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Final Four is a sports term that is commonly applied to the last four teams remaining in a playoff tournament. The term usually refers to the four teams who compete in the two games of a single-elimination tournament's semi-final (penultimate) round. Of these teams, the two who win in the semi-final round play another single-elimination game whose winner is the tournament champion. In some tournaments, the two teams that lose in the semi-final round compete for third place in a consolation game a tournament format where four teams play two rounds of single-elimination games, resulting in a single champion.

The term "final four" is most often used in the United States and in sports heavily influenced by that country; elsewhere, only the term "semi-finals" is in common use. "Final four" first appeared in print in a 1975 article for the Official Collegiate Basketball Guide, whose author Ed Chay was a sportswriter for the Cleveland Plain Dealer. Chaye stated that the Marquette basketball squadron "was one of the final four" during the previous season's tournament. The NCAA began to use the term and later trademarked it.^[1]

The oldest and most common use of the term is in reference to the final four teams in the annual NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship. Each Final Four team is the regional champion from the East, South, Midwest or West regions of the tournament. (Other region names have been used, such as "Mideast" replacing South, or "Southeast" and "Southwest" replacing South and Midwest.) The teams travel from the four separate sites of their regional rounds to a common venue for the Final Four. In the men's basketball tournament, a team must win four consecutive rounds (games) to qualify for the Final Four. The four teams are matched against each other on the last Saturday of the tournament. The two winners emerge to play in the national championship game the next Monday evening.^{[citation needed]}

The NCAA also uses "Final Four" for other sports besides basketball, such as the Men's and Women's Volleyball Championship. For ice hockey tournaments, the NCAA uses a variation of the term: the "Frozen Four".

Because the term is now a registered trademark of the NCAA in the U.S., no other organizations in that country can use the phrase to refer to their tournaments. Organizations in other countries may officially do so. Many basketball organizations outside the U.S. use the term for the semifinal and final rounds of their tournaments—such as ULEB for the Euroleague and Eurocup, the Israeli Basketball Super League, and the University Athletic Association of the Philippines. The CEV Champions League in volleyball also uses "Final Four" for its final rounds.^{[citation needed]}

Non-sports use[link]

"Final Four" refers to the crew of STS-135, the final Space Shuttle mission.^[2][3]

The term is also used in some television shows to denote the last remaining four contestants, such as the Philippine TV series StarStruck and the reality show Survivor.^{[citation needed]}

See Also[link]

• NCAA Men's Division I Final Four appearances by school
• List of the NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament Final Four participants

References[link]

External links[link]

• NCAA official website

Alexey Shved (born December 16th, 1988 in Belgorod, Russia) is a Russian professional basketball player.

Player profile[link]

Shved's best attributes are his athleticism, ball-handling, passing ability, and length at 6'6", which has brought about comparisons to Penny Hardaway, Shaun Livingston, and other lanky point guards. His agent is Obrad Fimic.

References[link]

• NBA.com Profile
• Euroleague.net Profile
• CSKA Profile

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As One
Background information
Origin	South Korea
Genres	K-pop, R&B
Years active	1999–present
Labels	EMI Korea
Members
Min Young Lee Crystal Chae

As One is a Korean pop duo consisting of Korean Americans Min Young Lee and Crystal Chae. Their first hit was the song "너만은 모르길," released in 1999 on Rock Records Between their fourth and fifth albums, their contract with Rock Records expired and they signed with EMI Korea; a label which also manages other k-pop stars like DJ DOC and Baby VOX. In late 2006, As One released their fifth album 12 Tears of Farewell, and started their promotional activities with the lead track "십이야" (12 Nights).

As One Member Profiles[link]

Crystal Chae[link]

• Date of Birth: (1980-04-29) April 29, 1980 (age 32)
• Place of birth: Los Angeles, California
• School: Chatsworth High School
• Religion: Christian
• Family: father, mother, older brother, older sister

Min Young Lee[link]

• Date of Birth: (1978-12-15) December 15, 1978 (age 33)
• Place of birth: Seoul, South Korea
• School: Fairfax High School
• Religion: Christian
• Family: mother, brother

Discography[link]

Studio Albums[link]

Extended Plays[link]

1. [2000.06.28] ONE+ONE
2. [2002.05.22] As One Live Album
3. [2002.11.26] Caroling
4. [2003.11.18] Forever AS ONE (BEST)
5. [2007.03.13] 우리가 알고있는 (So Romantic)
6. [2008.05.14] Double Star (Mini Album)
7. [2010.04.29] The Happiness 4 Us 2nd

Singles[link]

1. [1999.11.25] Ring My Bell
2. [2000.05.01] 사랑+
3. [2000.06.14] Day By Day
4. [2006.12.14] I Wanna be a Christmas
5. [2008.04.03] Sponge Remake 2008 As One
6. [2008.09.01] Zza Zza La!! (Drama Version)
7. [2010.06.16] As One Season 1
8. [2010.09.08] History - As One 연애
9. [2011.01.17] Taste of Love
10. [2011.01.28] NEPA SONG(네파송)
11. [2011.07.07] As One Season 2
12. [2011.11.21] As One Season 2.5

Collaborations[link]

• 사랑도 돈이 되나요 (I'm Still In Love), Can Love Become Money OST, 2012
• Only U, with Donghae, 2012
• Xoxo, with Humming Urban Stereo, 2011
• Lovin Ice Cream, with Ez-Life & (Haro), 2011
• Flight 101, with Oneway, 2011
• 그대도 나처럼, with Yurisangja, 2010
• 그대 뒤에서 (Behind You), The Reputable Family OST, 2010
• 홀로 크리스마스 (White Winter), with Lee Jun (of Solid), Alex, Navi, and Bizniz, 2009
• 사랑할 수도 미워할 수도 (Neither Love Nor Hate), De La Musique Vol.1 - Part 1, 2009
• Cool Running, with Soul Dive, 2009
• 헤어져 (Breakup), Love Tonic OST, 2009
• To Heart, Listen Campaign OST, 2008
• 사랑은 너 하나뿐 (You Only Love), The Rival Project with GO and Shogun, 2008
• 마지막 사랑 (Last Love), with E Sang, 2008
• Smile, with JED, 2007
• White Love Story, The 1st Shop of Coffee Prince OST, 2007
• 네잎클로버 (Four-leaf Clover), MBC Creative Children's 25th Anniversary, 2007
• Happy My Star (Drama Version), Couple of Fantasy OST, 2006
• 가시나무 (Bramble), The Wave - Blessing & Caroling, 2005
• Oh Come All Ye Faithful, Groovy Christmas, 2005
• 미안해야 하는거니 (Do I Have To Say Sorry), Sassy Girl, Chun Hyang OST, 2005
• Sleigh Ride, 2004 Christmas Story, 2004
• 원하고 원망하죠 (Want & Complain), Black Coffee 4, 2004
• Loving You, Classic CF, 2004
• 투명에 가까운 블루 (Transparent Blue), Classic CF, 2004
• 하늘정원 (Garden of Heaven), Garden of Heaven OST, 2003
• 스물다섯 (Precious You), with Kim Jin Pyo, 2003
• Feel...Me, with Park Hyo Shin,2002
• 소중한 너 (Precious You), with Cho Kyuchan, 2002
• Born Twice, with DVS, 2001
• Gook Thuggin, with DVS, 2001

References[link]