The Michigan State Spartans celebrate defeating the Louisville Cardinals 76-70 in overtime in Syracuse on Sunday.Elsa/Getty Images
If you liked the look of last year's Final Four, you will love the 2015 edition.
One game – Kentucky versus Wisconsin – is not only a matchup of two No. 1 seeds, it's a replay of last year's semi-final won by Kentucky 74-73.
Seventh-seeded Michigan State will face Duke, a four-time national champion led by coach Mike Krzyzewski, who is in his 12th Final Four, tying the legendary John Wooden.
It is the fifth time at least three No. 1 seeds have reached the Final Four.
This is the third successive year one conference has had two teams in the Final Four with Wisconsin and Michigan State coming from the Big Ten. The Southeastern Conference did last year with Kentucky and Florida and the Big East had Louisville and Syracuse in 2013.
Krzyzewski is living in the moment with his youngest team ever, not thinking too much about the significance of his latest trip to the Final Four.
With their trio of freshmen starting, the Blue Devils, 33-4 and the region's No. 1 seed, are going to their 16th Final Four, after a 66-52 win over Gonzaga on Sunday to win the South Regional.
"Just being with these kids and sharing this moment and this Final Four, I'm so happy, I'm so happy for them and to be with them," Coach K said. "I love my team. … They're taking me to Indy, which is kind of neat."
Justise Winslow, the freshman playing home in Houston, finished with 16 points after rolling his left ankle early in the game, and had a big three-pointer in the closing minutes. Tyus Jones scored 15 points, while Jahlil Okafor had nine points and eight rebounds.
"Coach has been to however many Final Fours, but this is his first one with this group and that's what means the most," Winslow said. "Living in this moment, living right now."
With 12, Krzyzewski matches UCLA's John Wooden for the most Final Four appearances by a head coach. There are three coaches with seven, including Michigan State's Tom Izzo.
Duke's last Final Four and national title was in 2010, when the Blue Devils were also the No. 1 seed in the South Regional and had to go through Houston.
No. 2 seed Gonzaga (35-3) had taken a 38-34 lead less than four minutes into the second half, putting the Blue Devils in their largest deficit of this tournament.
Young Duke responded with nine straight points and never trailed again.
Counted out for done as recently as six weeks ago, the seventh-seeded Spartans (27-11) let it all out in a thrilling display of perseverance and defensive grit to oust the fourth-seeded Cardinals (27-9).
"I'd like to tell you that I thought five different times this year that we were good enough to get to a Final Four, but I'd be lying to you," said coach Tom Izzo, who described this as the best of seven regional final victories he has enjoyed. "But I think the burning desire to be in this Final Four, and they didn't want to be a group that didn't make it. I think it was more of the battle cry all year long."
Trice led the Spartans with 17 points. Dawson had 11 rebounds, including a key putback of Bryn Forbes's missed three-point shot with 31.7 seconds left in overtime. And Denzel Valentine scored 15 points for a Michigan State team that won for the 12th time in 15 games. It's a run that included them knocking off second-seeded Virginia last weekend and third-seeded Oklahoma in the regional semi-final on Friday.
Wayne Blackshear had 28 points for the Cardinals (27-9) in a game that featured 11 lead changes.
Louisville was denied a shot of making its third Final Four in four years, and 11th overall.
It's the ninth Final Four appearance for the Spartans, and first since 2010, when they lost 52-50 to Butler in the national semi-finals. Izzo has led them to seven Final Fours, including the 2000 national championship.
The Spartans did it with a roster that was regarded as having less talent than the team that lost in the regional final to Connecticut a year ago. Michigan State lost three of its top four scorers.