How the Final Four teams arrived here

Nov. 29: North Carolina 86, Michigan 71

The final score certainly doesn't capture how big of a blowout this game was. Seven minutes into the second half, the Wolverines trailed the Tar Heels 68-39. Head coach John Beilein said after the game that his team was outworked and out-hustled. Michigan wouldn't look this bad for the rest of the season.

Jan. 13: Michigan 82, Michigan State 72

Michigan met its rival just once during the regular season (which is rather ridiculous) but what a win it was. Moritz Wagner scored 27 on what was considered an elite Michigan State defense to come away with a 10-point win in East Lansing. For a team that isn't known for its great free throw shooting, the Wolverines made 28-of-35 from the stripe.

Jan. 18: Nebraska 72, Michigan 52

Nebraska finished 13-5 in Big Ten play this year, but losing by 20 to the Cornhuskers doesn't seem like something a Final Four team would do. Not only was this the first time Michigan lost to Nebraska since the Huskers joined the Big Ten, but it was revenge for a 36-point beatdown the Wolverines gave them last season. Michigan went 4-for-18 from three and shot just 37.5 percent from the field. 

Feb. 18: Michigan 74, Ohio State 62

Michigan spent the last few weeks feeding off the bottom half of the Big Ten. The only game against a worthy opponent during that time was a four-point loss to Purdue. Frankly, it had been a while since the Wolverines had beaten anyone of note. Then in comes Ohio State, who earlier beat Michigan in Columbus. Freshman Jordan Poole was starting to find a rhythm in the season and scored 15 points in the 12-point win.

March 1: Michigan 77, Iowa 71 (OT)
March 2: Michigan 77, Nebraska 58
March 3: Michigan 75, Michigan State 64
March 4: Michigan 75, Purdue 66

For the second straight season, Michigan made a huge run and won the Big Ten championship. This year, the Wolverines beat Iowa, Nebraska, Michigan State and Purdue to bring home the crown. It wasn't easy, as they needed overtime to down the Hawkeyes before taking on two of the country's top teams in Michigan State and Purdue in consecutive nights, but in the end, the Wolverines got hot and won the conference.

March 17: Michigan 64, Houston 63

It looked like Michigan's season would end during the first weekend of the tournament. Houston was up two with 3.6 seconds left and standing at the line shooting two free throws. After both were missed, Michigan drew up a play that ended up in freshman Jordan Poole's hands. His three beat the buzzer, and the Wolverines celebrated an unlikely win, keeping their Final Four dreams alive.

March 24: Michigan 58, Florida State 54

Two days after dumping 99 points in a laughable win over Texas A&M in the Sweet 16, Michigan found itself in a street fight with Florida State. The hot shooting the Wolverines enjoyed against the Aggies went cold (just 4-of-22 from three; 38.8 percent overall shooting), but their stellar defense remained. It was enough to hold off a late Florida State run and reach the Final Four.

Nov. 24: Villanova 64, Northern Iowa 50

It may not seem like a huge deal — beating UNI to win the Atlantis Tournament, but it was a wild week in the Bahamas. Arizona, if you remember, lost all three of its games there and went from No. 2 to unranked in a week. In the semis, Villanova used a 23-2 run to down Tennessee before beating the Panthers for the title. This was the fifth straight season the Wildcats won their November tournament. 

Dec. 5: Villanova 88, Gonzaga 72

In a battle of two teams that played in the last two championship games, Villanova pounded Gonzaga in Madison Square Garden. This was the game that Mikal Bridges scored a career-high 28 points and announced his arrival as one of the best players in the country. Bridges hit five threes, had a sick dunk on Jacob Larsen and followed it up by blocking Josh Perkins' dunk attempt. With Jalen Brunson getting his All-American running mate, the Wildcats were set up for a big year. 

Dec. 30: Butler 101, Villanova 93

Butler has a knack for giving 'Nova its first loss of the season. The headline here is the fact the Bulldogs put up 101 points on the Wildcats. Simply put, the defense was horrible. Butler hit 15-of-22 from three and once held a 23-point lead in this one before Jalen Brunson (31 points) led a furious comeback that came up short. This was the only loss in a 23-game span to start the season for Villanova.

Jan. 10: Villanova 89, Xavier 65

In a battle of two Big East powerhouses, the Wildcats flexed their muscle against the Musketeers. Less than two weeks after losing to Butler, 'Nova faced a huge test against a Xavier team that had designs of toppling the Wildcats' stranglehold on the Big East. They jumped on Xavier early, led by Phil Booth's 21 points, and cruised to a win.

Feb. 7: St. John's 79, Villanova 75

How did this happen? Sure, St. John's shocked Duke a few nights earlier, but how does the team follow up by winning in Villanova? The Red Storm was 0-11 in Big East play entering the game yet went to Philly and beat No. 1-ranked Villanova. What? Maybe the Wildcats looked past this one for the revenge game against Butler a few days later. This game shook the Wildcats — they lost to Providence one week later — and put some doubt in their minds and the minds of fans across the country. 

Feb. 17: Villanova 95, Xavier 79

Villanova entered Cincinnati with a huge game against Xavier. 'Nova had lost two of its last three games while Xavier was ranked the highest in school history — and the Wildcats thumped the Musketeers. A barrage of threes (16 of them) showed Xavier who was boss, even if the Musketeers ultimately won the Big East regular season. Villanova knew who had the juice.

March 10: Villanova 76, Providence 66 (OT)

Providence had a spirited run during the Big East Tournament, beating Xavier along the way. 'Nova nearly blew a 17-point lead as the Friars had some good luck at the end of regulation but dominated the overtime to claim its third Big East Tournament title in four years. It was the springboard the Wildcats wanted entering the NCAA Tournament.

