NCAA Tournament 2012: Winners, Losers, Heroes and Goats of Day 9

One half of the Final Four is officially set, as Louisville and Ohio State punched their tickets to New Orleans on Saturday.

The Cardinals used a thrilling second-half surge to send Florida packing, while the Buckeyes upended Syracuse thanks to a strong effort from Jared Sullinger.

It was a great day of action and all four teams played hard. Unfortunately, this isn't elementary school. There were some clear-cut winners and losers, and not everyone got to go home with a Capri Sun and a granola bar.

Here are the winners, losers, heroes and goats from the first day of the Elite Eight.

Winner: Louisville Cardinals

The Cardinals added Florida to their list of tournament victims, beating the Gators 72-68.

They were outplayed for the majority of the game, but a late 23-8 run propelled them to their ninth Final Four in school history.

This game was a prime example of Louisville's toughness, which has been on display since the Big East tournament began. After getting lit up in the first half, the Cardinals defense clamped down in the second, holding Florida to 0-for-9 shooting on threes after halftime. 

They also had to survive crunch time without Peyton Siva, who fouled out with 3:58 left to play. But thanks to Russ Smith, Chane Behanan and a few Florida mistakes, the Cardinals advanced.

Now they await the winner of Kentucky vs. Baylor on Sunday. If the Wildcats win, brace yourselves for an all-out civil war in Kentucky.

Winner: Ohio State Buckeyes

Ohio state fended off a feisty Syracuse team, prevailing 77-70.

The Orange gave them everything they could handle, but eventually the Buckeyes were just too talented. Four Ohio State players scored in double figures, which helped to make up for a subpar game from point guard Aaron Craft.

The game was tied 29-29 at halftime, but Ohio State separated themselves in the second half. They won the rebounding war, 37-22, and knocked down key free throws to squash the Orange's late run.

With the win, the Buckeyes advanced to their 11th Final Four in school history. In New Orleans, they will take on the winner of Sunday's showdown between North Carolina and Kansas.

Hero: Rick Pitino

Rick Pitino is Billy Donovan's daddy.

After putting on a coaching clinic in the Elite Eight, Pitino improved to 7-0 all-time against his former point guard.

In the first half, Pitino watched helplessly as Florida rained threes on his prized matchup zone. But he switched up his defense at the break and the Gators failed to adjust.

Louisville held Florida to just 27 points in the second half. The Gators missed their last seven shots and failed to score in the final two minutes and thirty seconds.

After taking Donovan to school, Pitino is now advancing to his sixth Final Four. I wouldn't be surprised if he leads Louisville to their third national championship in school history.

Hero: Chane Behanan

Behanan wasn't a big-time scorer in the regular season, but he was clutch on Saturday.

The freshman dropped 17 points on Florida, while no other Louisville starter reached double figures. He scored 13 in the second half, including the go-ahead bucket with just over one minute left.

He drained seven of 10 shots from the field, snagged seven rebounds and even swatted a couple shots. If Behanan plays this well in the Final Four, the Cardinals will have a great shot at advancing.

Hero: Jared Sullinger

Sullinger was a beast on Saturday, emphatically proving that he was the best player on the court.

He was dominant in the paint, racking up 19 points and seven rebounds. He knocked down five of his nine field-goal attempts and got to the free-throw line 12 times.

After playing just six minutes in the first half due to foul trouble, Sullinger came out with a vengeance in the second. He relentlessly attacked the Syracuse zone, using his size and strength to punish defenders around the rim.

If he maintains this nasty streak in the Final Four, Sullinger can lead Ohio State to their second national championship in school history.

Hero: Lenzelle Smith Jr.

Lenzelle Smith Jr. averaged just 6.1 points per game in the regular season, but he exploded on Saturday.

He drained 3-of-5 from behind the arc on his way to 18 points. He also got to the free-throw line nine times, knocking down seven of his attempts.

With guard Aaron Craft struggling with foul trouble, somebody had to pick up the slack offensively. Smith Jr. stepped up, and Ohio State is advancing because of it.

Goat: Billy Donovan

Although he wasn't the one with the ball in his hands, Florida's loss has to fall on Donovan.

His team outplayed Louisville for 32 minutes, but they completely collapsed down the stretch. They blew an 11-point lead in the second half and couldn't take advantage of Louisville when Peyton Siva fouled out.

The Gators mustered just 27 points after halftime, largely because Donovan failed to counter Rick Pitino's adjustments. When Louisville pulled out of their zone defense, Florida had no answers. And with numerous mental mistakes in the final minutes, it was clear that this team just wasn't ready for college basketball's biggest stage.

Donovan is still one hell of a coach, but he got taken to class on Saturday. He should kindle some incense, pray to Rick Pitino and hope that his team handles adversity better next season.

Goat: Bradley Beal

Beal definitely put up some solid numbers on Saturday. He scored 14 points, grabbed seven rebounds and dished out four assists. He was even efficient, knocking down six of his 12 field-goal attempts.

Unfortunately, he also committed one horrible mistake. Down just one point with 18 seconds left, Florida had possession of the ball. Then, Beal tried to run without dribbling. As most second-graders will tell you, you're not allowed to do that.

Florida might not have won the game on that possession, but if Beal hadn't traveled, they would have at least had a shot.

Goat: Kris Joseph

At times, Kris Joseph was the Orange's best player this year. Unfortunately, he picked a bad time to have an off-night.

Joseph had as many turnovers as field goals (four) and only pulled down two rebounds. He also failed to register an assist and missed both of his three-pointers.

The senior had a great season overall, but he'll always be haunted by his poor performance in the last game of his career.

Goat: Fab Melo

The absence of the suspended Fab Melo finally doomed Syracuse.

The Orange fought hard without him, but they had no chance of handling Sullinger on the inside. He attacked the interior of their zone, capitalizing on Syracuse's lack of height.

I'm not saying Syracuse would have won with Melo in the lineup, but his absence definitely had an effect on the game. Maybe watching teammate Kris Joseph cry at the podium will motivate him to hit the books next season.