INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. — This is the ninth Final Four to be played in Indianapolis, and we've got a doozy on our hands with Arizona, Michigan, Illinois and Connecticut. 

The first eight have been pretty incredible, too. My first one was here, way back in 1980. And my last one is this week, 46 years later. It's the perfect book-end to my career.

There are a lot of people who wish that Indianapolis would host college basketball's biggest event every year. Lucas Oil Stadium is great, the city hosts perfectly and it's easy to get around to all the bars and restaurants downtown.

Former Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski won three titles in Indianapolis, so of course he's a big fan.

"I think Lucas Oil is the best one," he said of the stadium sites for the Final Four. "They're all good. None of them are bad if you're playing in them. Lucas Oil has good shooting sights. It's set up so damn well.

"The thing about Lucas Oil is it's surrounded by the city of Indianapolis and you can walk to it. Before you ever enter Lucas Oil, there's the atmosphere, the environment, it permeates through the whole city. That's why I think it's the best place. Where you eat, where you walk, where you're staying; you're consumed by the Final Four. I love it. I'm glad we won three (national championships) there, two in Lucas Oil."

When I try to rank these eight Indianapolis Final Fours, it's a real challenge because they've all been so great. And for me as an Indiana guy, the record that the 1976 Hoosiers set by going undefeated was always a big deal.

That streak is now 50 years old, and the Hoosiers will be honored at Monday's national title game. But there were several teams that almost ran the table here in Indianapolis. That's why this list is so good.

Here's what's happened in the eight Final Fours here, at Market Square Arena, the RCA Dome and later Lucas Oil Stadium. 

Teams: Louisville Cardinals, UCLA Bruins, Purdue Boilermakers, Iowa Hawkeyes
Coaches: Denny Crum (Louisville), Larry Brown (UCLA), Lee Rose (Purdue), Lute Olson (Iowa).
Semifinals: Louisville defeated Iowa 80-72; UCLA defeated Purdue 67-62
Championship game: Louisville defeated UCLA, 80-72.
Tourney MVP: Darrell Griffith, Louisville
The skinny: This was my first Final Four, at the old Market Square Arena in Indianapolis, a mere 46 years ago.  I was a senior at Indiana, and Purdue and knocked them off the week earlier in the regional. I had to be there, with two Big Ten teams in the mix. They both lost in the semifinals. There was a third-place game back then, and Purdue won.  It was the start of a great Final Four journey for me.

Teams: UNLV Rebels, Duke Blue Devils, North Carolina Tar Heels, Kansas Jayhawks.
Coaches: Jerry Tarkanian (UNLV), Mike Krzyzewski (Duke), Dean Smith (North Carolina), Roy Williams (Kansas).
Semifinals: Duke defeated UNLV 79-77; Kansas defeated North Carolina 79-73.
Championship game: Duke defeated Kansas, 72-65.
Tourney MVP: Christian Laettner, Duke
The skinny: This UNLV team was 34-0 and looked like a prime candidate to go undefeated. They won the title the previous year with a 30-point beatdown of Duke, and more of the same was expected. But Duke pulled off a huge upset in the semifinals and won the title two nights later.

Teams: Arizona Wildcats, Minnesota Golden Gophers, North Carolina Tar Heels, Kentucky Wildcats.
Coaches: Lute Olson (Arizona), Clem Haskins (Minnesota), Dean Smith (North Carolina), Rick Pitino (Kentucky).
Semifinals: Arizona defeated North Carolina 66-58; Kentucky defeated Minnesota 78-69. 
Championship game: Arizona defeated Kentucky 84-79 in overtime.
Tourney MVP: Miles Simon, Arizona.
The skinny: Arizona won its first Final Four here in Indianapolis with Olson, who had been here before with Iowa. The Wildcats beat three No. 1 seeds on their way to the title.

Teams: Michigan State Spartans, Wisconsin Badgers, Florida Gators, North Carolina Tar Heels.
Coaches: Tom Izzo (Michigan State), Dick Bennett (Wisconsin), Billy Donovan (Florida), Bill Gurthridge (North Carolina).
Semifinals: Michigan State defeated Wisconsin 53-41; Florida defeated North Carolina 71-59.
Championship game: Michigan State defeated Florida, 89-76.
Tourney MVP: Mateen Cleaves, Michigan State.
The skinny: This was Tom Izzo's first nationa title, and we always thought there would be more. But this was the last time a Big Ten team won an NCAA title.

Teams: UCLA Bruins, Florida Gators, LSU Tigers, George Mason Patriots
Coaches: Ben Howland (UCLA), Billy Donovan (Florida), John Brady (LSU), Jim Larranaga (George Mason). 
Semifinals: Florida defeated George Mason 73-58; UCLA defeated LSU 59-45.
Championship game: Florida defeated UCLA, 73-57.
Tourney MVP: Joakim Noah, Florida.
The skinny: This was Florida's first national title, and they would win again the following year. Billy Donovan had a great team. 

