NCAA Division I basketball gets cranked up to the max with the March Madness tournament. As one of the most anticipated sporting events of the calendar, this 68-team contest is a sudden death extravaganza over 19 days of grueling gameplay. For the players and the fans, there is nothing to compare to March Madness. Now that Selection Sunday has passed, the real order of business begins – the first and second rounds of the tournament. These exciting sessions of play ultimately culminate in the Final Four, National Championship between April 6-8, 2019.

Why is there so much hype around the Final Four? As the semifinalists of the illustrious March Madness Tournament, everything is on the line. NCAA Division I basketball – men's and women's – is a prelude to the NBA, and the players at this level of the game are superb. The Final Four is only applicable to college basketball tournaments however. Just as you may suspect, there are 4 teams remaining in the tournament, and just 2 games will be played until the champions are crowned. CBS has been broadcasting the March Madness tournament since the early 1980s, and the Final Four stage is always hugely popular with fans.

Recall that each team in the 68-team competition plays 6 games on the road to the final. When a team reaches the Final Four, it has won its first 4 games. With just 2 games to go, victory is within reach, and that means a national championship title. The Final Four games typically play out in early April and the winners of each semi-final will face off against one another in the final. Over time, the NCAA Division I men's basketball championship has been dominated by UCLA, followed by the University of Kentucky and the University of North Carolina. Let's take a look at the most memorable Final Fours in recent history.

  • Duke Blue Devils versus Louisville Cardinals, 2013

Foreword: This regional championship contest between Louisville Cardinals and Duke was a tough match. When guard, Kevin Ware suffered an open compound fracture in his leg, he urged his team to win the game. At half time, the score was 35-32, but by full-time Louisville powered ahead to lead 85-63. Kevin Ware’s words were like rocket fuel to his teammates and all the motivation they needed to go into overdrive and power their way through to the Final Four, and the Championship which the Louisville Cardinals won.

Unfortunately for the Louisville Cardinals, the NCAA announced in 2018 that the university must relinquish all of its title victories between 2011/12 through 2014/2015, based on ineligible athletes and ethics violations. This was the first time in the history of the NCAA that a team was stripped of its championship titles. For this reason, it is a remarkable road to victory and a lonely walk home to defeat. To cut a long story short, Louisville lost their title despite some remarkable performances in the Final Four and the Championship.

  • Kentucky Wildcats and University of Connecticut Huskies Face Off in Gripping Finale

Heading into the 2014 NCAA Division I Championship, the Kentucky Wildcats were ranked at #8 and the Connecticut Huskies were ranked at #7. What made their Final Four games so memorable were the close-fought contestsd between these two teams and the final. In their Final Four matches, UConn beat Florida 63 – 53 and Kentucky beat Wisconsin 74 – 73.

Their Final Four matches brought them face-to-face with one another in Arlington, Texas.

Ultimately, the Kentucky Wildcats succumbed to the Connecticut Huskies 54-60. Connecticut led at half-time 35-31, and scored 25 points in the second half to push themselves over the finish line. Shabazz Napier piled on 22 points. This contest handed the University of Connecticut their 4th championship title (1999, 2004, and 2011), making them the 1st #7 seed to win the March Madness tournament.

  • North Carolina versus Syracuse on April 2, 2016

This Final Four Contest was a humdinger for North Carolina. The North Carolina Tar Heels were in imperious form heading into the Final Four of the 2016 NCAA Division I championship. They completely dominated the first half, leading 39-28.

Marcus Paige was instrumental in the second half with 3 x 3-pointers to help his team cement their place in the final.

Syracuse was on fire in the second half, scoring 38 points. At full-time, North Carolina pipped Syracuse 83-66 to book a place in the final against Villanova. The Villanova Wildcats ultimately trounced the North Carolina Tar Heels in a gripping 77-74 humdinger.

  • Kansas Jayhawks versus Villanova Wildcats, 31st of March 2018

The Villanova Wildcats outplayed the Kansas Jayhawks by winning 95-79 in a gripping spectacle that had fans on the edge of their seats. Villanova was leading at the end of the first half of 47-32, and added an additional 48 points in the second half to clinch victory over the Kansas Jayhawks. The final was played on 2 April 2018, and Villanova soundly defeated Michigan 79-62 to be crowned the 2018 National Champion.

There are many memorable Final Four rounds in the NCAA Men's Division 1 basketball championship. Sometimes, the semifinals are much more entertaining than the finals. Basketball fans at 888sport NJ get to enjoy all the best live in-play action with top odds for March Madness sports events.

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