In the preseason, picking Arizona, Maryland, Duke and Michigan State to reach college basketball's final weekend would have surprised no one. Making the same assertion at various points of the season -- like when Arizona was dealing with internal strife and the loss of Lute Olson's wife Bobbi in December or when Maryland was in its February funk -- would have been a leap of faith.

Maryland's path to the Final Four wasn't easy, but the Terps are finally on their way.(AP)

But the Wildcats and Terps recommitted and rode a ton of talent to victories over No. 1 seeds in the Elite Eight. Maryland took down Stanford in the West. Arizona knocked off Illinois in the Midwest.

The matchups for Saturday's semifinals are set with Duke and Maryland meeting for the fourth time (Blue Devils 2-1) and Michigan State squaring off with Arizona. The championship game will take place Monday night. All games will be played at the Hubert H. Humphrey Dome and broadcast on CBS.

For three of the coaches -- Arizona's Olson, Michigan State's Tom Izzo and Duke's Mike Krzyzewski -- the Final Four is nothing new. In fact, all three have won national championships. But for Maryland's Gary Williams, who has been to five Sweet 16s with Maryland alone, this is the accomplishment of his career.

Not that it changes the pride felt inside, the coaches said.

"This is a great accomplishment whether it is your first time or not," said Krzyzewski, now entering his ninth Final Four. "This never becomes unexciting or less of an accomplishment."

Krzyzewski is also the last coach to win consecutive national titles, leading Duke to championships in 1991 and '92. That accomplishment will be challenged by Izzo's Spartans, the defending national champions who are in their third consecutive Final Four.

It is no surprise that Michigan State is bearing down on a Duke record. Izzo, who now holds a record 16-2 NCAA Tournament mark, said all season he was trying to follow Duke's lead for consistent greatness.

"We chase Duke," Izzo said. "To me, what they have done in terms of consistency over the course of years and years is amazing. I can't imagine how they do it. That's the total program and that is the next level for Michigan State. Winning a national championship is one thing, being consistently great like that is the next."

Duke hasn't won it all since 1992 -- the last time the Final Four was in Minneapolis -- but is in its ninth Final Four in 16 seasons. It reached the NCAA championship game in 1999, but lost to UConn.

"That was an emotional loss for us," said Duke senior forward Shane Battier, the national player of the year. "To get so close and have your dreams denied is difficult to deal with. That is why I am taking this all in. I told (freshman) Chris Duhon that this is special. Winning a regional championship is not a given. This is something that most people would pay a lot of money to do."

Atlantic Coast Conference rival Maryland played powerful Duke better than any other team this season. It took a wild, last-minute Duke rally to pull out an overtime victory in College Park, only to have the Terps whip the Devils 91-80 in Durham. In the rubber match, Duke downed Maryland in the ACC semifinals earlier this month.

There is plenty of passion here. The last-second Duke loss was a crushing defeat for Williams. The Terps went into a tailspin, losing five of their next six games and were booed on their home court. During the loss to the Blue Devils, Duke's Carlos Boozer's mother was struck in the head by a water bottle and suffered a slight concussion.

As for the Michigan State-Arizona tilt, it will be a battle of superstar rosters. The Wildcats boast a starting five of preseason player of the year candidates, but started the season 8-5 as chemistry and concentration issues proved considerable. The Spartans have game-breaking players such as Jason Richardson and Zach Randolph. Izzo says his team is not as emotionally tough as it was a season ago when it beat Florida for the title, but is just as determined. The Spartans hold an amazing plus-16 rebounding advantage this season.

This is a Final Four with only the slightest of surprises and no obvious favorite nor underdog. Maryland was probably the least expected guest, but no one doubts its talent level. As for Arizona, Duke and Michigan, all began the season expecting to cut the nets in the Twin Cities.

Now everyone will have a chance. They took different roads to the Final Four, but that hardly matters now. These are America's four best college teams and the country is in for what should be three exceptional, hard-fought, heavyweight games this weekend.