Teams: Duke Blue Devils, West Virginia Mountaineers, Butler Bulldogs, Michigan State Spartans
Coaches: Mike Krzyzewski (Duke), Bob Huggins (West Virginia), Brad Stevens (Butler), Tom Izzo (Michigan State), 
Semifinals: Butler defeated Michigan State 52-50; Duke defeated West Virginia 78-57.
Championship game: Duke defeated Butler, 61-59.
Tourney MVP: Kyle Singler, Duke
The skinny: I was working at the Indianapolis Star during this Final Four, and I had a great line about ''the road to the Final Four being Meridian Street.'' That's because Butler, just seven miles up the road, was the most unlikely of Final Four participants. The Bulldogs, led by Gordon Hawyard, beat Michigan State in the semi and then Hayward's last second shot rimmed out, and Duke won. 

Teams: Duke Blue Devils, Wisconsin Badgers, Kentucky Wildcats, Michigan State Spartans
Coaches: Mike Krzyzewski (Duke), Bo Ryan (Wisconsin), John Calipari (Kentucky), Tom Izzo (Michigan State) 
Semifinals: Wisconsin defeated Kentucky 71-64; Duke defeated Michigan State 81-61.
Championship game: Duke defeated Wisconsin, 68-63.
Tourney MVP: Tyus Jones, Duke.
The skinny: Kentucky seemed to be a legitimate threat to go undefeated, entering the tournament with a 34-0 record and a roster full of future NBA players. But Wisconsin, led by Frank Kaminsky, knocked them out in the semifinals.

Teams: Gonzaga Bulldogs, Baylor Bears, Houston Cougars, UCLA Bruins.
Coaches: Mark Few (Gonzaga), Scott Drew (Baylor), Kelvin Sampson (Houston), Mick Cronin (UCLA) 
Semifinals: Gonzaga defeated UCLA 93-90 in overtime;  Baylor defeated Houston 78-59.
Championship game: Baylor defeated Gonzaga 86-70.
Tourney MVP: Jared Butler, Baylor.
The skinny: This the strangest NCAA Tournament of all time because the entire event was played in the state of Indiana because of the COVID-19 pandemic. There was another undefeated team trying to close out a perfect season, the Gonzaga Bulldogs. But Baylor beat them in the finals at Lucas Oil Stadium.  

So how would I rank them? I'm putting a lot of weight into those huge upsets of the undefeated teams. 

Here's my list:

1. 1991 Duke Blue Devils beating UNLV — That UNLV team was loaded and the Duke upset was one for the ages. It really put that program on the map.  

2. 2015 Wisconsin upsetting Kentucky — For Indiana fans, nothing would have been worse than Kentucky breaking the long unbeaten streak. The Badgers played great in beating them in the semifinals, but didn't have enough left to finish off Duke in the finals. The Badgers' win was one of my all-time favorite games.

3. 2010 Butler's near-miss in its hometown — Butler's improbable run to the Final Four was incredible, and beating Michigan State was a stunner. Just as much of a stunner was that the Bulldogs took Duke right down to the wire. Gordon Hayward's last-second shot from near half-court almost went in, and it would have been the shot of a lifetime. Weird how my top three all ended in a Duke win. Purely coincidence, not desire.

4. 1997 Arizona runs through No. 1's — Lute Olson did a terrific job with that team, beating three No. 1 seed on the way to a title. He was always one of my favorites in the profession, and I'm glad he got his title. Twenty-nine years later, he's watching from above hoping the Wildcats can get a second title.

5. 2000 Michigan State gets Big Ten a title — When Michigan State won that title in 2000, it was no big deal that a Big Ten team had won it all. After it, it was the sixth by a Big Ten school since 1976. That's why it's so hard to believe the Big Ten hasn't won once since. Izzo is a great coach, so it's good that he at least has one as the league's all-time winningest coach.

6. 2021 Gonzaga comes up short — I know I've talked a lot about how the unbeaten teams chasing Indiana's mark meant a lot to me, but I just never saw Gonzaga getting it all done. That's why it's ranked lower, but also this was such a weird tournament during COVID, where there were very few fans in the stands and it was such a weird time in our world. I didn't really enjoy it.

1980 Louisville wins at my first — As a senior in college, it was great to see a Final Four. You never know where a career path goes, but it was great to start there, in Indianapolis, in my home state. 

2006 Florida gets its title — I was living in Florida at the time, so it was good to see Billy Donovan and the Gators get their first basketball title. But they Final Four was pretty boring, with all three games decided by 14 points or more.

And where will the 2026 Final Four fall into this list? Pretty high, I'm guessing. The point spreads are so tight that both semifinals are basically pick 'em games.

Bring it on.