The Final Four has its first two entrants in the 2012 NCAA Tournament this March and April: the No. 4 Louisville Cardinals and the No. 2 Ohio St. Buckeyes. However, the two teams are on opposite sides of the brackets, allowing a title game matchup should the two advance that far.
Related: March Madness for the Rocky Mountain Region | Printable NCAA Bracket
Louisville used a 23-8 run to defeat the No. 7 Florida Gators, 72-68. After losing the first half, 41-33, the Cardinals' second half run powered them to the victory on a 39-27 advantage in the second half. Florida had all five of its starters score at least 11 points, but they received just five points from its bench players. For the Cardinals, Russ Smith powered the team with 19 points from the bench while Chane Behanan scored 17 points. All other scorers failed to stop 10 points.
Ohio State picked up a 77-70 victory over the No. 1 Syracuse Orange but let a 10-point lead in the second half slip away before recovering during the final minutes of play. Jared Sullinger led the Buckeyes with 19 points and was followed by Lenzelle Smith Jr.'s 18 points. William Buford and Deshaun Thomas each pulled down nine rebounds.
The Cardinals will play the winner of Baylor-Kentucky, and Ohio State plays the winner of North Carolina-Kansas.
For more on March Madness at every level, visit SB Nation NCAA Basketball. Our 2012 NCAA Tournament hub has everything you need for the big one.
