HOUSTON — Look who’s back in the Final Four.

Duke restored some order to a topsy-turvy NCAA men’s basketball tournament on Sunday, getting 29 points from Nolan Smith in a 78-71 victory over Baylor that put Coach K and the Blue Devils in college basketball’s biggest event for the first time in six years.

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Nolan Smith leads the Duke celebration Sunday after a 78-71 win against Baylor in the NCAA South Regional final at Houston. The Blue Devils advanced to the Final Four for the first time in six years. The Associated Press

The Associated Press Lance Thomas of Duke pulls a rebound away from a crowd Sunday during a regional final against Baylor. Thomas had nine rebounds in Duke’s win. The Associated Press

Jon Scheyer added 20 points for Duke, ending Baylor’s charming run to redemption in the South Regional final. The Blue Devils became the only No. 1 seed to advance to Indianapolis, and it’s their 11th trip to the Final Four under Coach Mike Krzyzewski.

“I can’t put it into words,” said Lance Thomas, one of three Duke seniors. “It took us four years to get here and we’re not done yet.”

The Blue Devils will play East Regional champion West Virginia in the national semifinals Saturday night. They have won 11 of their last 12 regional finals under Krzyzewski, but haven’t won a national title since 2001.

Coach K made his first Final Four with Duke in 1986 and hadn’t had this long of a gap between trips.

“We played against a great team,” Krzyzewski said. “It was such a well-played game, and we were fortunate to win.”

Smith and Scheyer helped the Blue Devils (33-5) offset a poor game from junior forward Kyle Singler, who was 0 for 10 from the field and made only five free throws. It was the first time in his college career he failed to hit a field goal.

LaceDarius Dunn had 22 points and Ekpe Udoh scored 18 for the third-seeded Bears (28-8), whose program was in shambles when Coach Scott Drew took over less than seven years ago.

Drew took the Bears from tatters to the cusp of their first Final Four appearance in 60 years.

After three consecutive 20-win seasons and an inspiring postseason run, maybe Baylor can be recognized more for its success now than the tragic summer of 2003 that is finally starting to feel like a long time ago.

“I really hope so and I really feel it has,” Drew said. “I do really want to thank all the fans in the state of Texas.”

After tying the game for the 12th time on a free throw with 3:36 left, Smith missed his second attempt. But Thomas grabbed one of his nine rebounds and quickly passed the ball right back to Smith, who hit a 3-pointer from the right wing to put Duke up, 64-61.

“I just wanted to make the plays,” Thomas said. “My teammates know I can make them. I made it and I just got the ball to our shooters.”

Scheyer, another senior, then extended the lead to six with his fifth 3-pointer.

“Those two 3s in a row, by Nolan and then Jon, those were big-time plays,” Krzyzewski said.

“The big guys kicked it out and those are the best 3s to take.”

And the long-range shots were the best for Duke against Baylor’s tenacious zone defense featuring a combination of a 7-footer and a pair of 6-10 players.

The Blue Devils made 11 of 23 3-pointers (48 percent) — and shot only 11 of 38 (29 percent) from inside the arc.

With Baylor desperately trying to get the ball back after a turnover by Carter, there was a scuffle by the sideline following a whistle and Baylor’s Quincy Acy was called for a technical foul. Scheyer hit both free throws, pushing the lead to 10 with 1:19 left.

The fairy-tale ending wasn’t meant to be for the Bears, at least this year.

“It’s not over for this program. It was a great season,” said Dunn, a junior guard. “Teammates should hold their heads up high and be proud of the things we accomplished this year.”

Tweety Carter and Acy had 12 points each for Baylor. Udoh had 10 rebounds, six assists and five blocks.

Drew was 32 when he was hired and had been a head coach only one season, winning 20 games at Valparaiso after nine years there as his father’s assistant. He had to rebuild in the powerful Big 12 with reduced scholarships and a roster decimated by the transfers of the top three scorers after that tragic summer in 2003 when Patrick Dennehy was shot to death by a teammate.

Baylor made it to the NCAA tournament two years ago, when it lost in the first round to Purdue, and to the NIT championship game last April.

The Bears were picked 10th in the preseason poll by the Big 12 coaches after losing three 1,000-point scorers to graduation. But they were the last Big 12 team still playing.

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