The Louisville Cardinals won the 2013 NCAA men’s basketball championship on Monday night. Lousville, one of the four top seeds in the March Madness tournament, ousted the Michigan Wolverines 82-76 in Atlanta, Ga., in front of a crowd of over 74,000 — the largest in history.

In a game that featured teams from some of the top conferences in college basketball, two unsung heroes came to the rescue in the first half, while the stars of each team took over in the second period.

Michigan took the early lead, stretching out a 12-point advantage with just over four minutes left in the first half. With Michigan star point guard and Naismith College Player of the Year Trey Burke sitting on the bench, Louisville roared back. Forward Luke Hancock led the Cardinals’ run, scoring 14 straight points to give the Cardinals the lead with under a minute to play in the half.

Michigan led by one point at the half, with guard Spike Albrecht scoring 17 points off the bench up to that point.

Louisville entered the second half with high energy, especially on defense, but Burke had checked back in after sitting for most of the first half.

With only 11 minutes left, Michigan’s tournament star, center Mitch McGary, picked up his fourth foul and never recovered. He finished with six points and six rebounds and sat for most of the second half. Burke provided the spark Michigan needed throughout most of the half, scoring 24 points total.

Louisville went on multiple surges throughout the second period. Michigan’s ability to drive the lane and push players to the foul line kept  Louisville’s momentum in check, but not for long. With under four minutes to play, Louisville went up by 10 — this time behind point guard Peyton Siva, who finished with 18 points, 6 rebounds and 4 steals, after scoring only four in the first half.

Louisville’s ability to drive the lane with Siva and guard Russ Smith, along with the team’s three-point shooting, created the scoring opportunities needed to stretch the lead and eventually come out on top. The game’s consistently fast pace proved to benefit Louisville, especially in the second half.

With the team’s emotional leader, guard Kevin Ware, on the bench following his horrible injury in the Elite Eight game against Duke, Louisville showcased their depth and ultimately hoisted the championship trophy.

After a season filled with uncertainty and a lot of shuffling at the top of the national rankings, the final day saw the favorite come out victorious. Louisville ended their last season in the Big East Conference with their first national championship since 1996.

Samuel Barder is a staff writer. Email him at [email protected].