NEW ORLEANS (AP) ― Kentucky wound up right where it expected to be all along.

Even if it took a little work to get there.

Anthony Davis and top-seeded Kentucky will play for the national title Monday night after finally putting away pesky Louisville 69-61 in the Final Four on Saturday night.

It will be Kentucky’s first appearance in the title game since winning a seventh NCAA crown back in 1998 and gives coach John Calipari another shot at the title that has eluded him.

As the final seconds ticked down, Davis screamed at the crowd and pointed to the court as if to say, “This is our house!”

Yes, yes it is.

With Davis, everybody’s player of the year, leading a star-studded roster, Kentucky was the top seed in the tournament and the heavy favorite to cut down the nets when the whole tournament was done. And coach John Calipari wouldn’t let his young players consider anything else, saying repeatedly this was “just another game.”

But playing in-state rival Louisville (30-10) is never just that, and the Cardinals made Kentucky work deep into the second half to grind this victory out.

Louisville outrebounded Kentucky 40-33, including a whopping 19-6 advantage on the offensive glass ― the sole reason the Cardinals were able to make a game of this.

“They never stopped playing,” Calipari said. “They got up into our bodies, created turnovers and gave themselves a chance to win.”

Bigger, bulkier and with Davis having a wider wingspan than some small airplanes, the Wildcats looked like playground bullies as they pushed Louisville around on their way to a 13-point lead early in the second half. But the Cardinals know a thing about rallies after coming from 11 points down to beat Florida in last weekend’s West Regional final, and they sure made Kentucky sweat.

Russ Smith made back-to-back buckets to start a 15-3 run, and Peyton Siva capped it with a 3-pointer from NBA range that tied the game at 49 with 9:11 to play. But Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, who played just 23 minutes because of foul trouble, made back-to-back buckets to give the Wildcats some breathing room.

After Siva made a pair of free throws, Terrence Jones scored on a jumper and Darius Miller drilled a 3 ― only Kentucky’s second of the game ― to give the Wildcats control for good.

“I’m proud of this team. They’re coming together,” Calipari said. “They’ve taken on shots and runs like Louisville did today, and they’ve held their own, so I’m proud of them.”

Just to make sure Louisville didn’t get any wild notions about another late comeback, Kidd-Gilchrist threw down a monstrous dunk with 1:05 to play that had Kentucky fans on their feet and assistant coaches from Kansas and Ohio State scrambling to try and find a way to stop this juggernaut.

Kansas sinks Ohio St.

NEW ORLEANS (AP) ― Same story, new night for Kansas. The team that’s been teetering on the edge of the tournament since before it even began is now one of the last two left.

Tyshawn Taylor made two big free throws late, and Thomas Robinson finished with 19 points and eight rebounds Saturday night to lift the Jayhawks to a come-from-behind 64-62 win over Ohio State in the Final Four ― a game Kansas led for a grand total of 3 minutes, 48 seconds.

After scoring the first bucket, Kansas didn’t lead again until Travis Releford made two free throws with 2:48 left. That lasted for 11 seconds, but the Jayhawks (32-6), who trailed by as many as 13, overcame another deficit and finally held on against the Buckeyes (31-8).

Taylor’s two free throws with 8.3 seconds left gave Kansas a 64-61 lead, matching its biggest of the game. The Jayhawks intentionally fouled Aaron Craft with 2.9 seconds left. Craft made the first, then quickly clanked the second one of the front of the rim but was called for a lane violation.

Kansas dribbled out the clock and celebrated a win that played out sort of the way the whole season has in Lawrence.

Early in the year, coach Bill Self wondered if this team was even tournament material. The Jayhawks trailed most of the night against Purdue in the regional semifinals and were no better than North Carolina for most of the next game.

One win. Then another. This latest one came on the biggest stage ― in the Superdome. Next, a meeting Monday with Kentucky and a chance to bring the second title in five years back to Allen Fieldhouse.

This was a heartbreaker for the Buckeyes (31-8), who came in as co-Big Ten champions and a slight favorite in a game ― a rematch of a 78-67 Kansas win back in December when Ohio State’s star, Jared Sullinger, was not available.

Sullinger was there a-plenty Saturday night, but he struggled.