Breaking down the Final Four

Alabama’s NBA tactics and NC State’s long odds

BY DAVID THORPE

Led by the bombastic DJ Burns Jr. (left), NC State has charged through two tournaments to reach the Final Four. Is this the end of their fantastic journey? ANDY HANCOCK/NCAA PHOTOS/NCAA PHOTOS VIA GETTY IMAGES

Everyone loves an underdog … well, everyone except the favorite. 

Over a third of the first-round matchup in this year’s NCAA tournament resulted in upsets. Lower seeds won five-of-eight Sweet 16 games. Overall, we’ve seen 19 upsets to this point. 

This year’s Final Four features a reigning national champion, the country’s most disciplined squad, an offensive juggernaut, and NC State. 

The upstart Wolfpack have accounted for three of those 19 upsets with wins over Texas Tech, Marquette, and Duke. (Oakland was a lower seed.) High-scoring Alabama knocked off North Carolina to reach the Elite Eight, where the Crimson Tide defeated lower-seeded Clemson to reach the Final Four. 

The tournament's top overall seed, UConn, has run through tourney opponents like a blowtorch thr…