The unbeaten: How perfect teams have fared in the men's tournament since 1976

Corrections & Clarifications: An earlier version of this story included a UNLV opponent and score from a previous season.

One of the main story lines of this men's Final Four will be Gonzaga's quest to become the first team to finish unbeaten since Indiana in 1976. The Bulldogs are two wins from equaling the 32-0 record of the Hoosiers and putting themselves in the conversation among the greatest champions in men's college basketball history.

Starting in the year of Indiana's accomplishment, there have been five other teams that entered the tournament with an opportunity to complete an unbeaten season. Most came close to making history. One was knocked out early.

Looking back on each of those squads and how they fared:

Rutgers, 1976

Yes, there were actually two unbeatens in the season Indiana cut down the nets. The high-scoring Scarlet Knights were led by Phil Sellers and Mike Dabney. Another key player was Eddie Jordan, who would later play in the NBA for the Los Angeles Lakers during their 1982 title season and then become coach of the Sacramento Kings, Washington Wizards and Philadelphia 76ers. An independent that season, Rutgers won its first 31 games, including three in the tournament — the field was 32 teams then — to reach the Final Four. A loss to Michigan in the national semifinal ended the run. Rutgers then fell to UCLA in the third-place game.

Indiana State, 1979

You may have heard of the last game of the Sycamores' season when they played Michigan State for the national title. That one matched Larry Bird against Magic Johnson in a game that launced the NCAA Tournament into the massive event we know it as today. Bird wasn't the only star for Indiana State, though. Carl Nicks was the team's second-leading scorer and would be a first-round pick of the Denver Nuggets. Indiana State faced light competition in the Missouri Valley and was 29-0 before the tournament. The Sycamores managed to beat Arkansas to reach the Final Four and then knocked off DePaul and Mark Aguirre in the semifinals. However, Magic got the best of Bird in the championship game, which previewed their classic head-to-head matchups in the NBA.

UNLV, 1991

The only member of this group that was a defending champion, the Runnin' Rebels were expected to use the tournament as a coronation. They were on a 41-game winning streak dating to the 1990 season and conversations were more about their place in college basketball history, rather than if they would win the title. Larry Johnson was a dominant inside presence with the backcourt of Greg Anthony and Anderson Hunt providing outside threats. Stacey Augmon was an elite defender in Jerry Tarkanian's amoeba defense. However, the run met a shocking end as Duke, the team UNLV beat by 30 in the previous year's title game, beat the Rebels in the semifinals on two late Christian Laettner free throws. The Blue Devils would beat Kansas two days later for their first national title under Mike Krzyzewski.

Wichita State, 2014

The second team from the Missouri Valley on this list, the Shockers were coming off an appearance in the Final Four. Early-season wins against Brigham Young, Tennessee and Alabama preceded an unbeaten conference season. Cleanthony Early led the team in scoring, while guard Fred VanVleet was a key contributor in his sophomore season before his successful career in the NBA. Wichita State was 34-0 and the overall No. 1 seed when the bracket was unveiled. However, the committee did the Shockers no favors with preseason No. 1 Kentucky looming as a possible second-round opponent. Both teams advanced, setting the stage for a game that more resembled a Final Four matchup. Trailing by two, VanVleet's potential game-winning three-pointer hit off the rim at the buzzer, ending a special season. Kentucky would use the win as a springboard to reach the national title game, where it lost to Connecticut.

Kentucky, 2015

One year after the Wildcats knocked off an unbeaten, they were threatening to have their own perfect season with 34 wins ahead of Selection Sunday. They did it with an overwhelming amount of talent that shared the scoring load among twins Aaron and Andrew Harrison and future NBA stars Karl-Anthony Towns, Devin Booker and Willie Cauley-Stein. Notre Dame proved to be a serious threat in the Elite Eight. Two free throws by Andrew Harrison with six seconds left broke a tie and then Jerian Grant missed a three-pointer that would have won the game for the Irish. Once in the Final Four, talk centered around a possible matchup with Duke in the final. But before then Kentucky had to get past Wisconsin, which had lost to the Wildcats in the previous year's semifinals. The Badgers got their revenge by spoiling Kentucky's season behind Frank Kaminsky's 20 points and clutch plays down the stretch in a 71-64 win.

Follow colleges reporter Erick Smith on Twitter @ericksmith

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Final Four: How perfect teams have fared in the tournament since 1976