This article covers the top 10 March Madness Final Four for the NCAA Men’s basketball tournament over the past 40 years. Each tourney selected has breakout players, pivotal moments in history and a description of the most exciting moments.
The 2021 Men’s Final Four tips off today (4/3/21) with #2 seed Houston vs. #1 seed Baylor in the first semi-final game. Then #11 seed UCLA vs. #1 seed Gonzaga in the second semi-final game. I’ve spent a significant amount of time looking back at the NCAA Men’s Division 1 Basketball tournaments held prior to it being cancelled in 2020 due to the Covid-19 pandemic. It didn’t seem like Spring in 2020 without the “Big Dance”. I’m happy the 2021 tourney held in a “bubble” has helped a small sense of normalcy return to sports fans.
Attending the NCAA Tournament
1990 – Men’s Basketball Regional Finals
I was fortunate and lucky to attend the NCAA Men’s Division 1 Basketball tournament at three very different times in my life. My best friend and I attended the Midwest Regional semi-finals and final game in March 1990 at Reunion Arena in Dallas, Texas. We were both seniors in high school and watched in awe as a young Arkansas Razorbacks team edged a senior Texas Longhorns team 88-85 to advance to the Final Four in Denver, Colorado. Arkansas had a young nucleus of talented players (Todd Day, Lee Mayberry, Oliver Miller) and they simply hit more critical shots than Texas who relied on Travis Mays and Lance Blanks. Watching three regional games was my first in-person glimpse at big time college basketball and it was intoxicating.
1992 – Final Four
Fast forward to 1992 and I took a last minute trip to attend the Final Four in Minneapolis, Minnesota. I was a sophomore in college and eagerly jumped at the chance to see the biggest NCAA sporting event in person. My brother-in-law and I watched the Fab Five from the University of Michigan defeat Nick Van Exel and the Cincinnati Bearcats 76-72 in the first semi-final game. The night cap had the Duke Blue Devils defeat the Indiana Hoosiers 81-78, thanks to some sloppy ball handling in the final minutes.
Waiting for the national title game on Monday night felt like Christmas Eve night as a youngster. First half was a great game with Michigan leading by one point at halftime. Duke made significant adjustments and Michigan had no answers offensively or defensively. Blue Devils easily repeated as national champions with a 71-51 victory.
2014 – Second and Third Round Pods
I drove from Seattle, WA to Spokane, WA to witness the second and third rounds of the 2014 tournament. Had great seats behind one of the team benches for the second round games. Watched Harvard upset Cincinnati, followed by Michigan State blowing out Delaware. It was eye opening to see each coaching staff work intensely during the game due to matchups and reacting to officiating. Fans do not get to see how active the coaches are when watching games on television. During the third round, saw San Diego State beat North Dakota State. Michigan State outlasted a valiant push from Harvard to move onto the Sweet 16.
All three tournaments were fun to attend and witness, but most importantly the fan atmosphere was beyond expectations. Seeing two games in one day brought back memories of going to summer baseball doubleheaders at Candlestick Park in the 1980s. As soon as the first game was officially in the books and both teams had conducted exit interviews, the next two teams were on the court warming up, which felt like high school games. Having four distinct groups of fans in the same building, representing each school clearly showed passion and family roots.
1992 Final Four is still the best sporting event I’ve ever attended and my lasting memory is standing in the bathroom between games thinking that I just watched a great game, yet another one is about to start. That feeling never gets old whether you’re at the arena or watching on television.
Honorable Mention March Madness Final Fours
To get warmed up for the semi-finals and championship game this weekend, here’s a look at some of the best Final Fours played based on competitive games, historical impact, venues and television coverage. This list is in chronological order due to how the game of college basketball has significantly changed each decade since the 1970s.
1988 Final Four played in Kansas City, Missouri
The first March Madness Final Four honorable mention tourney is when Danny Manning put the entire Kansas Jayhawks team on his back and had an incredible performance against Big 8 conference opponent Oklahoma with 31 points, 18 rebounds and 5 steals. Oklahoma had beaten Kansas twice during the regular season, but the Jayhawks had learned Big Dance basketball during the 1986 tourney and didn’t let a third defeat happen. Larry Brown left shortly after winning the national title to join the San Antonio Spurs.
