10 Most Unlikely Final Four Teams
Photo: Andy Hayt/SI
N.C. State (6-seed, 1983)
After sneaking into the tournament field by winning the ACC tournament, coach Jim Valvano's Wolfpack team needed overtime to get past Pepperdine in the first round. Virginia, led by future No. 1 NBA draft pick Ralph Sampson, had beaten N.C. State twice in the regular season and lost to it in the ACC tourney finale, but when the two tangled for a fourth time, in the Elite Eight, the Pack punched its ticket to the Final Four.
