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Louisville 72, Wichita State 68: Luke Hancock led a strong effort from the Cardinals bench with 20 points as No. 1 seed Louisville survived a scare and rallied past the Shockers to reach the NCAA Championship Game.

Russ Smith scored 21 points and Chane Behanan had 10 for the Cardinals (34-5), who have won 15 straight games and will face Michigan in the Championship Game on Monday.

Cleanthony Early collected 24 points and 10 rebounds for No. 9 seed Wichita State (30-9), which was trying to become the highest-seeded team to win in the Final Four.

Hancock split a pair of free throws with 8.1 seconds left but tied up the rebound with the possession arrow pointing to Louisville. Smith hit one of two free throws with 4.8 seconds remaining to seal the win.

The Shockers went on an 18-7 run early in the second half, capped by Early’s 3-pointer that made it 47-35 with 13:41 left. The Cardinals began to fight back behind the reserves, with two straight 3-pointers from Tim Henderson cutting it back to a six-point deficit.

Hancock made a pair of driving layups as Louisville chipped away and finally gave the team back the lead when his 3-pointer splashed through to make it 56-55 with 6:35 to play. Early’s three-point play briefly put Wichita State back on top before Smith’s steal and transition layup gave the Cardinals a 60-58 edge with 4:50 left.

The Shockers would tie it up once more before Louisville took control. Hancock hit a 3-pointer with 2:08 on the clock to make it a five-point gap and the Cardinals hung on.

GAME NOTEBOOK: Louisville G Kevin Ware, who broke his leg in the Elite Eight win over Duke, was wearing his jersey on the bench and cheering on his teammates. … Wichita State was trying to become the first team from the Missouri Valley Conference to reach the final game since Larry Bird’s Indiana State squad in 1979. … Smith entered the night an 82 percent free throw shooter, but went 5-of-12 from the line against the Shockers.