What is a primary characteristic of the teams that make it to the "Final Four"?

The primary characteristic of the teams that make it to the "Final Four" is that they are the last four teams remaining in the tournament. This statement accurately reflects the structure of the NCAA basketball tournament, also known as March Madness. The tournament is designed as a single-elimination format where teams compete in rounds, and as teams win their matches, they progress through the bracket. By the time the tournament reaches the Final Four, only four teams will have advanced through multiple rounds of play, thereby earning their place as the final contenders for the national championship.

While top-seeded teams often have an advantage, being a top seed does not guarantee advancement to the Final Four, as upsets frequently occur. Alumni participation and win-loss ratios, though they may indicate a program's overall strength, do not directly determine which four teams reach this crucial stage of the tournament. Thus, the defining feature of the Final Four remains that they are simply the last four teams standing in the championship bracket.