The last time the Villanova men's basketball team went to the Final Four, Ronald Reagan had just begun his second term as president of the United States and Madonna was embarking on her first concert tour.

The year was 1985.

Fast-forward 24 years, and Barack Obama is the new leader of the United States, Madonna, 50, is making more headlines over her attempt to adopt a second child from Malawi than for her music career, and Villanova is headed back to the Final Four.

The Wildcats clawed their way back to the Final Four after upsetting their Big East conference foe, No. 1 Pittsburgh, in the Elite Eight. In the tightly contested East regional final, Villanova held a slight over Pitt for much of the game, but the No. 3 seed was unable to distance itself from the Panthers. After trading baskets and exchanging the lead down the stretch, Villanova's Scottie Reynolds went coast-to-coast to score a last-second shot to claim a 78-76 victory and a trip back to the Final Four.

"You watch games like this on TV all the time and you think it must be the greatest feeling in the world. It is starting to hit me now. When we were out there I was numb," Villanova head coach Jay Wright said.

The Wildcats' last trip to the national semifinal was successful, with Villanova eventually defeating Georgetown in the final to win the national title. But before the Wildcats can think about taking home the hardware in 2009, they first have to defeat No. 1 North Carolina in Saturday's semifinal.

Villanova has already knocked off some of the tournament's top teams. The Wildcats opened their tourney play with an 80-67 win over No. 14 American before defeating UCLA 89-69 in the second round. In the Sweet 16, Villanova trounced perennial title-contender No. 2 Duke 77-54 before upsetting No. 1 Pittsburgh 78-76 in the Elite Eight.

At No. 3, the Wildcats are the lowest remaining seed in the NCAA tournament -- just as they were during their championship run in 1985, when Villanova was a No. 8 seed. The coach that led the 1985 Wildcats to the national title, Rollie Massimino, was in attendance to see Villanova defeat Pitt in the Elite Eight to advance to the Final Four. After the game, he congratulated Wright.

"He said he was very proud of us and was so happy for the team. It was emotional for both of us. It means the world to me to have him here," Wright said of his post-game conversation with Massimino.

This year's Final Four squad is led by a standout group of upperclassmen.

Reynolds, who lifted Villanova over Pitt in the Elite Eight, is second on the team in scoring as a junior. The 6-foot-2 Virginia native averages 15.2 points a game this season while starting all of the team's 37 games.

The team is led by senior Dante Cunningham. The 6-foot-8 forward paces the team in points (16.2) and rebounds (7.4) per game.

Seniors Dwayne Anderson and Shane Clark have also contributed offensively, adding 9.1 and 5.6 points, respectively.

"We have a lot of guys that made big time plays," Wright said. "We have really good players and they play well as a team. I am proud of them and to be able to continue Villanova's great tradition."

The Wildcats are scheduled tip off against No. 1 North Carolina 8:47 p.m. ET on Saturday.