one trumped them all.

Henderson, the walk-on who was forced into increased playing time because of Ware’s injury, made back-to-back 3s to spark a 21-8 run. While Hancock and Behanan were knocking down shots, Smith and Peyton Siva were turning up the heat on the Shockers.

After going more than 26 minutes without a turnover, Siva darted in to strip the ball away from Carl Hall. He fed Hancock, who drilled a 3 that gave Louisville a 56-55 lead, its first since the end of the first half.

Early would give the Shockers one more lead, converting a three-point play. But Siva scored and then Smith stole the ball and took it in for an easy layup that gave Louisville a 60-58 lead with 4:47 left. Louisville fans erupted, and even Ware was on his feet, throwing up his arms and clapping. The Cardinals extended the lead to 65-60 on a tip-in of a Smith miss and another 3 by Hancock.

Wichita State had one last chance, pulling within 68-66 on Early’s tip in with 22 seconds left. But the Shockers were forced to foul, and Smith and Hancock made their free throws to seal the victory.

The Cardinals were the overall No. 1 seed in the tournament, and they steamrolled their way through their first four games, winning by an average of almost 22 points. They limited opponents to 59 points and 42 percent shooting while harassing them into almost 18 turnovers a game, setting an NCAA tourney record with 20 steals against North Carolina A&T.

The presence of Ware was supposed to provide even more motivation for Louisville, which already had some unfinished business after losing to Kentucky in last year’s Final Four. Ware’s tibia snapped and broke through the skin during last weekend’s Midwest Regional final. Yet he’s here in Atlanta, his hometown, and was sitting on a chair at the end of the Louisville bench, his right leg propped up on towels.

The Cardinals have modified their warm-up T-shirts in Ware’s honor — they now read “Ri5e to the Occasion,” with Ware’s No. 5 on the back — and every one of the starters went to shake his hand after being introduced.

But whether it was the emotional roller-coaster of the last week, the expectations or just Wichita State, the Cardinals seemed out of sorts much of the night.

Wichita State may not have the names or pedigree of a Louisville, Syracuse or Michigan. But what the Shockers lacked in star power they more than made up for in hustle and heart. This, after all, was a team with one player (Carl Hall) who salvaged his career after working in a light bulb factory and two more (Ron Baker and Malcolm Armstead) who paid their own ways in their first years.

The Shockers barely seemed to notice that vaunted Louisville press until the final minutes of the game. They didn’t rush shots, working it around until they got a look they like — Louisville was called for more than one foul late in the shot clock, including one on Smith with only a second left — and they were relentless on the backboards.

And that “play angry” defense? Now the Cardinals have an idea of how their opponents have felt. Wichita State bottled Louisville up inside, never letting Gorgui Dieng be a factor, and the Cardinals were continually forced to put up awkward and bad shots from outside.

(© Copyright 2013 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) – The NCAA’s top March Madness moment ever didn’t involve a Philadelphia team, but it did happen here.

The NCAA announced Friday that the top March Madness moment ever is Christian Laettner’s last second shot that gave Duke a shocking win over Kentucky in the 1992 Regional Final in Philadelphia.

The NCAA also announced the top 15 March Madness players ever: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Larry Bird, Bill Bradley, Patrick Ewing, Grant Hill, Earvin “Magic” Johnson, Michael Jordan, Christian Laettner, Jerry Lucas, Danny Manning, Hakeem Olajuwon, Oscar Robertson, Bill Russell, Bill Walton and Jerry West.

The 1976 Indiana Hoosiers were voted the All-Time Madness team.

“We had such a tremendous response from the fans. The players, team and moment personify greatness at the collegiate level and culminate 75 Years of March Madness,” Dan Gavitt, NCAA vice president of men’s basketball championships said in a press release. “We look forward to honoring these players, team and moment, with the fans, during the national semifinals.”

NCAA basketball experts participating in the All-Time March Madness Player voting included members of the U.S. Basketball Writers Association, the College Sports Information Directors of America, the National Association of Basketball Coaches, current and former members of the Division I Men’s Basketball Committee, the Final Four Coaches Club (coaches who previous led their teams to the Final Four) and NCAA media partners.

The conference announced the decision Wednesday after university presidents approved the new moniker earlier in the day.

The Big East football schools were in need of a new name after they agreed to let seven basketball schools break away from the conference to start a new league this summer to be called the Big East. In return, the football schools received about $100 million of a $110 million pot the league had accumulated in recent years from exit and entry fees and NCAA basketball tournament revenue.v

The American Athletic Conference will have 10 members in its first season: Rutgers, Louisville, Connecticut, South Florida, Cincinnati, Central Florida, Memphis, Houston, SMU and Temple.

Rutgers and Louisville are likely leaving after 2013 and are set to be replaced by Tulane, East Carolina and Tulsa in 2014. Navy is scheduled to join in 2015 for football only, and the conference will begin playing a league championship football game.

Nine of the schools set to compete in the American Athletic Conference were at one time part of Conference USA. By 2014, South Florida, UConn, Temple and Cincinnati will be the only schools in the AAC to have been in the Big East.

Commissioner Mike Aresco said the members worked with marketing experts, media partners and asked for feedback from fans to come up with a list of possible names.

