On Saturday, the 2021 edition of the Final Four will be played, and it’s one of the best days of the entire NCAA tournament. In the past, the Final Four has provided some of the best moments in college basketball history.
Recently, the team at ‘The Grueling Truth’ compiled a list of the top 10 Final Fours in college basketball history. On this list, there are times ranging from the 1950s to as recently as the previous decade. There have been a few special Final Four fields over the years.
Let’s take a look at some of the best moments in Final Four history, ranked by “The Grueling Truth”. All we can do now is hope that this year’s Final Four lives up to this hype.
Final FourKansas – 66, Duke – 59Oklahoma – 86, Arizona – 78ChampionshipKansas – 83, Oklahoma – 79
Coming into this tournament, no one expected much from the sixth-seeded Jayhawks. However, Kansas had an incredible run and ended up winning the national championship. In doing so, the Jayhawks beat the No.2 Blue Devils and No.1 seed Oklahoma. Facing a conference rival in the Championship game, Kansas managed to secure a thrilling 83-79 victory. After leading his team to the national championship, head coach Larry Brown accepted a job with the San Antonio Spurs of the NBA.
Final FourKansas – 79, Caroline du Nord – 73Duke – 79, UNLV – 77ChampionshipDuke – 72, Kansas – 65
Much like this year’s Final Four, the 1991 field featured an undefeated team in the UNLV Rebels. Their perfect season ended when Duke won an all-time classic, 79-77. Christian Laettner led the Blue Devils in this game with 28 points. Kansas defeated North Carolina, but it’s as close as the Jayhawks would fall just before another national championship. The Blue Devils were able to finish the job as Laettner paced his team again – this time with 18 points.
Final FourCaroline du Nord – 68, Houston – 63Georgetown – 50, Louisville – 46ChampionshipCaroline du Nord – 63, Georgetown – 62
A young Michael Jordan managed to lead the Tar Heels to a national championship this year by helping them propel them past the Cougars in the Final Four. In that game, Jordan scored 18 points, which was only second to Sam Perkins in the squad. In the national title match against Georgetown, Jordan played the hero for the first of many times during his career. With about 15 seconds to go, Jordan hit the kickoff, and North Carolina were able to hold onto the win from there.
Final FourGeorgetown – 77, St.John’s – 59Villanova – 52, Memphis State – 45ChampionshipVillanova – 66, Georgetown – 64
In this tournament, the clock never struck midnight on Cinderella. As the tournament’s No.8 seed, Villanova beat seeded Michigan’s No.1, North Carolina’s No.2, Memphis State’s No.2 and Georgetown’s No.1. It was an unforgettable March Madness run for the Wildcats. After steaming over St. John’s in the Final Four, the Hoyas were a comfortable favorite heading into this Championship game, but they fell victim to the magic of Villanova. In that game, the Wildcats managed to win a white punch round, 66-64.
Final FourMichigan State – 101, Penn – 67Indiana State – 76, DePaul – 74ChampionshipMichigan State – 75, Indiana State – 64
The rivalry between Magic Johnson and Larry Bird did not start at the NBA level. It started in this Final Four. Penn’s fantastic NCAA tournament as the No.9 seed came to a screeching halt when they met Johnson’s Spartans. Johnson lost 29 points to the Quakers as Michigan State hooked them 101 as a team. In the other Final Four game, Bird carried the Sycamores past DePaul in a 76-74 victory. When Johnson and Bird met in the championship game, Michigan State had the final say with a 75-64 victory. Johnson and Bird combined for 43 points in that one.
Final Four North Carolina – 78, Kansas – 68 Michigan – 81, Kentucky – 78 Championships North Carolina – 77, Michigan – 71
This Final Four featured some of the most memorable programs in college basketball history. After the Tar Heels took care of the business against the Jayhawks, the Wolverines and Wildcats played in a classic NCAA tournament game. The Michigan Fab Five prevailed in overtime and advanced to face North Carolina in the championship game. This is where Chris Webber infamously called a time out his team didn’t have and cost Michigan their final possession of the game. For North Carolina, it was Dean Smith’s last National Championship as the program’s head coach.
Final Four North Carolina – 74, Michigan State – 70 Kansas – 80, San Francisco – 56 Championship North Carolina – 54, Kansas – 53
This one goes back to college basketball history, but there’s a reason it’s on this list. In this Final Four, there were two triple overtime games. It meant a lot of extra basketball for the fans. First, North Carolina beat Michigan State in a triple overtime game just to make it to the championship game. Then the Tar Heels faced off against Kansas for the national championship. This one also went to three overtime, and again, North Carolina comes out on top.
Final FourButler – 52, Michigan State – 50Duke – 78, Virginie-Occidentale – 57ChampionshipDuke – 61, Butler – 59
With a pair of No.5 seeds in the Final Four, Butler’s Cinderella run continued as the Bulldogs won a low-scoring brawl against Michigan State. On the other side, Duke blew up West Virginia in a convincing victory. What followed was one of the best national championship games in recent college basketball history. The Blue Devils managed to hold back the Bulldogs and even survived a scare at the end when Gordon Hayward’s half-court prayer rang over the edge when the buzzer sounded.
Final FourSyracuse – 77, Providence – 63Indiana – 97, UNLV – 93ChampionshipIndiana – 74, Syracuse – 73
In the Final Four, the Hoosiers and Rebels came out and ran as they gave fans an exciting shootout match. Ultimately, Indiana was able to survive the UNLV and reach the national championship game. In the final, the game was called into question until the very last seconds. With just three seconds left on the clock, Keith Smart of Indiana flipped a clutch shot to give the Hoosiers the lead, and they hooked up from there. It ended up being Bobby Knight’s last national title as Indiana’s head coach.
Final FourNC State – 67, Géorgie – 60Houston – 94, Louisville – 81ChampionshipNC State – 54, Houston – 52
It was the year that legendary Jim Valvano led his team to a national championship, even though the Wolfpack were a No.6 seed in the tournament. They beat Georgia, another team that had an unlikely run, in the Final Four. Then they met Houston in the Championship game. The end of this game created one of the most memorable games of all time in college basketball. On the buzzer, NC State’s Lorenzo Charles grabbed a missed shot and drenched it to give his team the victory. It was a moment that may never be reproduced in sport again.
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