Kentucky Beats Louisville in Final Four Game

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — The highlight packages will be full of Anthony Davis' one-hand jam off an alley-oop pass and a couple of his hook shots — including one with his non-shooting hand — but what got Kentucky to its 11th national championship game was defense.

A lot of defense.

The Wildcats didn't break the 80-point mark as they did in their first four NCAA tournament games — the first team to do that since Kentucky won its last title in 1998 — but they stopped Louisville whenever they had to in their 69-61 victory Saturday night.

Kentucky (37-2) held the Cardinals to 34.8 percent shooting (24 for 69), well below their season mark of 42.5, but even more importantly, it was below the 37.5 percent the Wildcats allowed all season — a mark that led the nation.

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LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — Thousands of fans swarmed streets near the University of Kentucky campus, setting couches and a car on fire, after the Wildcats beat cross-state rival Louisville 69-61 in the Final Four.

The screaming, cheering fans took to the streets following the win Saturday evening in New Orleans. Many streets had already been blocked off around Kentucky's Lexington campus to make way for the crowds, but sirens blared and police began shutting down more streets as the blazes broke out.

A spokeswoman for Lexington's mayor, Susan Straub says police made fewer than 10 arrests. She says a few injuries have been reported, but says things have not gotten out of control.

In Louisville, disappointed Cardinals fans gathered on a closed street near campus and chanted "C-A-R-D-S" while waving school flags.

Shortly afterward, the crowd dispersed and the campus was quiet.

THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. Check back soon for further information. AP's earlier story is below.

Screaming, chanting fans swarmed the streets around the campuses of the University of Louisville and cross-state rival Kentucky after the Wildcats beat the Cardinals 69-61 in the first game of the Final Four.

In Lexington, where police say some bars had opened at 9 a.m. EDT, throngs of jubilant Kentucky fans spilled out onto blocked-off streets after the victory. At stoplights, fans hanging out of their cars chanted "C-A-T-S" while police and firefighters watched from the sidelines.

Lexington police tweeted reports of a car and a couch on fire. Police reported at least a dozen couch fires in neighborhoods around campus last week after Kentucky's win over Baylor.

Disappointed Louisville fans at a pizzeria near the edge of campus were quiet after the loss, but swiftly moved outside and began chanting "C-A-R-D-S" while waving school banners and flags with about 100 others.

One Louisville senior said he hoped Kentucky would win Monday's championship game, but he was still proud of the Cardinals.