There's no vanilla in Villanova

HOUSTON – Five days ago, a balanced, veteran-laden team entered a gut-punch matchup with Kansas and walked away the winner, using a stifling defense to deliver the final haymaker.

It was a gutty and relentless performance, the kind we've seen from this squad all year.

And yet still, as the NCAA tournament's Final Four approaches, beginning with a pair of semifinals on Saturday, there is the sense that the squad that downed the No. 1 overall seed could be sneaking up on people.

Villanova an underdog? Hey, it's been a strange year.

Of course, the Wildcats are no Cinderella. This Final Four is bereft of any fairy tale stories, and that includes Syracuse, a dark horse only in seed number (10). Villanova owns the top spot in analyst Ken Pomeroy's rankings and is the only team remaining with an offense and a defense ranked in the top 10 in efficiency ratings.

But crowded into Houston with North Carolina, a team that was picked to win it all before the season began, and Oklahoma, a team with the sport's best player, Buddy Hield, Villanova has gotten a bit lost among the hype. Perhaps it's because the Wildcats aren't especially flashy or overly athletic. They don't boast a real superstar. They don't shoot particularly well. And they crumbled at the threshold of the Sweet 16 amid high expectations in 2014 and 2015.

What Villanova does have, though, is a deep mix of experienced and talented players who can score in multiple ways and gut out games on defense. Villanova has Ryan Arcidiacono, a rock-steady point guard who can change games. Villanova has versatility, adapting to different styles and thriving as well as any team this year.

Although they don't own the title of favorite, it would not be wise to count the Wildcats out.

Three other story lines to watch this weekend:

Veteran power

In an era where we love to talk about hot-shot freshmen and game-changing newcomers, this year's Final Four is all about veterans.

First, the players. The two most talked-about stars — Hield and North Carolina's Brice Johnson — are both seniors. Villanova features two seniors and two juniors in its starting five. Oklahoma has three seniors and a junior in its lineup. Johnson is complimented by senior shooter Marcus Paige. Syracuse senior Michael Gbinije has turned into one of the more complete players in college basketball.

And in front of the benches we'll see plenty of experience, too — with North Carolina's Roy Williams and Syracuse's Jim Boeheim already in the Hall of Fame and Villanova's Jay Wright and Oklahoma's Lon Kruger expected to get there.

On-court wins, off-court woes

On the final weekend dedicated to appreciating the collegiate game, it's going to be awfully hard to ignore the other, uglier side of NCAA basketball.

Syracuse and North Carolina, two schools with long traditions of great hoops who will meet on Saturday, are also two schools saddled by off-court embarrassments and probes into potential academic fraud.

North Carolina is entrenched in a never-ending investigation about reports that former players were enrolled in bogus classes. Syracuse is fresh off a postseason ban from last year and a nine-game suspension for Boeheim this year for failing to properly monitor his program. This is bound to be more than just a little bit awkward for the NCAA.

Syracuse proving it belongs

Historic résumé aside, the Orange is not Syracuse of the past. Yes, the Orange was without Boeheim for nine games, and, yes, this bunch has talent. But they also dropped five of their last six games heading into Selection Sunday, and most didn't expect Syracuse's name to be called at all.

Since then, the Orange took advantage of three favorable matchups and then stunned No. 1 seed Virginia with a 16-point comeback en route to Boeheim's fifth Final Four. Once again, Syracuse finds itself the unlikely underdog. So far, the role has looked good on the Orange.

Amelia Rayno amelia.rayno@startribune.com