By Nathan Cavitt

nathan@southerntorch.com

It wasn’t the first upset of the 2016 NCAA men’s basketball tournament, but it was perhaps the most thrilling as Syracuse downed No. 1 seeded Virginia 68-62 to advance to the final four, after a year in which the Orange had to watch from afar after self-imposed sanctions kept them from the tournament.

Behind Malachi Richardson, who led No. 10 Syracuse with 23 points, 14 of which were scored during the Orange's 21-2 run after they trailed 54-39 with 9:30 left to play, the Orange showed they belonged in the tournament, after many had questioned whether they would make it at all.

That’s just one story going into the final four. There are others:

No. 2 seeded Oklahoma, led by senior Buddy Hield, won contest after contest in the NCAA tournament. The Sooners defeated Oregon 80-68, and will be play Villanova Saturday at 5:09 on TBS.

Hield scored 37 points against the Ducks, and showed a plethora of skills that would dazzle any NBA executive. More than likely Oklahoma would have never made it to the Final Four if Hield had chosen to forego his senior season and enter the NBA draft.

Then there’s Villanova who defeated Kansas. The Jayhawks were a tournament favorite, but the No. 2 Wildcats are headed to Houston after a 64-59 victory to face Oklahoma, a team which the Wildcats struggled against in an earlier loss this year.

Of course, then there’s North Carolina. The Tar Heels combined a late offensive explosion to add with their dominating defense, and down Notre Dame 88-74. This will be North Carolina’s record 19th appearance in the Final Four—they are the only No. 1 seed remaining.

The North Carolina and Syracuse matchup will air at 7:49 on TBS Saturday night. Syracuse will once more be in the underdog role, but if their contest against Virginia proved anything, it’s that the Orange aren’t the type of team to be intimidated.

The nets will go down Saturday for two schools, and a champion will be crowned Monday night to end March Madness.