As usual, college basketball came through. As usual, the unexpected emerged.

Though upsets and drama were lacking early in the NCAA Tournament, this year’s Final Four in Arizona features one of the most unlikely quartets ever, giving most fans their first look at their team on the sport’s biggest stage.

Looking ahead to Saturday night’s games — pitting No. 1 Gonzaga against No. 7 South Carolina, and No. 1 North Carolina against No. 3 Oregon — here are the storylines to watch:

First-timers

A team making its first Final Four appearance will play for a chance at the national championship. After 18 straight disappointments, Gonzaga (36-1) finally broke through to reach the Final Four, where it will meet the biggest surprise of this year’s tournament. South Carolina (26-10), which was unranked two weeks ago and hadn’t won an NCAA Tournament game since 1973, also made history, upsetting No. 2 Duke, No. 3 Baylor and No. 4 Florida. This is the first time since 2011 (VCU) the Final Four features a team making its first appearance.

The first time since the first time

Oregon (33-5) might as well be playing its first Final Four, having broken a 78-year drought. Following their upset of No. 1 Kansas, the Ducks are back for the first time since winning the inaugural NCAA Tournament in 1939, which was secondary to the NIT at the time, and only featured an eight-team field.

A familiar favorite …

… and a shot that still lingers.

North Carolina, the lone traditional power to advance, is back for the second straight year, and making its record 20th Final Four appearance. After suffering one of the most devastating title-game losses in history on Kris Jenkins’ buzzer-beater last year, the Tar Heels are looking to win their first national championship since 2009.

One for the little guys

The one-loss Bulldogs don’t look or play like a mid-major, but could become the first team outside of a basketball power conference to win the national title since 1990 (UNLV). Gonzaga is also the first team from the West Coast Conference to make the Final Four since San Francisco in 1957.

The West is back

In addition to the Final Four being held in a Western state for the first time since 1995, the West will also have participants for the first time since 2008 (UCLA). Only one school west of the Mississippi River has won the national championship since 1998. While Oregon and Gonzaga could meet in an all-West title game, North Carolina and South Carolina could also face off in a border war for the national championship.

The best on both ends

The matchup between the Bulldogs and Gamecocks pits the country’s two highest-rated defenses — based on adjusted defensive efficiency — against each other, while the Tar Heels and Ducks should put on a shootout, combining to score 164 points per game this season.

The stars

Each team brings the best player from its conference. North Carolina’s Justin Jackson was named the ACC Player of the Year, Gonzaga’s Nigel Williams-Goss was the WCC Player of the Year, Oregon’s Dillon Brooks was the Pac-12 Player of the Year and South Carolina’s Sindarius Thornwell was the SEC Player of the Year.

The daggum old man

Roy Williams, 66, could become the second-oldest coach to win a national championship. Only Jim Calhoun, at 68, was older, while winning in 2011. Williams, who is appearing in his ninth Final Four, is also searching for his third national title, which would tie him for fourth all-time, alongside Calhoun and Bobby Knight.

Still the underdog

For the fifth straight year, a seven-seed or lower is in the Final Four, but only two teams seeded that low — No. 7 UConn (2014) and No. 8 Villanova (1985) — have won the national championship.