ANAHEIM, Calif. - Time after time, UA would seem to find answer.

However, when it needed it most, it fell just short.

A missed 3-pointer by Jason Gardner as time expired Saturday gave Kansas a 78-75 victory and ended the Wildcats run at a national championship and the careers of three of the most celebrated seniors in school history.

"I felt I had a good look, just missed off the back rim," Gardner said.

Comebacks of 16 in the first half and 14 in the second half would inch Arizona closer to a trip to New Orleans and a spot in the Final Four but down the stretch it was too much of Jawhawk senior Kirk Hinrich, who finished with 28 points.

"I told the team in the locker room that I don't think we have ever had better leadership both on the court and off the court than we've had from these seniors," said UA head coach Lute Olson about Gardner, Rick Anderson and Luke Walton.

Gardner and Walton seemed to be able do whatever they could to not the Wildcats lose as the duo combined for 28 second half points and at one point played an effective game of give-and-go with each other.

Kansas would score the games final basket with 50 seconds left when Keith Langford hit a left-handed floater through the UA defense.

On the next UA possession senior Luke Walton, who had his way down-low for most of the second half, was called for an offensive foul as he was trying to maneuver in the post.

"I'm going to have to live with it (the charge), I probably should have shot the three," Walton said.

Arizona head coach Lute Olson decided not to foul.

It paid off as Arizona got the ball back with seven seconds on the clock.

Olson designed a play that would get sophomore Salim Stoudamire open for a 3-point shot but Gardner dribbled down and took the shot.

Hinrich blocked the ball and it fell into the hands of Walton who passed it to Gardner for one last shot. It went off just left as it bounced off the rim.

"I don't want anybody blaming the miss on Jason," sophomore Channing Frye said. "We came here as a team we're going to leave as a team."

Gardner ends his Arizona career leading the Wildcats with a 23-point performance. Walton finished with a double double with 18 points and 10 rebounds and Anderson, who battled foul trouble in the first half, put in 11 points.

"It's starting to sink in," Walton said. "This will be the last time I am in the locker room with these guys, the last time I put on the uniform and being with the coaches."

Kansas will meet Marquette in the Final Four, who shocked another No. 1 seed Kentucky on Saturday afternoon.

Game notes

Hinrich was named the West regional Most Outstanding Player as was a member of the five-man all-tournament team along with Walton, Gardner, Langford and Nick Collison·

Olson falls one win shy of winning his 500th as the head coach of UA with the loss·

Salim Stoudamire missed most of the second half with a hip-pointer. "Instead of fighting through it I let it get to me," he said·

Arizona had 13 turnovers in the first half but just six in the second·

There were seven different lead changes and nine ties·

KANSAS (29-7)

                        FG   3PT   FT     Reb
 No Player         Min  M-A   M-A  M-A    O-D-T   A PF ST TO BK PTS
  4 Nick Collison   34  2-7   0-1  4-6    3-6-9   2  4  1  2  3   8
 42 Jeff Graves     32  6-6   0-0  1-3   7-8-15   1  3  1  1  0  13
  5 Keith Langford  39  5-15  0-3  3-4    3-0-3   1  2  1  4  0  13
 10 Kirk Hinrich    39 10-23 6-17  2-3    1-4-5   5  3  2  4  2  28
 11 Aaron Miles     27  2-7   0-2  2-2    0-4-4   7  5  5  2  0   6
 25 Michael Lee     20  3-7   2-3  0-0    1-0-1   0  1  2  1  0   8
 33 Bryant Nash      9  1-2   0-0  0-0    0-0-0   0  2  1  1  0   2
    Totals         200 29-67 8-26 12-18 15-22-37 16 20 13 15  5  78

Percentages: FG .433, 3PT .308, FT .667.
Team Rebounds: 0.
Team Turnovers: 15 (17 PTS).

ARIZONA (28-4)
                          FG   3PT    FT    Reb
 No Player           Min  M-A   M-A   M-A   O-D-T   A PF ST TO BK PTS
  4 Luke Walton       38  5-14  2-2   6-9   1-9-10  6  2  0  3  0  18
 33 Rick Anderson     18  4-8   3-5   0-0   3-2-5   0  4  0  2  0  11
 45 Channing Frye     25  3-6   0-0   0-0   1-4-5   2  4  0  2  1   6
 20 Salim Stoudamire  21  1-4   1-4   1-2   0-0-0   1  0  0  2  0   4
 22 Jason Gardner     40  6-15  3-10  8-8   0-3-3   4  0  2  5  0  23
 52 Isaiah Fox         2  0-0   0-0   0-0   0-0-0   0  0  0  0  0   0
 21 Hassan Adams      26  3-4   1-1   4-4   2-2-4   0  4  3  1  0  11
 24 Andre Iguodala    30  1-4   0-0   0-0   2-5-7   3  3  3  4  1   2
    Totals           200 23-55 10-22 19-23 9-25-34 16 17  8 19  2  75

Percentages: FG .418, 3PT .455, FT .826.
Team Rebounds: 3.
Team Turnovers: 19 (29 PTS).

Kansas  38 40-78
Arizona 35 40-75

Technical Fouls - Individual

Kansas (1): 0.0 first Aaron Miles.
Arizona (1): 0.0 first Channing Frye.
Points In Paint: Kansas 36, Arizona 16.
Second Chance Points: Kansas 19, Arizona 7.
Fast Break Points: Kansas 22, Arizona 2.
Lead Changes: 7
Times Tied: 9
Officials-Tony Greene, Kerry Sitton, Ted Valentine.
A-17,439