“Versions that included the word `American’ led every list,” Aresco said in a statement. “American Athletic Conference represents a strong, durable and aspirational name for our re-invented Conference.”

He added: “Our name is a nod to tradition, but at the same time makes clear our determination to be a Conference with national impact and appeal. The American Athletic Conference will represent core American values of optimism, energy, growth and innovation. We have a broad geographical footprint that represents unity as well as diversity.”

The rebuilt conference has new television deals in place with ESPN and CBS.

“The American Athletic Conference is a brand that suggests a national scope and quality membership,” said Burke Magnus, Senior Vice President, College Sports Programming, ESPN. “It is an exciting time for the new conference and ESPN looks forward to our future together.”

The Big East will now be a basketball-centric conference with old Big East members Georgetown, Villanova, St. John’s, Seton Hall, Marquette, DePaul and Providence, along with Xavier, Butler and Creighton.

Do you like the new name? Be heard in the comments…

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It happens seemingly every game of the NCAA tournament, most of the season, for that matter: Officials blow their whistles, huddle, then head over to the TV monitors to review a play.

Looking to see if the clock is right, a shot was a 3-pointer or if an elbow to the head warrants a flagrant foul, they watch the replays from all angles as coaches and players huddle, fans in the stands and TV wait for the action to start again.

The goal is to make sure the officials get the calls correct.

But in the process of trying to be right, they’re also disrupting the rhythm of the games, dampening excitement and possibly giving some coaches the advantage of an extra timeout.

“It’s bogging the game down too much, particularly with what we’re actually looking for,” said Turner/CBS analyst Steve Kerr, who will call his third straight Final Four in Atlanta this weekend.

Instant replay has been a part of college basketball since 1986, when the 3-point shot also debuted. The initial purpose was for replays to be used to correct timing and scoring errors and was later expanded to look at whether a player was behind the line on a 3-point shot and flagrant fouls.

Coaches, players and fans have debated the use of instant replay pretty much since the day it was put in place and scrutiny seems to have increased this season as officials have gone to the monitor more and more.

One of the biggest complaints, particularly during the NCAA tournament, has been about officials stopping games to check the game clock, then adding a few tenths of a second back.

A small amount of time like that can make a big difference when the clock is under a second because officials judge whether a player can catch and shoot or not based on certain time increments.

But if they’re stopping the game with 5 or 10 seconds left and adding 0.2 seconds to the clock, that’s a bit excessive for some.

“That’s something that should be talked about,” said Reggie Minton, deputy executive director of the National Association of Basketball Coaches. “I’m not sure I’m an expert on these electronic timers that these officials have that are somewhat triggered by them, but at some point we need to trust the timing mechanism we have and those that are running them that we trust they are going to do the right thing. If it’s obvious something was missed and we’re talking about seconds, then I think we make sure that is corrected. But there maybe is an over-concern about a tenth here and a tenth there.”

Stopping the clock also may give some teams an unfair advantage, giving a coach what’s essentially an extra timeout to diagram a play while the officials look at the replay monitor.

In the second round of the NCAA tournament, Davidson was leading Marquette by a point when it lost the ball out of bounds against the Golden Eagles press. Marquette didn’t have a timeout left, but the officials gathered around the monitor to get the game clock right, giving coach Buzz Williams a chance to call his players over to draw up a play.

The officials added 1.2 seconds to the clock — to 6.7 — and Marquette’s Vander Blue scored on a last-second layup to give the Golden Eagles a 59-58 win and avoid the upset.

“Unfair advantage,” Davidson coach Bob McKillop said after being asked about Marquette getting what was essentially an extra timeout. “Maybe (in that situation) they shouldn’t let them huddle.”

In the West Region semifinals, Arizona coach Sean Miller got extra time to set up a play after officials stopped the game to check the time on a 3-point shot by Ohio State’s LaQuinton Ross. The officials added a tenth of a second to the clock, but Arizona couldn’t hit the tying shot in the final 2.1 seconds.

Kansas had a similar situation late against Michigan in the South Region semifinals, when a review at the scorer’s table gave Jayhawks coach Bill Self extra time to set up a final shot. Like Arizona, Kansas couldn’t pull it off and lost in overtime.

“Whether Bill Self wanted a timeout or maybe he wanted his guys to get the ball and go before the defense could set up, either way the integrity of the game was compromised just so we could fix 0.2 seconds on the clock,” Kerr said. “Who cares?”

Another complaint has been the officials’ penchant to go to the monitor any time a player is hit in the head.

Coaches have bemoaned the overuse of reviews for flagrant fouls and it increased early in the NCAA tournament as players like Creighton’s Doug McDermott, Marquette’s Trent Lockett and Pitt’s Lamar Patterson were assessed flagrants after being called for offensive fouls.

“We do it too much on anything in the head area, we automatically look at,” Kerr said. “I don’t think that’s necessary.”

The key is finding a balance between getting it right and, as Kerr put it, preserving the integrity of the game.

The NBA has geared back its use of instant replay and the process seems to go seamlessly, so the NCAA could look there. Or maybe, as was suggested to Minton, the NCAA can borrow from the NFL model, give coaches a flag to throw for challenging calls in the last two minutes of a game.

