Wild March stabilizes a bit with 3 powers in Final Four

RALEIGH, N.C. — Welcome to a Final Four filled with past national champions — just the way the NCAA selection committee drew it up, right? OK, maybe not. Sure, there’s plenty of the expected with 1-seed Villanova making it to San Antonio in pursuit of the program’s second title in three seasons. Kansas is the other 1-seed to navigate its way through a maze full of upsets as it pursues its first title since 2008.

And plenty figured No. 3 seed Michigan had a good shot to get to the Final Four as the Wolverines chase their first title since the Glen Rice-led group won the program’s first in 1989.

But Loyola-Chicago? Consider the 11th-seeded Ramblers the representative for all the low seeds — UMBC, Marshall and Buffalo, to name a few — that pulled off the big stunners in an upset-filled and memorable March.

And yes, the Ramblers do have a national championship, won way back in 1963 during the Kennedy administration.

Now it’s time to prepare for next Saturday’s first national semifinal (Loyola vs. Michigan ) featuring the upstart against the surging power-conference team in an undercard to the heavyweight matchup of top seeds in the nightcap.

It’s a particular relief for Kansas, which had a No. 1 seed for the third straight season and lost in the Elite Eight the past two seasons — including in 2016 to Villanova as the Wildcats marched to the national title.

“You think about it, hey, in their careers all we’ve been is the No. 1 overall seed, the No. 2 overall seed and the No. 3 overall seed and haven’t gotten to a Final Four,” coach Bill Self said after Sunday’s overtime win against Duke in Omaha, Nebraska. “So that means that these guys have done so well to put us in a position but we hadn’t kicked the door in yet.”

FORESHADOWING?: If you’re into good omens, note that Kansas won its last title in San Antonio by beating North Carolina and Memphis under Self a decade ago. And that was the program’s first since Danny Manning and The Miracles won the 1988 title as a No. 6 seed — now an even 30 years ago.

So maybe years ending in eight bring a bit of luck for the Jayhawks?

RANKING THE SEEDS: Villanova was the No. 2 overall seed behind Virginia on Selection Sunday, putting the Wildcats as the headliner followed by Kansas at third. Michigan was No. 11 and LoyolaChicago was No. 46.

TITLE HISTORY: Top seeds have hoisted the trophy on the final Monday night of the season in 18 of the past 26 NCAA Tournaments, while No. 3 seeds have won three times (Syracuse in 2003, Florida in 2006, Connecticut in 2011) in that span.

Villanova remains the lowest-seeded team to win a title as a No. 8 in 1985.