By Sam Draut–

Through the first 20 minutes, Louisville looked like the team that had driven through the East Region, just a half away from a Final Four.  But, the problem that had plagued the Cardinals all season pushed away any such notion.

Seventh-seeded Michigan State defeated Louisville 76-70 in overtime on Sunday to win the East Region and advance to the Final Four.

After leading 40-32 at halftime, Louisville’s offense went cold, going just six of 32 from the field in the second half and overtime period.

Louisville trailed by five with 2:21 left, but Wayne Blackshear scored five points down the stretch to keep the Cardinals close.

Mangok Mathiang hit a free throw with 4.9 seconds left to send the game into overtime.

In the overtime period, Bryn Forbes hit a three pointer in the opening possession and Michigan State outscored Louisville 11-5.

Blackshear willed his way to 28 points, connecting on all 12 of his free throws.  The senior forward’s performance is the eighth most scored by a Cardinal in an NCAA tournament game.

With Terry Rozier and Montrezl Harrell struggling in the second half, Blackshear became the only offensive threat Louisville could turn to.

Rozier scored 13 points on 6 of 23 shooting and Harrell had just four points in the second half and overtime period.

Quentin Snider, who had averaged 13 points in three tournament contests was limited to four points on 2 of 9 shooting.

Poor shooting had always been the main concern for Rick Pitino’s team and the problem manifested itself in the worst possible moment.  For a team that was challenged with adversity throughout the year, an Elite Eight and 27-9 finish is near remarkable, but the Cardinals will head into the offseason knowing how close they were to a Final Four.