Brandon Knight scored 22 points and grabbed seven rebounds as No. 4 seed Kentucky defeated No. 2 seed North Carolina, 76-69, in the East Regional finals in Newark, New Jersey on Sunday evening.
Kentucky, which shot 48.2 percent from the floor, led 38-30 entering the intermission. North Carolina outscored the Wildcats, 39-38, in the second half but was unable to bridge the gap.
Josh Harrellson (eight rebounds) and DeAndre Liggins both scored 12 points for the Wildcats, who only used seven players in the game. Liggins and Doron Lamb (eight points) were the only players to come off the bench for Kentucky.
Tyler Zeller paced the Tar Heels with 21 points and nine rebounds off the bench. Harrison Barnes scored 18 points, Dexter Strickland added 11 points and John Henson finished with four points and nine rebounds for North Carolina.
Kentucky advances to the Final Four for the 14th time in school history. The Wildcats will face No. 3 seed Connecticut in the national semifinals.