2012 Final Four — Kentucky 69, Louisville 61

The 2012 Final Four semifinal took place on March 31, 2012, in New Orleans, pitting No. 1-seed Kentucky (coached by John Calipari) against Louisville (coached by Rick Pitino) in a widely anticipated in-state national semifinal matchup [4]. Kentucky won the game 69–61 to advance to the national championship game [4]. The contest was played under the heightened stakes of the Final Four, with national television coverage and intense media focus on the coaching subplot because Pitino had previously coached at Kentucky and both programs carried strong fan interest [4][8]. Kentucky's defense and structured offense limited Louisville's scoring opportunities across the game, while key Kentucky performers executed down the stretch to preserve the lead. Game box scores and play-by-play logs record the final score (Kentucky 69, Louisville 61) and list individual statistics, which show Kentucky's balanced scoring and timely defensive stops as decisive factors [4]. The immediate narrative emphasized the coaches' matchup—Calipari versus Pitino—and the result fed into larger discussions about recruiting, coaching styles and program prestige in Kentucky basketball [4][8].

The Final Four meeting produced a definitive, nationally visible reference point in the modern era of the rivalry. It elevated the coach-to-coach storyline between Calipari and Pitino and reinforced the idea that Kentucky–Louisville games could determine national championship pathways, not just local bragging rights. The game's high stakes and outcome amplified recruiting narratives and media framing of each program [4][8].

Kentucky advanced to the 2012 national championship game after defeating Louisville, while Louisville's Final Four loss was followed by continued program success under Pitino, including the 2013 national title later vacated by NCAA actions [4][12]. The 2012 meeting remained a reference in subsequent seasons whenever the coaches or programs met and was frequently cited in retrospectives of the rivalry's peak years [4][8].