Nov. 14: Kansas 65, Kentucky 61

In just their second game of the season, the Jayhawks faced off against Kentucky in a battle of the two winningest programs in college basketball history. It wasn't the flowing offensive showdown you would think these two schools would put on; it was a grinder. Svi Mykhailiuk led the way with 17 points as Devonte' Graham had an off shooting night. 

Dec. 10: Arizona State 95, Kansas 85

What's wrong with Kansas? Four days after losing to Washington in Kansas City, the Jayhawks were run over by the Sun Devils. Kansas couldn't stop Arizona State, as the Sun Devils shot over 50 percent from the field and hit 14 threes. After this game many felt that Kansas' run of 13 straight Big 12 regular-season titles would end this year.

Jan. 15: Kansas 71, West Virginia 66

Svi Mykhailiuk and Devonte' Graham led the Jayhawks to a comeback win in Morgantown. West Virginia led Kansas by 16 points in the first half, but the two seniors scored 20 of the final 26 points of the game for Kansas and left West Virginia with a huge victory. It broke a four-game losing streak at WVU.

Feb. 3: Oklahoma State 84, Kansas 79

This just doesn't happen. Kansas losing three home games? Three losses at Phog Allen Fieldhouse? No way. The Cowboys shot 51.6 percent for the game to give the Jayhawks the most home losses since the 1998-1999 season. Kansas' Big 12 regular-season title streak seemed like it was over after a third conference loss. The Jayhawks wouldn't lose at home again the rest of the year.

Feb. 17: Kansas 77, West Virginia 69

Just over a month after Kansas came back from down 16 points to beat West Virginia in Morgantown, the Jayhawks found themselves down 12 with 10 minutes left in the game. Kansas did it again, outscoring West Virginia 29-11 to end the game and get a huge win. After the game, WVU's head coach Bob Huggins went off on the free throw discrepancy, as Kansas shot 35 free throws to West Virginia's two.

March 10: Kansas 81, West Virginia 70

Kansas won its second Big 12 Tournament title in three years just a week after winning its 14th straight conference regular-season title. The Jayhawks blew through the conference tournament, finally beating Oklahoma State after two losses during the season and beating West Virginia for a third time, and saw Malik Newman become a key cog offensively that has carried on through the NCAA Tournament.

March 25: Kansas 85, Duke 81 (OT)

This was just an old-fashioned, classic NCAA Tournament game. Kansas and Duke went toe-to-toe in this one with Duke holding a late lead until Svi Mykhailiuk hit a three to tie the game. Duke's Grayson Allen nearly hit a buzzer beater to win it, but the ball fell off the rim. In overtime, Malik Newman went off, scoring all 13 points for Kansas in the extra frame. The win sent Bill Self to his third Final Four.

Nov. 28: Boise State 87, Loyola-Chicago 53

Loyola-Chicago began the season 7-0 before a trip to Boise. The Broncos ended that quickly. Five Boise State players scored in double figures, and the Broncos went 16-of-28 from behind the arc. This was an embarrassing blowout in the Ramblers' first game of the season against a quality opponent. 

Dec. 6 - Loyola-Chicago 65, Florida 59

A week after getting their rears handed to them by Boise State, the Ramblers went into Florida and stunned the No. 5-ranked Gators. Aundre Jackson scored 23 points for Loyola-Chicago as the program got off to its best start since the 1965-66 season. Defensively, the Ramblers bothered Florida into a poor shooting tonight. 

Jan. 3 - Indiana State 61, Loyola-Chicago 57

Loyola-Chicago lost at Milwaukee and Missouri State in late December before beating Evansville. Losing at home to an Indiana State team that would finish under .500 is rather shocking in the rearview mirror. No worries. Loyola-Chicago would reel off seven straight wins after this setback.

March 2: Loyola-Chicago 54, Northern Iowa 50
March 3: Loyola-Chicago 62, Bradley 54
March 4: Loyola-Chicago 65, Illinois State 49

The Missouri Valley Conference Tournament, dubbed "Arch Madness," is one of the better mid-major events each year. Loyola-Chicago was a fringe at-large team if it didn't win the league's automatic bid but went ahead and dominated Illinois State for the title. The win gave the Ramblers their first NCAA Tournament bid in 33 years. 

March 15: Loyola-Chicago 64, Miami 62

In their first tournament game in 33 years, the Ramblers created one of the dance's best moments. Down 62-61 with time running out, Donte Ingram caught a pass at the top of the three-point line and let it fly. The shot went in just before the buzzer, and Loyola-Chicago got its first tournament win in over three decades. The irony is that Miami's head coach, Jim Larranaga, was head coach of the 11th-seeded George Mason squad that went to the Final Four in 2006. This win got the party started.

March 17: Loyola-Chicago 63, Tennessee 62

Two days after Ingram's shot beat Miami, Clayton Custer got into the act against Tennessee. With 3.6 seconds remaining in the game, Custer drove right, and his shot hit the rim, then went high off the backboard and rattled through the net to give the Ramblers the lead. The Vols' desperation three was just off the mark, and Loyola was off to the Sweet 16. In two tournament games, the Ramblers had two game-winners in the closing seconds to beat an ACC team and an SEC co-champion.

March 22: Loyola-Chicago 69, Nevada 68

While not another buzzer beater, Marques Townes hit a huge three-pointer to extend the Rambers' lead to four with seconds remaining against Nevada. The Wolf Pack countered with a three, but it was too little too late. Loyola-Chicago became the first team since 1981 to win back-to-back NCAA Tournament games by a single point. Loyola's three tournament games were won by a total of four points. Two days later, the Ramblers dominated Kansas State to reach their first Final Four since 1963.