5 biggest storylines in this year's men's and women's Final Four matchups ft. UConn and NC State trying to win both titles

The week of Final Four basketball is the pinnacle of the college basketball season. It's enhanced by the women's games and men's games falling so close on the calendar.

From two schools looking for the hoops double play of championships to perhaps the greatest women's player ever to a men's repeat, the stories stack up in a hurry. Unfortunately, the one thing not particularly slated to slack up is competitive games.

Both men's semifinals are projected to be one-sided, and South Carolina has a healthy advantage over the field on the women's side. But in one-and-done college basketball, no one ever really knows the outcome. Here are five storylines worth watching:

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Five biggest storylines in the men's and women's Final Four matchups

#5 DJ Burns and NC State seek another shocker

DJ Burns cut down nets when he reached the Final Four.

NC State is definitely the surprise entrant of either Final Four. The Wolfpack looked like a foregone conclusion to miss the NCAA Tournament altogether.

They pulled together an ACC Tournament win and shocked the world again. The entire run echoes NC State's unlikely 1983 championship with Jim Valvano. Is there more magic for the Wolfpack?

If so, it probably involved DJ Burns. Burns has become of the most notable characters of the 2024 season. A transfer from Winthrop two years ago, Burns is listed at 260 pounds.

He looks like he may be closer to 300 pounds. But the roly-poly giant is having a phenomenal Tournament, scoring 18.8 points per game. His smile is as broad as his physique, and Burns has made a ton of fans already.

If Burns and the Wolfpack channel Valvano and Lorenzo Charles to win another title, it's probably the story of the decade in basketball. Maybe of the century.

#4 Back-to-back champs for UConn?

The Connecticut Huskies are trying to win a second consecutive NCAA title. In fact, the Huskies are a massive favorite to repeat as champions.

The last time that happened was Billy Donovan's Florida Gators in 2006 and 2007. The only other repeat champion in the last 50 years is Duke, who triumphed in 1991 and 1992.

Those most recent repeat champions essentially boasted the same roster in both NCAA Tournaments. It's a little different with UConn, though, as freshman Stephon Castle and grad transfer Cam Spencer are two of the top five scorers on the team. Neither played for UConn a year ago, but both will help seek the Final Four victory.

#3 Undefeated Carolina?

South Carolina has its own brush with history on the line as the Gamecocks seek to complete a perfect season with an NCAA title. While the feat is more common in women's basketball than men's, it's still a rare feat.

If South Carolina completes the season with a title, they will be the 10th unbeaten team to do so since 1982, when women's hoops started with the NCAA. Only four programs have had unbeaten seasons. Texas, Tennessee and Baylor each have one. UConn has six undefeated seasons, including the most recent one, which occurred in 2016.

#2 Caitlin Clark chases the title

Given Caitlin Clark's popularity, scoring record and amazing career, this Final Four is her potential capstone. Can she close her Iowa career with the one goal that has eluded her, the NCAA title? If not, how much will that detract from her legacy as a legend of college sports?

There's always that tenuous balance between a team sport and a brilliant individual competition. From Ernie Banks to Dan Marino to Charles Barkley, sometimes legendary players don't win titles.

The late Pete Maravich, whose men's scoring record Clark topped, never played the NCAA Tournament. But Clark could cap her career in dramatic fashion with a title win.

#1 UConn (and NC State) attempt the title sweep

Considering the 362 or so Division I basketball programs, it's quite an impressive feat for a team to reach the Final Four. It's even more impressive to make the Final Four on both sides. This year, both UConn and NC State have pulled off the double dip.

The Wolfpack will be massive underdogs intheir semifinal matchups. UConn, meanwhile, is favored to win the men's tournament and isn't exactly a massive longshot in the women's tournament. If the Huskies pull off the double victory, they will replicate their own feat. Only UConn have ever won both championships.

The Huskies won both the men's and women's titles in 2004 and again in 2014. Can they repeat their 10-year trick and win a third tandem of NCAA title in 2024?