NCAAM teams
Myron Medcalf, ESPN Staff Writer 6y

Everything you need to know for Saturday's national semifinals

Insider Men's College Basketball, Villanova Wildcats, Kansas Jayhawks, Michigan Wolverines, Loyola (Chi) Ramblers

SAN ANTONIO, Texas -- Well, it all ends here.

We've had it all in 2017-18.

International incidents. FBI investigations. A 3-on-5 game. An Associated Press All-America squad with three freshmen. The first 16-seed to defeat a 1-seed.

The wild tournament that followed spit out an unlikely Final Four that features four intriguing teams and a famous nun.

Michigan lost to Nebraska by 20 points before the Wolverines launched a 13-game win streak. Villanova could capture its second national title in three years. Bill Self's top recruit, Billy Preston, never played a game but the Jayhawks played a stacked, four-guard lineup and reached Kansas' second Final Four since the 2008 national championship.

And Loyola-Chicago became the story of the tournament with its miraculous run to the Final Four, 55 years after the Ramblers won a national title with a predominately black roster -- a rare sight at the time.

Perhaps you've followed this wacky season all year. Or maybe you just showed up when you heard about Sister Jean. Either way, we'll prepare you for what's ahead.

1. More than Sister Jean -- Loyola-Chicago is a threat to win the whole thing

On Friday, Sister Jean Dolores Schmidt -- the 98-year-old international icon and chaplain for Loyola-Chicago -- held a news conference that was so packed, a crowd of reporters couldn't find room inside the event and stood outside. The famous nun has enlarged the profile of this Jesuit school, but this program is not some sideshow. Before the Ramblers rumbled to the Final Four, they beat a Miami team with projected lottery pick Lonnie Walker IV, a Tennessee squad that won a slice of the SEC championship, a Nevada team with a ridiculous offense and a Kansas State squad that had slayed Kentucky, all while connecting on 52.4 percent of their field goal attempts in the NCAA tournament and playing top-20 defense. Clayton Custer and Ben Richardson lead a crew that's shooting well and battling on defense. This is not some imposter. The Ramblers could cut down the nets on Monday night.

2. History and milestones abound at this Final Four

Historians will love this Final Four. Ten years ago, Mario Chalmers hit a 3-pointer -- "Mario's Miracle" -- with 2.1 seconds remaining in regulation to guarantee overtime in Kansas' come-from-behind win over Memphis at the Alamodome, also the site of the Jayhawks' matchup against Villanova on Saturday. Loyola-Chicago won the national championship 55 years ago (1963) in the "Game of Change." Then, the Ramblers played a predominately black roster against Mississippi State in a game many credit as a catalyst for increased diversity in college basketball. Michigan lost to Louisville in the national title game five years ago, but the Cardinals were stripped of that crown after a sex-for-pay scandal. And Villanova will pursue its second title in three seasons. Also, the Wildcats lost to the Jayhawks 72-57 in the Sweet 16 in 2008.

3. Not the end for any of the teams involved
Only one squad can leave San Antonio with a national title. Two of the four teams that reached the Final Four last season (North Carolina and Gonzaga) failed to reach the Elite Eight. South Carolina and Oregon didn't even make the NCAA tournament. But every team at the Alamodome this weekend should return enough talent to enter next season with a top-25ish roster. Custer will return for Loyola-Chicago. Four key players could come back to Jay Wright's squad. Bill Self will add a top-10 recruiting class and Memphis transfer Dedric Lawson. And Michigan should return the pieces to win the Big Ten crown, especially if Moe Wagner comes back, in 2018-19.

4. Malik Newman is Steph Curry right now

Kansas is no Cinderella, despite the "nobody believed in us" rhetoric the Jayhawks have touted throughout the postseason. The Jayhawks sailed to the Final Four with a strong backcourt and the defensive production of Udoka Azubuike. Newman is the true hero of this run, though. The former top-10 recruit who transferred from Mississippi State averaged 12.0 PPG in KU's first 31 games. He has averaged 22.7 PPG and made a whopping 54.2 percent of his 3-point attempts in his past seven games. This remarkable turn for the talented wing has altered KU's postseason and perhaps his professional future.

5. Villanova has NBA athletes, too
The trite narrative about Villanova is that Wright has a blue-collar squad with a bunch of guys who play the right way and will their way to victory without the talent pool their powerhouse rivals possess. That's nonsense. This is a Villanova squad with four players who could earn NBA contracts. Mikal Bridges (17.8 PPG, 5.4 RPG, 1.1 BPG, 1.5 SPG, 44 percent clip from the 3-point line) is a 6-foot-6 lottery pick. Jalen Brunson, who might win the Wooden Award, could secure a first-round slot with another strong showing in San Antonio. Donte DiVincenzo, a talented 6-5 guard, and Omari Spellman, a 6-9 big man who has made 45 percent of his 3-point attempts, could both earn NBA checks in the coming years, too. Give the Wildcats credit for their chemistry. But this is a team full of pro prospects just like any other blue blood.

6. Sister Jean has competition

The legend of Sister Jean Dolores Schmidt has grown in the past few weeks as her Loyola-Chicago Ramblers, an 11-seed, have continued to win. She has a bobblehead that's broken sales records. Media outlets from around the world have written about and interviewed her. Now, however, she's not alone. Mary Belle Hicks, the 100-year-old grandmother of ESPN analyst and former Michigan star Jalen Rose, recently said Loyola-Chicago's run will be "over" on Saturday when the Ramblers face the Wolverines. Rev. Rob Hagan, known on campus as Father Rob, is Villanova's team chaplain. And former player Wayne Simien has been around the Jayhawks during the postseason, too. He has been a spiritual adviser for multiple players in the program. Until the others have a bestselling bobblehead, however, this is still Sister Jean's world.

7. Small-ball reigns
When Villanova won the national title two years ago, the Wildcats played a North Carolina squad with a strong, dominant frontcourt. But size doesn't matter in San Antonio. Villanova, Michigan, Loyola-Chicago and Kansas have all relied on smaller lineups with multiple shooters. Loyola-Chicago (41.7), Villanova (41.4) and Kansas (40.6) have all made more than 40 percent of their 3-point attempts in the NCAA tournament. In a 99-72 win over Texas A&M in the Sweet 16, Michigan made 58 percent of its 3-point attempts. All four teams in San Antonio can be dangerous from the perimeter.

8. Michigan's defense isĀ  special

The Wolverines boast the best defense among the remaining teams. Charles Matthews & Co. contested 90 percent of Florida State's shots in the Elite Eight, a remarkable number. During their current 13-game win streak, only four teams have scored more than 65 points against John Beilein's squad, ranked fourth in KenPom.com's adjusted defensive efficiency standards.

9. Udoka Azubuike is the most important player in San Antonio

Kansas' big man is also its most efficient player, the engine of this Big 12 champion. When he's been on the floor, the Jayhawks have made 54 percent of their shots inside the arc during the NCAA tournament, per hooplens.com. Here's the problem: He fouled out of their past two games and committed four fouls in each of KU's most recent four losses. He also shoots just 41 percent from the charity stripe. Self's most important player comes with significant risks the coach must navigate on the biggest stage.

10. We will never have more fun than this
Listen, an 11-seed backed by a famous nun could win a national title. Malik Newman could score 60 points in the next two games and lead Bill Self to another national title. We could get another expressionless Jay Wright in the final moments of another national title game. John Beilein might start another water fight in the locker room if the Wolverines win his first national title. The mix of talent here guarantees an exciting weekend of action. Enjoy it.

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