A No. 1, a No. 2 , a No. 3 and a No. 5. Virginia, Michigan State, Texas Tech and Auburn. That's one of the more random Final Fours we've had. And that's OK! In fact, maybe it's even good. I like my Final Fours zesty and unpredictable. That's what we've got here, even if there's nothing wacky from a seed perspective like a No. 7, No. 8, No. 9, No. 10 or No. 11 moving on -- which was a feature, not a bug, of every Final Four since 2013. Now the Final Four crashers are Texas Tech and Auburn, which have 30 wins apiece but are the two programs making their debuts on college basketball's ultimate stage. The Cavaliers, Spartans, Red Raiders and Tigers survived the second weekend to make a march to Minneapolis after what was arguably the best quartet of Elite Eight games in NCAA Tournament history. Looking back And so before we set the Final Four table, an ode on what just happened on Saturday and Sunday, because it wouldn't feel right to move on before giving credence to a terrific set of regional finals. Thrilling games. Vintage tournament-type memories and images. The kind of stuff the fans of schools on the right and wrong end of those outcomes will not forget. I do think it was the best Elite Eight weekend in tournament history. By pure numbers, it's got a good case: the four games were settled by a combined 18 points. That comes out to 4.5 points per margin of victory/defeat, making it the tightest in history in that round of the tournament. Plus, two of the four games went to overtime, the Virginia-Purdue affair doing so on one of the more memorable buzzer-beating chaos sequences you'll ever see. Chills still. The other two games that didn't require overtime were decided be seven points total. Here's how I would rank the four games: Purdue goes down after getting the second 42-point performance from Carsen Edwards in this tournament. His 28 3-pointers in four games are the most in a single NCAA Tournament in the history of the event. I was courtside and on tenterhooks at what Edwards was providing and how Virginia was counterpunching. Michigan State's poise -- that 3 from Kenny Goins to take the lead for good with 34.3 to go was pure -- and capability to end the Duke story was impressive. Only seven turnovers for Sparty, while Cassius Winston had 20 points, 10 assists and one turnover. Only other MSU players to have 20 and 10 in a tournament game: Magic Johnson and Draymond Green. Hello. The TTU and Auburn wins were dramatic and compelling for their own reasons. But all told, given the knockout nature of the bluebloods, the fact that all four games were close throughout, that we had all-time performances and even a buzzer-beater, I think it nudges past the epic 2005 Elite Eight that featured Illinois' ridiculous 90-89 comeback over Arizona in OT; Louisville's 83-85 OT win against West Virginia; UNC's 88-82 staving of Wisconsin; and Michigan State's 94-88 win over Kentucky in double overtime, featuring the Patrick Sparks 3-pointer that extended the game. Looking ahead College football relies on Clemson and Alabama like clockwork to make the College Football Playoff. The Golden State Warriors are, barring a seismic upset, winning another NBA title this year. The New England Patriots, minimally, are likely to yet again make the NFL's final four come 2020. The NCAA Tournament doesn't play by those rules. And that's why it rules. The first weekend of the tourney turned out predictable, which set up a second weekend that paid off in a big way. Now the Final Four is a mixed bag. There's the letdown of not having a Kentucky or Duke or Gonzaga -- but now we've got really good stories to focus in on. New blood! This is the first Final Four of Virginia coach Tony Bennett's career. He's no longer the best coach in college basketball without a Final Four on his résumé. He did it 19 years after his father made his one and only Final Four -- and what a powerful story that's turned out to be. This is a Final Four filled with newbies. Texas Tech's Chris Beard and Auburn's Bruce Pearl are also here for the first time in their careers. Beard and Pearl's programs, as noted above, are also into the national semifinals for the first time. Contrast that with the man whose last name is a synonym for March: Tom Izzo. He's back here for the eighth time in his career. Might this is the Big Ten's best chance to win a national title since 2000? It's also the last time the Big Ten had a champ; MSU took it that year, of course. Izzo got here by winning his ninth Elite Eight game in 11 tries. As a school, MSU has a weird dichotomy. It's 9-2 record in Elite Eight games is the best in college basketball history of all schools with at least five trips to the regional final. But MSU's success in winning the title after making the Final Four: 2 for 9. Can this be title No. 2 for Izzo? You'll also hear a lot about how this Final Four lacks a one-and-done player. The four teams are not only without that, 15 of the 20 starters on Saturday night will be juniors or seniors. It's a Final Four of experienced players but inexperienced coaches and programs -- mostly -- on this stage. It's also the first Final Four in 12 years without a school from Kansas, Kentucky or North Carolina involved. Given how feverish those states' fan bases are with their college hoops, the ticket demand in Minneapolis will be worth tracking. Michigan State figures to have an advantage in fan support, but Texas Tech could prove to show up in stronger numbers than you might think. If Tech or Auburn can win this thing, they'll become the first time since UConn in 1999 to win the national title as a first-time guest at the Final Four. Before you go doubting Auburn, take this into account: it just beat Kansas, UNC and Kentucky to get here. The only other time that's ever happened was in 1997. Arizona won the title that year. It's not a dream Final Four but it is one that will give us a compelling story, potentially even a controversial one, no matter who wins. And given the way these four teams are tough, physical and reliable defensively, we have a better-than-average chance of getting more close-if-not-great games to wrap up the season. That's the most important part. You can wish for the hype and the stars and the biggest schools and usual suspects, but in the end, once we get to the games, we want close finishes and memorable moments and something that can give college basketball its best finish. And more often than not, college basketball gives us just that.