Ranking the most surprising Final Four runs in men's NCAA Tournament history

The 2024 men's NCAA Tournament Final Four tips off Saturday. While there are several intriguing storylines to follow, none is more compelling than No. 11 North Carolina State, winners of its last nine games.

While the Wolfpack's remarkable journey may come to a premature end, they've already put together one of the most memorable and unexpected runs in tournament history. 

With that in mind, here are the six most surprising teams to reach the Final Four in the men's NCAA Tournament.

6. 2016 Syracuse Orange | No. 10 seed

The only No. 10 seed to reach the Final Four, Syracuse entered the NCAA Tournament with a 19-13 overall record and tied for ninth in the ACC. 

The Orange steamrolled No. 7 Dayton and No. 15 Middle Tennessee to cruise to the Sweet 16, where they overcame a 57-48 second-half deficit to knock off No. 11 Gonzaga, 63-60. 

Syracuse found itself in another double-digit hole against No. 1 Virginia during the Elite Eight but outscored the Cavaliers 47-27 in the second half to win 68-62. Entering that game, Virginia was 68-0 under HC Tony Bennett when leading by at least 10 points at halftime.

The Orange's magical run ended unceremoniously with an 83-66 loss to No. 1 North Carolina.

5. 2018 Loyola Chicago Ramblers | No. 11 seed

Making their first NCAA Tournament appearance since 1985, the Ramblers (and then-98-year-old team chaplain Sister Jean Dolores Schmidt) captivated the nation in 2018.

Loyola Chicago entered the tournament as winners of 17 of its final 18 games and survived several nail-biting contests, including two one-point wins over Tennessee and Nevada, to reach its second Final Four in program history. 

In the end, the Ramblers were no match for eventual national runner-up Michigan, falling to the Wolverines, 69-57.  

4. 2024 North Carolina State Wolfpack | No. 11 seed

Had it not been for Virginia guard Isaac McKneely missing a free throw that would have put the Cavaliers up four points with 5.3 seconds remaining against NC State in the ACC Tournament semifinals, who knows how this year's Final Four would've turned out? 

One thing is for certain: Most of the country wouldn't have had the opportunity to get to know Wolfpack forward DJ Burns Jr. and his resilient team.

As noted, the Wolfpack — who only finished the regular season 17-14 overall and 9-11 in the ACC — are amid one of the most unlikely tournament runs we've seen. 

After miraculously winning the ACC Tournament, NC State showed little signs of slowing during its first four NCAA Tournament games, averaging a 10-point margin of victory across those contests.

If Burns and Co. upset No. 1 Purdue on Saturday, the Wolfpack would become the first No. 11 seed to reach a national championship.

3. 2021 UCLA Bruins | No. 11 seed

UCLA limped into the NCAA Tournament as losers of four straight before embarking on its epic run. It took an overtime win over Michigan State for the Bruins to even make the Round of 64. 

From there, they blew past No. 6 BYU and No. 14 Abilene Christian and prevailed in tightly contested games with No. 2 Alabama and No. 1 Michigan to advance to the Final Four.

The Bruins' magic would finally run out in Indianapolis, where they lost one of the greatest games in tournament history, 93-90, in overtime on Gonzaga point guard Jalen Suggs' unforgettable buzzer-beater.

2. 2011 Virginia Commonwealth Rams | No. 11 seed

Then-second-year HC Shaka Smart's Rams received an at-large bid after losing to Old Dominion in the Colonial Athletic Association Tournament before going on to become the first First Four team to make the Final Four. 

Virginia Commonwealth had a relatively dominant run to the Final Four, with four of its five tournament wins coming by double digits before No. 8 Butler beat the Rams. 

VCU's improbable run is all the more impressive considering it hasn't made it past the tournament's opening weekend since. 

1. 2006 George Mason Patriots | No. 11 seed

It would've been unexpected but not entirely surprising if the Patriots were excluded from the 2006 NCAA Tournament, given that they were knocked out by Hofstra in the semifinal game of the CAA Tournament. 

Even so, the committee gave George Mason, a program that had never previously won an NCAA Tournament game, an at-large bid. This is likely due to it ranking 22nd in KenPom and posting a 22-7 record that season.

In Dayton, Ohio, for their first-round matchup with No. 6 Michigan State, the Patriots quickly proved why they were a metrics darling. George Mason trounced the Spartans before taking down No. 3 North Carolina in the Round of 32 and later defeating No. 7 Wichita State in the Sweet 16.

Following their win over No. 7 Wichita State in the Sweet 16, the Patriots pulled off one of the biggest upsets in tournament history, overcoming a nine-point second-half deficit to outlast No. 1 Connecticut, 86-84, in overtime. 

No. 3 Florida spoiled George Mason's fairy tale run in the Final Four en route to winning its first of two consecutive national titles.

HONORABLE MENTIONS: No. 11 LSU (1986), No. 9 Florida Atlantic (2023), No. 9 Wichita State (2013), No. 7 South Carolina (2017)