- Kansas defeated Duke 66-59
- Oklahoma defeated Arizona 86-78
- Kansas defeated Oklahoma 83-79
1999 Final Four played in St. Petersburg, Florida
Second honorable mention tourney is when Gonzaga poked their head up as a rising Division 1 program due to a magical run to the Elite 8. UCONN and head coach Jim Calhoun had regular season success for the past decade but always seemed to lose tourney games at the buzzer. 1999 team broke through with a win over the #1 ranked Duke Blue Devils. Richard Hamilton showed why he was a first team All-American for the Huskies in an incredible championship game with NBA talent on both rosters. UCONN men’s dynasty was just starting and trying to catch up to the UCONN women’s team.
- Connecticut defeated Ohio State 64-58
- Duke defeated Michigan State 68-62
- Connecticut defeated Duke 77-74
2003 Final Four played in New Orleans, Louisiana
The Third honorable mention tourney is when Syracuse was led by a highlight reel freshman, Carmelo Anthony, who had a one year and done college career. Guided by head coach Jim Boeheim, Syracuse ran the gauntlet of beating three straight Big 12 opponents (Oklahoma, Texas and Kansas) to win the national title. Roy Williams lost his second national title game as head coach at Kansas, and he was courted heavily by North Carolina during the off-season.
- Kansas defeated Marquette 94-61
- Syracuse defeated Texas 95-84
- Syracuse defeated Kansas 81-78
2005 March Madness Final Four played in St. Louis, Missouri
The fourth honorable mention tourney is when Illinois made an incredible comeback against Arizona in the Elite 8 and won in overtime to get to the Final Four. Title game matchup was the overall #1 seed (Illinois) vs. the #2 seed (North Carolina), with all college basketball fans wanting to see if the Big Ten could hang with the ACC. Roy Williams won his first national title as coach of the Tar Heels thanks to a deep roster led by one and done Marvin Williams.
- Illinois defeated Louisville 72-57
- North Carolina defeated Michigan State 87-71
- North Carolina defeated Illinois 75-70
2016 Final Four played in Houston, Texas
The fifth honorable mention March Madness Final Four tourney is when the semifinal games were dull due to being blowouts, but the championship game is one of the best college basketball games of all time. Questionable foul calls against North Carolina caused Michael Jordan sitting court side to quietly stew for the CBS cameras. Charles Barkley had a memorable on air celebration directed at his co-worker Kenny Smith, due to being a Tar Heels alumni.
- Villanova defeated Oklahoma 95-51
- North Carolina defeated Syracuse 83-66
- Villanova defeated North Carolina 77-74
Top 10 March Madness Final Fours Played
1979 Final Four played in Salt Lake City, Utah
First up is the tournament where a natural rivalry was born between Magic Johnson and Larry Bird. Magic and Bird transformed the NBA overnight after their college careers.
- Michigan State defeated Penn 101-67
- Indiana State defeated DePaul 76-74
- Michigan State defeated Indiana State 75-64
1982 Final Four played in New Orleans, Louisiana
Second tourney up is when two freshman, Michael Jordan and Patrick Ewing, were introduced to living rooms across the country. James Worthy was the ultimate difference maker for Dean Smith. All three games were tight into the final seconds and a large NFL football stadium venue worked.
- North Carolina defeated Houston 68-63
- Georgetown defeated Louisville 50-46
- North Carolina defeated Georgetown 63-62
1983 Final Four played in Albuquerque, New Mexico
Third tourney had a semifinals game highlighted by Phi Slama Jama from Houston. NC State rode a magical run to the national title that has been turned into an excellent 30 for 30 documentary by ESPN. A long jump shot from Dereck Wittenberg ended up being an air ball, which turned into a game winning basket by Lorenzo Charles. Clearly showed that any team can win in a single elimination tournament, which is the beauty of March Madness.
- NC State defeated Georgia 67-60
- Houston defeated Louisville 94-81
- NC State defeated Houston 54-52
1985 Final Four played in Lexington, Kentucky
This March Madness final four tourney has Villanova being the only #8 seed to ever win the national championship. Statistically Villanova played a perfect game against powerhouse Georgetown by shooting 78% from the field, shut down defense and a stalling four corners offense. Needless to say, Georgetown won both regular season games and the third game went to the underdog Wildcats. Just another Monday night in the Big East Conference.