“At some point the rules committee is going to have to look at unintended consequences,” said Minton, who coached at Air Force and Dartmouth and was a member of the NCAA rules committee. “If the main concern is that it’s more important to get it right than it is to allow an unofficial opportunity for a timeout, so be it. I would think the overriding concern would be to get it right.”

After all the complaints this season, it’s a topic that’s sure to come up.

(© Copyright 2013 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

By Mark Chalifoux

A Louisville National Championship seems inevitable now. The Cardinals are the strongest team remaining and now have the emotional component of playing for an injured teammate after Kevin Ware’s gruesome injury Sunday. They have NBA prospects dotting their roster but there’s one player who has been the most integral to their success yet still gets occasionally overlooked and that’s guard Russ Smith.

Russ Smith, nicknamed Russdiculous for his frenetic style of play, has been simply wonderful in the tournament. Smith is a gifted scorer and a playmaker on defense (as evidenced by his 14 steals in the tournament) and has been the real driving force behind Louisville’s rise to the Final Four.

The 6-foot 1-inch junior guard from Brooklyn has averaged almost 19 points per game this season, but he has stepped his game up to another level in the tournament, averaging 26 points per game and shooting near 50 percent. He’s getting to the foul line at an absurd rate (10 or more free throws in his last three games) and his unconventional style has been near impossible for other teams to slow down.

He’s also done this while battling illness this past weekend and after seeing his teammate suffer one of the most unsettling injuries in sports history. His scoring prowess (31 points against Oregon and 23 against Duke last weekend) has always made him a fan favorite but Smith is starting to turn some heads in the NBA with his play in the tournament.

>>More NCAA Tournament Rising Stars

The knocks against him aren’t unfamiliar; he plays off the ball for Louisville and would have to play point guard in the NBA. His play at the point for the Cardinals has been less than inspiring. He’s not the greatest passer or the best decision maker, but his athletic ability has bailed him out in the college level because he can blow past defenders.

His defense stands for itself, however. Louisville is a tremendous defensive team and Smith is an absolute terror for opposing guards. His defense will help set him apart from other guards, but most scouts went into the tournament with plenty of doubts about Smith’s pro potential. Some of them have to do with his inconsistent outside shooting as well.

Smith has done all he can to change hearts and minds with his dominating play in the tournament. His head coach Rick Pitino has been trying to help change minds about him as well, calling him a poor man’s Allen Iverson, a description some pundits are starting to warm too.

One thing is for sure. We have not seen the best of Russ Smith just yet. As stellar as he’s been throughout the season and even more so in the tournament, Smith is poised to really break out in the Final Four. He’s a big time player and his play will decide just how easy it will be for Louisville to cut down the nets.

Russ Smith ties a career high in win over 12-seeded Oregon to advance to the Elite 8:

Mark Chalifoux is a college basketball contributor for CBS Local Digital Media and can be reached at mark.chalifoux@gmail.com and @markchalifoux on Twitter.

John Cahill, Tony Greene, Karl Hess, Lee Jones, John Higgins, Randy McCall and Mark Whitehead have all officiated previous Final Fours, while Mike Eades, Doug Simmons and Terry Wymer will have the opportunity to work their first semifinal or championship game.

The officials were recommended by John Adams, the NCAA’s director of officiating, and approved Monday by the Division I men’s basketball committee.

Three-man crews will work each game with a fourth official on standby. The assignments for the semifinals will be made Saturday morning with the championship officials announced Monday.

Louisville plays Wichita State in the first national semifinal Saturday night at the Georgia Dome. Michigan plays Syracuse in the other game.

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SYRACUSE, N.Y. (AP) — Overcoming all sorts of adversity has been the norm for the Syracuse Orange of late.

Player eligibility issues, negative headlines, slumps at inopportune times — something seems to creep up each season for longtime coach Jim Boeheim.

He figures he’s not alone.

“There’s no team that doesn’t have distractions during the course of the year,” Boeheim, who guided the Orange to a school-record 34 victories last season with scandal swirling around his program, said Monday. “That’s part of life, that’s what you have to learn to handle. They focused well all year.”

In large part because of that singular focus, the Orange, seeded fourth in the East Regional of the NCAA tournament, are headed to the Final Four for the fourth time since Boeheim became head coach in 1976. And when they get in a groove with their stifling zone defense, especially at this time of year, they are tough to break down.

Led by versatile 6-foot-6 point guard Michael Carter-Williams, sharpshooting forward James Southerland, and do-it-all swingman C.J. Fair, the Orange are deep, motivated, and intent on bringing a second title to central New York. And this proud, blue collar town, where basketball’s shot clock was invented, is eagerly anticipating that again, just like in 2003.

“The Final Four seems to be very important. It’s a huge thing up here,” said Boeheim, 3-0 in national semifinals. “Our fans really support us, and they like what we do.”

What’s not to like about the past three weeks. Syracuse (30-9) made the Big East tournament final, losing to Louisville, then beat Montana, California, top-seeded Indiana, and third-seeded Marquette in NCAA regional play. It will meet Michigan (30-7) — the South Regional’s No. 4 seed — in the national semifinals at Atlanta on Saturday. Michigan beat Florida 79-59 Sunday to reach the Final Four.

