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Can West Virginia, Gonzaga, Duke and others live up to the hype?

Forty years ago, Al McGuire's Marquette Warriors upset a heavily favored North Carolina squad led by All-American Phil Ford, who was backed by a crew that connected on 53.7 percent of its shots in 1976-77.

"If you haven't broken your nose in basketball, you haven't really played," McGuire told Sports Illustrated's Frank Deford prior to that season, his last on the sidelines.

McGuire's team embraced the grit he preached and belied the odds and talent of a daunting Tar Heels squad.

That's the only way to topple a contender and erase the previous hype surrounding an opponent.