- Villanova defeated Memphis State 52-45
- Georgetown defeated St. John’s 77-59
- Villanova defeated Georgetown 66-64
1991 Final Four played in Indianapolis, Indiana
Fifth tourney had UNLV entering the semifinals undefeated at 34-0 and cruising to a repeat title with no signs of weakness. Duke pulled off a historical upset thanks in part to Christian Laettner playing a smart game and Greg Anthony fouling out with three minutes left in regulation. UNLV’s last offensive possession had no player movement or creativity. Duke’s dynasty arrived one year early and continued at the 1992 Final Four.
- Kansas defeated North Carolina 79-73
- Duke defeated UNLV 79-77
- Duke defeated Kansas 72-65
1993 Final Four played in New Orleans, Louisiana
Next, this madness final four tourney had four historical basketball programs winning their regions, with Kentucky looking unbeatable behind the play of Jamal Mashburn. Fab Five of Michigan were gelling and trash talking with each tourney win. The National title game had several momentum swings in the first half. There were stellar bench plays by both Michigan and North Carolina. During the last minute of regulation, Chris Webber wasn’t called for an obvious traveling violation. Karma arrived when Webber called for a team timeout that wasn’t available. Finally the Tar Heels were national champs after sinking technical foul shots.
- North Carolina defeated Kansas 78-68
- Michigan defeated Kentucky 81-78 in overtime
- North Carolina defeated Michigan 77-71
2008 Final Four played in San Antonio, Texas
The seventh tourney had all #1 seeds (UCLA, Memphis, Kansas and North Carolina) advancing to the Final Four for the first time in tournament history. Star studded players included Derrick Rose, Mario Chalmers, Russell Westbrook and Kevin Love. Both semifinal games were blowouts, which led to an intense title game that was decided in overtime. Memphis was on the cusp of winning its first title with 90 seconds left in regulation and they literally let it slip away by missing free throws and having turnovers. Notably, Bill Self won his only national championship as head coach at Kansas.
- Memphis defeated UCLA 78-63
- Kansas defeated North Carolina 84-66
- Kanas defeated Memphis 75-68 in overtime
2010 Final Four played in Indianapolis, Indiana
This madness final four tourney had a Horizon League team competing with the big boys from the Big Ten and ACC. Incredible television coverage by CBS that looked and sounded like a Butler home game due to being ten miles from campus. Second half was as good as it gets possession by possession for both teams. Gordon Hayward was literally inches away from being an Indiana state hero for life. Duke snuck in a fourth title for Coach Krzyzewski with a low key roster.
- Butler defeated Michigan State 52-50
- Duke defeated West Virginia 78-57
- Duke defeated Butler 61-59
2015 Final Four played in Indianapolis, Indiana
Next is the ninth tourney that had an undefeated Kentucky squad in the semifinals due to a roster of NBA ready freshmen. Wisconsin outmuscled and outshot Kentucky due to the play of senior Frank Kaminsky, to advance to the title game. National title game signaled the new way to recruit and play one and done freshman, which John Calipari had perfected before this coaching peers could catch up.
- Duke defeated Michigan State 81-61
- Wisconsin defeated Kentucky 71-64
- Duke defeated Wisconsin 68-63
2019 Final Four played in Minneapolis, Minnesota
Lastly the tenth tourney clearly showed that Texas Tech now belongs as an annual Top 20 program. Virginia lived in statistically borrowed time due to trailing late in games during the last three rounds of the tournament. Cavaliers benefited from a non-traveling call late in the semifinals game against Auburn. Memorably this was the last March Madness tourney held prior to 2021 due to Covid-19 regulations.
- Virginia defeated Auburn 63-62
- Texas Tech defeated Michigan State 61-51
- Virginia defeated Texas Tech 85-77 in overtime
2021 Final Four Prediction
Finally, Looking at the 2021 March Madness Final Four brackets, I have no clarity or sound logic on which teams will advance to the national title game. I’ll take a dart throw and predict that Baylor defeats Houston and Gonzaga defeats UCLA. First game should be close due to the talent level of both rosters. Second game will have Gonzaga running past the Cinderella team of UCLA due to deep three-point shooting and team passing.
Baylor versus Gonzaga in the national title game will finally let the two best teams of the 2020-2021 season play each other, since Covid tests caused their regular season matchup to be cancelled on 12/5/20. Baylor will nip Gonzaga due to being a strong rebounding team that can push the pace and hit a lot of transition baskets. This will keep Mark Few from winning his first national title for the Bulldogs. I’m just hoping that this Final Four creates one shining moment for the national champions and it helps fans forget 2020 without sports. Check out other sports articles here.
Enjoy the basketball games and keep it classy everyday!