“They have played tremendous basketball over a four-game period, which is not always that easy to do,” Boeheim said of his Orange.

It’s doubtful many saw this deep run into the postseason coming. Syracuse finished its final Big East regular season — the Orange are headed for the Atlantic Coast Conference in July — with four losses in the final five games.

Syracuse’s last home game was a five-point setback to Louisville, which snapped a tie in the final minute on a defensive breakdown. The Orange left Luke Hancock uncovered in the left corner and he drained a back-breaking 3-pointer.

Then, after easily beating DePaul, Syracuse was humiliated by archrival Georgetown for the second time in two weeks, dropping the season finale 61-39. It was Syracuse’s lowest scoring total in 558 Big East games and its fewest points in any game since a 36-35 victory over Kent State in 1962 — before shot clocks and 3-pointers.

There have been few breakdowns since. In the Big East tournament, Syracuse reeled off victories over Seton Hall, Pittsburgh, and Georgetown before bowing to Louisville.

“Once we got to New York and started to play well, we felt we could compete with anybody,” Boeheim said. “We were always a good team. We obviously had a very difficult last part of our schedule and didn’t play particularly well. But our defense was good and once we got to New York and started to play there, we could see that we were fine.

“I wasn’t worried at all about the NCAA tournament. I felt we were in a good place and we would play well.”

Hard to imagine being in a better place, especially after the Bernie Fine scandal last year.

The former associate head coach was fired after being accused by two former ball boys of sexual abuse more than two decades ago but was never charged.

There also were academic issues that forced Southerland to miss six games this season.

In the regional semifinals, Syracuse had 12 steals and 10 blocks in a convincing 61-50 beatdown of Indiana, the lowest offensive output of the season for a team that was averaging 80 points. Then, with a berth in the Final Four at stake against Marquette, which eliminated Syracuse in the NCAA tournament two years ago and beat the Orange 74-71 during the season, Syracuse won 55-39.

The Golden Eagles’ 39 points were a record low for a team in an NCAA tournament regional final since the shot clock was introduced in 1986. Carter-Williams, a sophomore in his first full season and likely bound for the NBA in the near future, finished with 12 points, six assists, one turnover, five steals, one block, and eight rebounds, and was voted the East Regional MVP.

“He’s even picked up his play. Leadership, getting the ball to people, still being able to score when we need him to because we need him to score,” Boeheim said. “He had a great year, but he’s had an even better tournament. That’s hard to do sometimes for a young player.

“He’s really been good in terms of helping his teammates be better. He had eight defensive rebounds against Marquette. I’ve never had a guard get that many defensive rebounds. I’m not sure that there’s been many times that any guard, anywhere, has gotten eight defensive rebounds.”

Syracuse’s octopus-like defense has covered every inch of the court, eliminating passing lanes, consistently depriving opponents of easy baskets down low, and defending the perimeter with abandon. Its four tournament opponents shot just under 29 percent from the field (61 of 211) and a minuscule 15.4 percent (14 of 91) from behind the arc.

“This is the best that we’ve played it,” Boeheim said. “But Michigan presents more problems than anybody in the tournament. They’re the best offensive team in the tournament. We’ve played some really good teams, but we haven’t played anybody as good offensively as Michigan.”

It’s been a decade since a freshman named Carmelo Anthony led Syracuse to its only national championship. It’s such a big deal to the university — and a city that bleeds Orange — that the school has a continuous looping video replay on a television monitor of that 81-78 win over Kansas.

The TV monitor sits along one wall of the Carmelo K. Anthony Basketball Center where the team practices, and smack dab in the middle of that wall is the national championship trophy.

Finding room for another shouldn’t be a problem.

“I think getting to the Final Four is a great thing for the fans and the city,” Boeheim said. “Non-basketball people get involved when we get to the Final Four. Of course, winning the championship is pretty big.”

___

Follow Kekis on Twitter at http://twitter.com/Greek1947

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By Andrew Kahn

Even with limited drama—none of the regional finals were particularly thrilling—the NCAA Tournament is a wonderful thing, the perfect blend of fairness and unpredictability. The No. 1 overall seed will head to Atlanta where they’ll face a 9 seed that came in second in the Missouri Valley. They’ll be joined by two talented 4 seeds that are peaking at the right time.

1. Final Four is in the Cards

Rick Pitino’s squad returns to the Final Four for the second straight year. Like the other Kentucky basketball powerhouse last season, Louisville is the big favorite to win it all. The Cardinals regrouped after a gruesome injury to a teammate and put together a monster second half against Duke on Sunday. Russ Smith finished with 23 points. It was a great day for Louisville basketball, as the women’s team shocked No. 1 seed Baylor on Sunday night to advance to the regional final.

2. Not that Kansas school

Cue the Shocker puns. Wichita is only the second 9 seed to reach the Final Four, joining the 1979 Penn team. To become the first to reach the finals, they’ll have to get by Louisville. That shouldn’t seem too difficult considering Wichita State has already taken down a 1 seed (Gonzaga) and a 2 seed (Ohio State), dominating their four NCAA Tournament opponents. The Shockers have caught fire at the right time. They hit 34 percent of their threes during the season, but have hit 27 of 60 (45 percent) over the last three games.

