How many men's Final Fours has NC State been to? Wolfpack March Madness history explained

NC State's unlikely run to this year's Final Four as a No. 11 seed has sparked more than a few comparisons to the last time the Wolfpack won an NCAA title.

After barely making the field of 68 by winning the ACC Tournament, the Wolfpack have defeated No. 6 seed Texas Tech, No. 14 seed Oakland, No. 2 seed Marquette and No. 4 seed Duke to reach this year's Final Four. (They followed a similar path in 1983, using the conference tournament title as a springboard and knocking off an ACC rival — Virginia in that case — in the regional final.)

Here's more on NC State's college basketball history.

Where is NC State located?

North Carolina State University, founded in 1887, is located in the state capital of Raleigh, North Carolina.

How many times has NC State played in the men's NCAA Tournament?

NC State has participated in 29 NCAA Tournaments, with an overall record entering this year's Final Four of 41-27.

When was NC State's last national title?

Coached by the late Jim Valvano, the "Cardiac Pack" needed to win the ACC Tournament to even make it into the Big Dance. But once they got there, they caught fire. In the national championship game, NC State faced off against the powerful Houston Cougars, led by future Hall of Famer Hakeem (then Akeem) Olajuwon. But thanks to Lorenzo Charles' last-second dunk, NC State pulled off the monumental 54-52 upset.

How many men's Final Four appearances has NC State made?

This is the Wolfpack's fourth trip to the Final Four.

They first made it in 1950, losing to City College of New York, 78-83, but defeating Baylor in the third-place game, 53-41.

NC State won its first national title in 1974, defeating Marquette 76-64 in the championship game.

And the Wolfpack won it all again in 1983, with a 54-52 defeat of Houston.

NC State all-time scoring leaders

1. Rodney Monroe (1987-1991): 2,551 points

2. David Thompson (1972-1975): 2,309

3. Julius Hodge (2001-2005): 2,040

4. Sam Ranzino (1947-1951): 1,965

5. Hawkeye Whitney (1976-1980): 1,964

NC State first-team All-Americans

• David Thompson (1973, 1974, 1975)

• Ronnie Shavlik (1956)

• Sam Ranzino (1951)

NC State all-time coaching leaders

1. Everett Case: 377-134 (.738), 19 seasons

2. Norm Sloan: 266-127 (.677), 14 seasons

3. Jim Valvano: 209-112 (.651), 10 seasons

4. Herb Sendek: 191-132 (.590), 10 seasons

5. Kevin Keatts: 139-93 (.599), 7 seasons

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: NC State men's basketball Final Four, championship history explained