<doc-sep>1 of 7 Chuck Burton/Associated Press We don't often spend the build-up to the Final Four talking about what happened in the previous year's tournament, but it's impossible to avoid doing so with Virginia. As you have undoubtedly been reminded a few hundred times over the past several months, Virginia lost to a No. 16 seed last March. Dating back to when the field expanded to 64 teams in 1985, it was the first time in NCAA men's tournament history that a No. 1 seed lost to a No. 16 seed. If you didn't hear about it much during the regular season, you certainly did when the Cavaliers were down by 14 in the first half against No. 16 Gardner-Webb two weeks ago. Whether they have somehow shut out all that noise or used it as motivation, it clearly hasn't bothered the Wahoos. After it ended up on the wrong side of history last year, Virginia is the only No. 1 seed in this year's Final Four. It is now two wins away from its first national championship, which would fully exorcize those UMBC demons. Sure, we'll always remember the historic upset, but it would become a footnote of head coach Tony Bennett's run at Virginia rather than the defining moment in a decade of tournament failures. This type of rebound from colossal disaster to the top of the mountain isn't exactly unprecedented in college basketball, either. The year before winning the 2015 national championship, Duke suffered its embarrassing first-round loss to Mercer. The season prior to winning both the 2011 and 2014 titles, Connecticut didn't even play in the NCAA tournament—once due to ineptitude and once due to ineligibility. Before breaking through for two championships in three years, Villanova had been defined by its unceremoniously early exits from the tourney. Translation: No good reasons exists to think last year's nightmare will keep this team from achieving its dream.<doc-sep>0 of 4 Harry How/Getty Images After earning thrilling wins in the Elite Eight, the Auburn Tigers, Michigan State Spartans, Texas Tech Red Raiders and Virginia Cavaliers are headed to the 2019 Final Four. The four programs have earned a well-deserved moment in the national spotlight. Still, you might not be familiar with all of the teams. What is their biggest strength? Where are they most vulnerable? Who is their best player, and who's an underrated contributor? Though the actual results on the court may not reflect the rankings, there's a clear hierarchy on paper.<doc-sep>
5 of 12 Harry How/Getty Images Defense Wins Championships? In each of the previous 17 seasons of KenPom history, the national champion finished the NCAA tournament ranked in the top 18 in adjusted defensive efficiency. Defense has always been a key piece of the puzzle in the Big Dance. However, the best defense rarely wins. While the champ always ranks in the top 18, it's usually outside the top four. The only exceptions were 2008 Kansas and 2013 Louisville, each of which was No. 1 in AdjDE that year. Virginia (No. 5) and Michigan State (No. 8) are in that sweet spot, but Texas Tech—after blowing out Michigan in the Sweet 16—is far and away the most efficient defense in the country. As previously mentioned, the Red Raiders now have the most efficient D in KenPom history. Can they ride that to a title or will they flame out in the Final Four like the top-ranked defenses of 2017 Gonzaga, 2015 Kentucky and 2012 Louisville did? If it's Texas Tech vs. Virginia for all the marbles, will either team score 45 points? And would that pairing change college basketball as we know it, turning team defense into the No. 1 priority for every coach? Best Run Ever? Just to get to this point, Auburn had to go through Kansas, North Carolina and Kentucky in succession. Those teams have 6,830 wins, 52 Final Fours and 17 national championships between them. (For Auburn, this is the first Final Four in school history and also the first season with at least 30 wins.) Even the opener against 30-4 New Mexico State was never expected to be a gimme for the Tigers. One could easily make the case this has already been the most impressive run to the Final Four that we have ever seen. Maybe George Mason going through Michigan State, North Carolina, Wichita State and Connecticut as a No. 11 seed in 2006 was better, but that's probably it. So if Auburn goes on to win it all—adding a victory over No. 1 Virginia and either No. 2 Michigan State or No. 3 Texas Tech to its list of accomplishments—that has to be the best championship run ever, right? Save your 1997 Arizona arguments. I know that's the only team to beat three No. 1 seeds in the same tournament, but the Wildcats' other three games were against teams seeded No. 10, No. 12 and No. 13. That is probably the best title run of the 64/65/68-team era, and it wouldn't even compare to what Auburn could boast with two more victories. First Championship Ever? Neither Auburn nor Texas Tech has ever been to the Final Four before this year. Virginia hasn't been there since 1984, and it didn't play in the championship game in either of its trips to the Final Four. Both Auburn and Texas Tech are attempting to do the nearly impossible, as 51 of the last 52 national champions had played in at least one Final Four before winning it all. The only one to buck that trend was Connecticut in 1999, and those Huskies didn't exactly come out of nowhere. In the nine seasons before breaking through, they made it to the Sweet 16 six times and got to the Elite Eight three times. Auburn (in 1986) and Texas Tech (last year) had each only been to the Elite Eight once before this year. Still, if we assume these teams are equals at this point, there's a 75 percent chance some team is going to be winning its first men's basketball championship. And even if it's the other team (Michigan State) that gets the job done, it'll be the first time since 2000 that the Big Ten has won it all. Either way, some long slump is about to end. From Worst to Best? Virginia made infamous history last year by becoming the first No. 1 seed to lose to a No. 16 seed in the men's NCAA tournament. Tony Bennett's pack-line D was already getting a stigma as a system that couldn't produce a national championship, and that loss raised the doubts to the umpteenth power. But now Virginia is in the Final Four and is the remaining favorite to win it all. If the Cavaliers—with largely the same roster—can go from losing to UMBC in one tournament to losing to nobody in the next one, it would be one of the most incredible rebounds in any sport ever.