3. The New Fab Five

John Beilein has had great success in the NCAA Tournament. Coaching his most talented team of his career, John Beilein has reached his first Final Four. He will face a familiar foe in Atlanta: Jim Boeheim, against whom he is 0-7, most of those losses during Beilein’s West Virginia days. The Wolverines’ epic comeback against Kansas on Friday night—they were down 14 with less than 7 minutes left and five with 21 seconds left—is the Tournament’s best moment so far. Michigan carried that momentum to Sunday, blitzing Florida 13-0 and winning by 20.

4. Orange emerges from East

Syracuse showed signs they were getting it together when they advanced to the finals of the Big East Tournament. Their 2-3 zone baffled No. 1 seed Indiana on Thursday and they smothered cold-shooting conference foe Marquette on Saturday, winning 55-39 to advance to the Final Four. It is Boeheim’s fourth Final Four and his most recent trip since winning it all in 2003.

5. Kevin Ware

It was supposed to be a homecoming of sorts for Louisville’s Kevin Ware. The reserve guard was born in the Bronx but moved to Atlanta when he was 14. His team has advanced to the Final Four, but Ware suffered a horrific leg injury late in the first half of Sunday’s game against Duke. If you haven’t seen it, be thankful, and don’t seek out any replays. Ware’s broken leg left his teammates emotionally distraught. Chane Behanan wore Ware’s No. 5 jersey in the waning seconds of the victory.

Andrew Kahn is a contributor to CBS Local who has written for ESPN the Magazine and The Wall Street Journal. He writes about college basketball and other sports at http://andrewjkahn.com. Email him at andrewjkahn@gmail.com and follow him on Twitter at @AndrewKahn.

A healthy 20-year-old old athlete jumping to block a shot, then landing in some awkward way that caused his lower leg to snap.

And snap may be an understatement. When Kevin Ware’s foot hit the floor, his shin bone shattered in half, and reportedly poked out six inches through the skin.

On a routine play, on a peaceful Sunday afternoon, the last thing you expected to see was a basketball player lying on his back with his mid shin bent at 90 degrees with raw bone sticking out. Not the knee but the shin.

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INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Louisville guard Kevin Ware had successful surgery on his broken right leg Sunday night.

Now his teammates and coaches are waiting to find out when the sophomore will return to campus Tuesday and whether he can travel with them later this week to the Final Four in Atlanta.

Ware sustained a horrifying fracture in the first half of Sunday’s Midwest Regional final when he landed awkwardly after trying to contest a 3-point shot, breaking his leg in two places. He was taken off the court on a stretcher as his stunned teammates openly wept.

A few hours later, his coach showed up at the hospital with a gift: The regional championship trophy.

“He was groggy, in good spirits. He saw us win the trophy and was crying and said it was all worthwhile,” coach Rick Pitino told The Associated Press. “We didn’t cut down the net, but I left him the trophy.”

Pitino said he and his son Richard, who recruited Ware, and an equipment manager would spend the night in Indy, along with the team’s doctors.

School officials said doctors reset the bone and inserted a rod into the tibia during the two-hour procedure.

Ware has played a key role in the Cardinals’ second straight Final Four run, scoring 11 points on 5-for-7 shooting in 25 minutes in the regional semifinal win over Oregon, and on Sunday he was the primary motivator. Before leaving the court, he called his teammates over to prod them to win the game and not worry about him, a message he continued to express at halftime. And he was eager to return to Atlanta, where he played high school basketball.

For television viewers, it was a gruesome sight that prompted many to express their sentiments on social media sites. CBS even stopped showing the replay, which was not seen inside Lucas Oil Stadium.

For Louisville players and coaches, it was far worse. Guard Russ Smith said he didn’t see the play but he heard the bone snap. And forward Chane Behanan, Ware’s closest friend, said the sight was almost unimaginable.

Pitino, one of college basketball’s top winners, thought he had seen just about everything in the sport until Ware’s injury.

“I went over and I was going to help him up and then all of a sudden, I saw what it was and I almost literally threw up,” Pitino said.

Ware’s teammates were overcome with emotion, too.

Luke Hancock patted Ware on the chest after Ware rolled himself to the sideline and right in front of the Louisville bench. Behanan and several other players sat on the floor as Ware was treated and some, including Behanan, cried. Duke guard Tyler Thornton covered his eyes when he realized what had happened, and Blue Devils coach Mike Krzyzewski even told Pitino that he would agree to let the teams warm up again if they wanted.

They didn’t, though Pitino did summon Ware’s teammates so he could speak to them. His message was simple: Win the game.

“I said, ‘We’re going to dig in. We’re going to play this game to the end. We’re going to play this game to get him back home,’” Pitino said, explaining his halftime speech. “We’ll get him back home, nurse him to good health and we’re going to get him to Atlanta.”

Louisville trainer Fred Hina told Pitino it was the same injury that derailed the Heisman Trophy hopes of running back Michael Bush, who also played at Louisville. Bush recovered from the injury and has had a productive NFL career with Oakland and Chicago.

As it turned out, he was watching.

“I just cried,” he wrote on Twitter. “I feel so bad. Flashback of myself. Anyone if he needs anything please let me know.”

