When the semifinals of the NCAA men’s college basketball national championship kick off Saturday evening in Houston, the event will have a decidedly nontraditional feel.
Of the participants in this year’s Final Four, only one, the University of Connecticut, has previously won the national championship. The other three teams — Florida Atlantic University, San Diego State University, and the University of Miami — are all making their first Final Four appearance.
The unexpected quartet of teams comes on the anniversary of an unexpected moment in college basketball. Forty years ago this month, North Carolina State University won its second national championship in dramatic fashion.
The 1982-83 N.C. State Wolfpack taught fans important lessons about life — and revolutionized college basketball in the process.
Last-Second Heroics
Even casual fans know the basic outline of N.C. State’s Cinderella victory. The Wolfpack played the University of Houston — home of two future Hall of Famers, Clyde Drexler and Hakeem Olajuwon — and faced uphill odds. While most observers thought Houston’s high-flying offense would overpower N.C. State, a series of Cougar missteps left the teams tied in the game’s final minute.
As the clock ticked toward zero, N.C. State guard Dereck Whittenburg tried a long shot but came up short. His teammate, Lorenzo Charles, converted the shot into a pass he caught and threw back up into the goal as time expired.
Sports Illustrated ranked the winning shot and ensuing on-court frenzy, which featured N.C. State Coach Jim Valvano desperately trying
