AUSTIN, Texas - To everyone who has ever chided Michigan State's upperclassmen for being soft, weak and underachieving, the Spartans now have the perfect rebuttal: a gutsy, tough, double-overtime win over Kentucky - and a ticket to St. Louis to show for it.

And, get this, after knocking off Duke and Kentucky to get to the Final Four, their next foe is North Carolina, giving seniors Alan Anderson, Kelvin Torbert and Chris Hill the chance to really go out in style.

"We had plenty of potholes and valleys - even black holes - during this journey," Hill said. "We have been through it all, but here, at the end of the day, we are still standing."

He was talking about his career, but could've been talking strictly about Michigan State's 94-88 victory over Kentucky, which took two overtimes and featured some of the most dramatic moments in a weekend filled with them.

The Wildcats forced the first overtime with a 3-pointer that bounced four times on the rim before falling through, then took five minutes before being declared good. The referee knew Patrick Sparks let it fly in time, he just wasn't sure whether the tip of Sparks' right foot was behind the line. After asking CBS for a zoomed-in replay, he flashed the last three fingers on each hand.

Rejuvenated, Kentucky scored the first four points of overtime - then fizzled. Tied in the final minute, leading scorer Kelenna Azubuike missed badly on an ugly shot, got the ball back but was still holding it when time expired.

Michigan State (26-6) went ahead 4 seconds into the second OT, and that was it. The Spartans led the rest of the way, protecting it by hitting 11 straight free throws to secure their fourth Final Four in seven years - but first for this group of players. MSU also went from 1999-2001, winning it all in 2000.

"After what these guys have been through, this one is the most satisfying," Spartans coach Tom Izzo said.

The young Wildcats (28-6) were supposedly a year away from greatness. While they'll be expected to go even further next year, that's too late for their best player, Chuck Hayes, the lone senior lost from the top of their deep rotation.

Hayes, who played for Izzo on the U.S. Pan Am team two years ago, hugged Torbert, Hill and Anderson, then shook hands with Izzo on his way to the bench with a few seconds left. He began crying and didn't stop until the start of a news conference.

"You figure if you give everything you have, you get what you want. But sometimes, you don't," said Hayes, who ends his career tied for the most consecutive starts in school history yet never got past the regional finals.

SYRACUSE, N.Y. - Melvin Scott was the last North Carolina player to climb the ladder on each end of the court and cut down what was left of the nets.Perhaps he and fellow seniors Jawad Williams and Jackie Manuel can now forget the painful memories of their freshmen seasons: an 8-20 record that snapped a streak of 32 straight 20-win seasons and left them out of the NCAA tournament for the first time in 29 years."We've been through some tough times, but the biggest thing is we stuck together, helped each other," Williams said.Now, three years after those struggles, the Tar Heels are headed back to the Final Four for the first time since 2000.Rashad McCants swished a clutch 3-pointer on his way to 21 points and had two huge defensive stops down the stretch, leading top-seeded North Carolina past Wisconsin 88-82 Sunday night in the final of the Syracuse Regional.Sean May led the Tar Heels (31-4) - the only No. 1 seed remaining in the tournament - with 29 points and 12 rebounds, and Raymond Felton added 17 points despite leaving briefly in the second half with a sprained ankle. But it was McCants who did the most to end a marvelous run by the sixth-seeded Badgers (25-9).With North Carolina clinging to a three-point lead, McCants jumped high to swat a 3 by Clayton Hanson with about 2 minutes left, Hanson's only miss of the second half from beyond the arc. Later, when Kammron Taylor drove to the basket, McCants again was there to stop him."I knew they were going to come at me," McCants said. "I took that as an assignment and shut him down."Wisconsin closed within three again on an alley-oop dunk by Alando Tucker before McCants made his 3-pointer, coming off a screen by Marvin Williams to give North Carolina an 81-75 lead. He finished with 21 points.That proved to be enough, and when the final buzzer sounded, McCants and Felton spent several seconds embracing in the lane while teammates quickly donned hats that read "Syracuse Regional Champions."Tar Heels coach Roy Williams advanced to the Final Four for the fifth time in his career; after four trips with Kansas, he's taking his alma mater there in only his second season."It's special, there's no question about it," the coach said. "I loved 15 years at Kansas. I loved those four times there. But I did go to school here, my wife went to school here, my son went to school here and my daughter went to school here. It is special."Tucker scored 25 points for the Badgers, who never once tried to slow the pace despite their reputation for steady and methodical offense. They scored more than 80 points for only the third time this season and first since Dec. 27.Still, they stayed close throughout, led by Tucker and the shooting of Hanson, a former walk-on. He scored 15 points - all on 3s - after averaging only 6.2 coming into the regional."Any time the season ends like this, it's emotional," Hanson said. "Five years down the road, I'll be proud of it. But, right now, it stinks."