The reaction was the same everywhere.

Louisville forward Wayne Blackshear fell to the floor, crying, and Behanan looked as if he was going to be sick on the court, kneeling on his hands and feet. Peyton Siva sat a few feet away, a hand covering his mouth.

Someone finally pulled Behanan to his feet, but he doubled over and needed a few seconds to gather himself.

Condolences poured in on social media, too. Former Washington Redskins quarterback Joe Theismann, who famously sustained a broken leg on Monday Night Football in a game against the New York Giants, tweeted that “Watching Duke/ Louisville my heart goes out to Kevin Ware.”

Two doctors speculated Ware might have had stress fractures that predisposed him to such a break.

Dr. Reed Estes, assistant professor of orthopedic surgery at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, and team physician for the UAB football team, said basketball players are prone to stress fractures in the tibia, the larger of the two leg bones, and that can weaken them.

“If these are not detected they can result in a full fracture, particularly if the landing mechanics are just right” after a jump, Estes said. Surgery to stabilize the bones is usually successful, and Ware should be fine to play next season, he said.

Dr. Frederick Azar, head of the Campbell Clinic in Memphis, Tenn., and a spokesman for the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons, said Ware “jumped pretty far horizontally and vertically, and he landed with a twist,” which puts so much torsion and stress on the bones they could have just snapped. He agreed with Estes’ assessment that a stress fracture could have made Ware more prone to such an injury.

Louisville, the top overall seed in the tourney, missed four of its next five shots but regained its composure to take a 35-32 halftime lead and went on to an 85-63 victory.

“We won this for him,” Pitino said. “We were all choked up with emotion for him. We’ll get him back to normal. We’ve got great doctors, great trainers. We talked about it every timeout, ‘Get Kevin home.’”

Behanan switched into Ware’s No. 5 jersey near the end of the game.

Afterward, he kept it on and the Cardinal players led the heavily partisan Louisville crowd in chants of “Kev-in, Kev-in.”

“We had to do this for Kevin, that’s our whole thing,” Siva said. “Coach told us that we needed to get him back home, and I think it would have been a tougher loss for us if we would have gone out there and lost.”

___

AP Chief Medical Writer Marilynn Marchione contributed to this report.

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Russ Smith scored 23, Gorgui Dieng had 14 points, 11 rebounds and four blocks, and top-seeded Louisville put aside the shock from Ware’s gruesome leg injury to earn a second straight trip to the Final Four with an 85-63 victory over Duke on Sunday afternoon.

As the final seconds ticked down, Chane Behanan put Ware’s jersey on and stood at the end of the Louisville bench, screaming. Cardinals fans chanted “Kevin Ware! Kevin Ware!”

“We won this for him,” coach Rick Pitino said. “We were all choked up with emotion for him. We’ll get him back to normal. We’ve got great doctors, great trainers. We talked about it every timeout, ‘Get Kevin home.’”

This was the first time Pitino and Mike Krzyzewski had met in the regional finals since that 1992 classic that ended with Christian Laettner’s improbable buzzer-beater, a game now considered one of the best in NCAA tournament history.

This game will be remembered, too, but for a very different — and much more somber — reason.

With 6:33 left in the first half, Ware, a sophomore who has played a key role in Louisville’s 14-game winning streak, jumped to try and block Tyler Thornton’s 3-point shot. When he landed, his right leg snapped midway between his ankle and knee, the bone skewing almost at a right angle. Ware dropped to the floor right in front of the Louisville bench and, almost in unison, his teammates turned away in horror. Thornton grimaced, putting his hand to his mouth as he turned around.

Louisville forward Wayne Blackshear fell to the floor and Behanan looked as if he was going to be sick on the court, kneeling on his hands and feet. Luke Hancock patted Ware’s chest as doctors worked on the sophomore and Smith walked away, pulling his jersey over his eyes.

Pitino had tears in his eyes as he tried to console his players. Dieng draped an arm around the shoulders of Smith, who repeatedly wiped at his eyes and shook his head. The Cardinals gathered at halfcourt to try and regroup before Pitino called them over to the sideline, saying Ware wanted to talk to them before he left.

News of the injury dominated social media. Joe Theismann whose NFL career ended with a horrific broken leg, said on Twitter, “Watching Duke/ Louisville my heart goes out to Kevin Ware.”

Fans chanted “Kevin! Kevin” as Ware was loaded onto the stretcher, and Pitino wiped away tears again as Ware was wheeled off the court.

The Cardinals struggled to put the horrific injury behind them, missing four of their next five shots along with two free throws after play resumed. They regrouped after a timeout, with Smith’s finger roll sparking a 12-6 run to finish the half that gave them a 35-32 lead.

Smith picked up where he left off at the start of the second half, making all three free throws after being fouled on a 3-point attempt to give Louisville a 38-32 lead, its largest of the game to that point.

But just as he did against Michigan State, Duke star Seth Curry got hot after halftime, making two 3s in the first three minutes. Mason Plumlee dunked to tie the game at 42.

That, however, was all Louisville needed. Clawing for every rebound, diving on the floor for loose balls and cranking the intensity up even higher on their ferocious defense, the Cardinals were not going to lose.

