Bodog Beat

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.