In fact, the phrase Final Four wasn't used until the 1970s.

" "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. Chay stated that the Marquette basketball team "was one of the final four" during the previous season's tournament. The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) pioneered the term and later trademarked it.[1][2]"