And everyone, Duke included, knew it.

Smith made a layup, Siva made a nice jumper at the top of the key and then followed with a layup. Just like that, the Cardinals were off on a 20-4 run that sealed the victory.

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The Wolverines (30-7) scored the game’s first 13 points and maintained a double-digit lead the rest of the game against the SEC regular-season champion Gators (29-8), who lost in a regional final for the third straight year.

Stauskas hit all six of his 3-point attempts, including consecutive makes from the left corner for to give Michigan a 41-17 lead.

Sophomore Trey Burke, the Big Ten player of the year, added 15 points for Michigan. Mitch McGary, another freshman, had 11 points and nine rebounds. He scored eight in the opening 13-0 run.

Kenny Boynton and Will Yeguette had 13 points each for Florida.

The Wolverines, with a steady rotation of six freshen and a sophomore, are headed to Atlanta to play Syracuse (30-9) in a national semifinal game Saturday.

Michigan hadn’t been to the Final Four since consecutive national championship game appearances in 1992 and 1993, the freshman and sophomore seasons of the Fab Five — Chris Webber, Jalen Rose, Juwan Howard, Ray Jackson and Jimmy King.

Webber was gone before that team’s 1994 regional final loss to Arkansas played in the now-demolished Reunion Arena in Dallas, and Howard followed him to the NBA after that.

With four wins in this NCAA tourney, the Wolverines already have more tournament victories than their total from the end of the Fab Five era to this season. They had one win in 1998, and then didn’t even make the field again until 2009.

Despite being the only team to make regional finals each of the last three seasons, the Gators haven’t been to the Final Four since winning consecutive national titles in 2006 and 2007.

Boynton and Erik Murphy, the four-year seniors who came in not long after those titles, will leave without one of their own. They were part of the only Gators class to win consecutive outright SEC regular-season championships, but came up short in the biggest games.

After McGary started the scoring with a layup, Stauskas made a behind-the-back pass to McGary for a slam before making his first 3-pointer less than a half-minute after that.

Burke passed to McGary for a layup before driving for one of his own. McGary’s jumper made it 13-0 only 3:05 into the game.

The Gators were able to recover from an early deficit against Florida Gulf Coast for a 62-50 win Friday night on the raised stage at Cowboys Stadium.

Facing Big Blue it was another story.

Stauskas, who was 2-of-12 from 3-point range the first three games of this NCAA tourney, couldn’t miss against the Gators.

The 6-foot-6 guard from Canada put the Wolverines up by 24 points with 4:08 left in the first half after two consecutive 3s from the left corner in a span of 27 seconds.

Like he did on all of his makes, Stauskas came back down the court with a smile on his face, sharing the moment with the Wolverines fans who made the trip to North Texas.

Florida missed its first seven shots before Will Yeguete made a layup more than 3 1/2 minutes into the game.

It was a rough finale for Murphy, who twice thought he had easy baskets in front of him only to have the shots blocked. Murphy had eight rebounds, but finished 0-of-11 shooting and was scoreless for the first time this season.

Even with an 11-2 run late in the first half punctuated by Boynton’s 3-pointer, the Gators were still down by 15 with a minute to go in the first half.

And the Wolverines were able to score even after it appeared that the half had ended — Burke was already started heading off the court pumping his right arm toward the Michigan fans.

Stauskas was fouled on a 3-point attempt with .4 seconds left and, after officials reviewed the play, hit two free throws to give the Wolverines a 47-30 lead.

It was that kind of day for Michigan, and for Florida.

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KANSAS VS. MICHIGAN

Key matchup: Jeff Withey vs. Mitch McGary

Don’t be surprised if: Kevin Young has a major impact on this game.

X-factors: Ben McLemore (Kansas), Glenn Robinson III (Michigan)

The skinny: Michigan might be the most talented offensive team in college basketball. The Wolverines have a terrific back court with Trey Burke and Tim Hardaway Jr. along with a plethora of role players that can stretch the defense. The one thing Michigan doesn’t have? Experience. And that’s where Kansas may have a distinct edge in this game. Four of the Jayhawks’ starters — Elijah Johnson, Travis Releford, Kevin Young, and Jeff Withey all played during last year’s run to the national title game. It says here that will be the difference.

Prediction: Kansas 67, Michigan 60

FLORIDA VS. FLORIDA GULF COAST

Key matchup: Scottie Wilbekin vs. Brett Comer

Don’t be surprised if: Florida plays one of the best defensive games we’ve seen in the NCAA Tournament

X-factors: Mike Rosario (Florida), Chase Fieler (Florida Gulf Coast)

The skinny: Florida Gulf Coast is without question the story of the tournament — but they’re not going to beat Florida. Billy Donovan’s team will be locked in on both sides of the floor, and should be able to slow down the Eagles’ transition game. Keep an eye on Florida forward Will Yeguete, who could have a big role because of his intangibles.

Prediction: Florida 71, Florida Gulf Coast 62

NCAA PICKS: Rothstein, Moose, Evan, Giglio, JJ pick ‘em all

LOUISVILLE VS. OREGON

Key matchup: Oregon’s guards against Louisville’s press

Don’t be surprised if: Oregon uses Dominic Artis and Johnathon Loyd together in the back court to offset Louisville’s pressure.

