Luke Hancock played out of his mind over the final five halves of the 20-12-13 basketball season.
The Louisville forward knocked down five 3-pointers and helped overcome a double digit deficit as the Cardinals took down Michigan 82-76 in the national championship game Monday night.
Hancock finished with 22 points and capped off his run by being named the Most Outstanding Player of the Final Four.
Michigan led by as much as 11 points in the first half but foul trouble forced the Naismith Award winner Trey Burke to the bench in the final minutes of the first half. Louisville went on a frantic run, including a pair of 3-pointers from Hancock.
The Cardinals led by double digits in the closing minutes before Michigan got as close as four points before running out of time.
Michigan got an unexpected boost from Spike Albrecht in the first half. The freshman guard averaged less than two points per game during the regular season but scored 17 points in the first half. He was held scoreless in the second half.
Louisville won its third national championship in school history despite Russ Smith scoring just 9 points and shooting a dismal 3-of-16 from the field. Smith led the Cardinals with 25 points per game during the tournament.
Louisville coach Rick Pitino became the first coach to win national championship at multiple schools. That happened on the same day he was selected into the Basketball Hall of Fame.
