They call it March Madness, and the 2023 NCAA tournament has lived up to that moniker. The Final Four is set, and besides UCONN; San Diego State , Florida Atlantic, and Miami will make their debuts in the National Semi-Finals this upcoming Saturday in Houston.
San Diego State
The Aztecs become the first Mountain West Conference team to reach the Final Four and they did that in dramatic fashion by beating the Creighton Bluejays 57-56. A controversial foul allowed SDSU to advance and they will face another cinderella team, in Florida Atlantic, Saturday at 6:09 EST. The Aztecs basketball progam has came along way from the past 15 seasons, in which they had one winning record and up until this year, had not made it past the Sweet 16.
Florida Atlantic
The Owls had never won a NCAA tournament game before this tournament started, but now the team is on the biggest stage in college basketball. The Conference USA champs finished the season 31-3 and beat Memphis, Fairleigh Dickinson, Tennessee, and Kansas State in the tournament to reach Houston. There reward is San Diego State.
Miami (FL)
The Hurricanes join SDSU and FAU as the newbies in the Final Four, but unlike those two teams, they will face a familiar Final Four participant in the UCONN Huskies.
Coach Jim Larranaga does have Final Four experience, as he took his 2006 George Mason Patriots there. Miami beat the second-seeded Texas Longhorns to reach the National Semis, by rallying from a 13-point second half deficit and did it by making zero 3-pointers. Miami was led by Jordan Miller’s 27 points and was a perfect 13 for 13 from the free-throw line and 7 of 7 from the field.
This NCAA Tournament has been a ball, and one could say there is more cinderella’s this year than most, but in the end will one of those cinderella teams wear that glass slipper, or will UCONN make the clock strike midnight on them?
-Ed in Columbus
@Ed_In_Columbus
*Photo courtesy of On3.com*
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