Jojo Doria

Phoenix, AZ

Chane Behanan scored 17 points and Russ Smith added 19 off the bench as the Louisville Cardinals rallied past the Florida Gators, 72-68 in the scintillating West Regional finals at US Airways Center.

The Cardinals advanced to their 9th Final Four appearance and the first since 2005 behind a furious 23-8 run to edge the Gators, who were in control of the ballgame before collapsing down the stretch.

Down by double digits with 10 minutes left to play, Louisville orchestrated a massive comeback rally courtesy of heady playmaking skills from Smith and a dominant low-post presence from Behanan.

Despite two free-throw shots made by Smith to give Louisville a 71-68 edge with 16 seconds remaining, Florida still had several chances to win or send the game into overtime but the Gators offense floundered late.

Erik Murphy and Bradley Beal scored 14 points each to lead all Florida starters in double figures.

Unfortunately for Billy Donovan and the Gators, their magical run in the NCAA tournament came to an end against the Cardinals and the maestro Rick Pitino, headed to his sixth Final Four in his legendary coaching career.

 

Behanan, Smith Rally Louisville Past Florida; Cardinals In Final Four