X-factors: Carlos Emory (Oregon), Gorgui Dieng (Louisville)

The skinny: The Cardinals are playing like the best team in college basketball. Louisville’s bench of Kevin Ware, Stephan Van Treese, and Montrezl Harrell have been terrific, and Russ Smith is performing like an elite guard. Oregon has been phenomenal in their first two NCAA Tournament games, but it says here their run ends against the Cardinals.

Prediction: Louisville 79, Oregon 70

DUKE VS. MICHIGAN STATE

Key matchup: Derrick Nixvs. Mason Plumlee

Don’t be surprised if: Tom Izzo plays Denzel Valentine for longer than usual to exploit’s Duke’s lack of size in the back court

X-factors: Keith Appling (Michigan State), Rasheed Suliamon (Duke)

The skinny: This battle between two of the sport’s blue bloods has the makings to be one of the best games of the entire tournament. The keys to this game will be how Duke deals with the Spartans on the back boards, and how Michigan State contains Ryan Kelly — and that’s where Branden Dawson comes into play. Tom Izzo has used Dawson in spurts this season at power forward, and his versatility could make him a candidate to check Kelly with regularity. This is a game that could very well come down to the final possession.

Prediction: Duke 71, Michigan State 70

Do you agree that FGCU’s run will end Friday? Make your case in the comments!

ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — Michigan coach John Beilein briefly lost track of how long it’s been since the Wolverines reached the round of 16 in the NCAA tournament.

Sixteen years, he said. No, 18. Wait. 19.

He was right the third time, but here’s how to make it a little simpler. The Fab Five era of the early 1990s was the last time the No. 4 seed Wolverines (28-7) made it this far.

For top-seeded Kansas (31-5) — their opponent in the South Regional semifinals Friday night — Fab Five means something more like five trips at least this far in the past six NCAA tournaments, not to mention a championship in 2008 and another appearance in the title game last year.

The way Beilein figures it, Trey Burke and Tim Hardaway Jr. were the only players in his rotation who had any NCAA experience last week, and the Wolverines won twice anyway for the first time since Jalen Rose and Juwan Howard led the way a year after Chris Webber broke up the original class of freshmen by leaving for the NBA.

“It was all new to them then,” Beilein said of the early rounds in suburban Detroit. “And the next step is new to all our guys. I didn’t see our kids affected by that. I think we’re more affected by the opponent right now than how long it’s been or where it’s at.”

Now that Beilein mentions it, the site is noteworthy as well. Cowboys Stadium is about 15 miles from now-demolished Reunion Arena in downtown Dallas, where Howard, Rose, Ray Jackson and Jimmy King played their last game together in a loss to Arkansas in the regional finals. When Webber was still with them, those five lost in back-to-back championship games in 1992-93.

“I actually talked to Jimmy King on Monday,” said freshman Mitch McGary, who had 21 points and 14 rebounds in the win over Virginia Commonwealth that sent the Wolverines to Texas. “He came in and spoke in one of our classes. He knows what to experience from it. And it’s the same game of basketball. He just said go have fun and play your game.”

McGary is one of three freshmen who start alongside Hardaway and Burke, a national player of the year candidate who leads Michigan at 18.8 points per game. The Jayhawks have four senior starters with 45 NCAA games between them.

“I wouldn’t look at it as an advantage because Michigan is a great team,” said Travis Releford, who led Kansas with 22 points in a win over North Carolina that sent the Jayhawks to what will be the school’s 30th game in the round of 16. “We’re not going into it thinking that we’ve been here more times than them.”

Michigan spent a week at No. 1 in the poll before going 6-6 leading into the NCAAs. That included a blowout loss to Michigan State and a slow start against 13th-seeded South Dakota State in the tournament.

Hardaway and Glenn Robinson III — both sons of former NBA players — offset a rough game for Burke in the tournament opener with 21 points apiece before McGary took charge in the next round. The late-season swoon made more sense after four Big Ten teams were among the final 16 for the second straight year.

The Jayhawks had their first three-game losing streak in eight years in the middle of Big 12 play, including a nearly inexplicable loss just down the road at TCU. It was one of just two conference wins for the Horned Frogs, who held Kansas to 19 percent shooting in the first half and 30 for the game.

Now Kansas is dealing with a slump from leading scorer Ben McLemore, a freshman and the only non-senior starter. He played just 24 minutes — his fewest since before conference play — and went 0 of 9 from the field against North Carolina. He had a career-low two points after scoring just five in the Big 12 tournament championship against Kansas State.

“It’s not like a pitcher with a no-hitter going into the seventh, nobody talk to him,” said Kansas coach Bill Self. “So we try to work with him, but not work with him from a situation where, hey, you know you’ve got to do this, you’ve got to do that. He’s trying hard.”

McLemore, who averages 15.8 points and is the team’s leading 3-point threat, didn’t mind watching Releford and 7-footer Jeff Withey take over against North Carolina. Withey, the leading shot blocker in tournament history, had 16 points and five blocks for the lone Big 12 survivor among five entrants.

“When I was on the bench, I was still having fun,” McLemore said. “It was just great to see them do all their things without me on the court.”

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