March Madness Top Final Fours

It’s become a cliché that the best games in any playoff tournament are in the semifinals. (AP Images)"]

But there is something compelling about making that last step before reaching the Promised Land. Here are five Final Fours from the 64/65-team era that we won’t be forgetting soon.

1988 (Kansas, Oklahoma, Duke, Arizona): Danny Manning and the No. 6 Jayhawks dumped No. 2 Duke before facing Big 8 rival and top-seeded Oklahoma.

1992 (Duke, Michigan, Indiana, Cincinnati): Michigan’s Fab Five captured the nation’s attention, but Christian Laettner and Duke would not be denied.

2003 (Syracuse, Kansas, Texas, Marquette): Future NBA stars included Syracuse’s Carmelo Anthony and Marquette’s Dwyane Wade.

2006 (Florida, UCLA, LSU, George Mason): None of the No. 1 seeds reached the Final Four, but No. 11 George Mason did.

2008 (Kansas, Memphis, UCLA, North Carolina): All the No. 1 seeds made it to the Final Four for the first time.