With Sunday’s games coming to an end, we have our 2023 Final Four matchups set. Number 5, San Diego State, will be taking on Number 9, Florida Atlantic, in the first matchup on Saturday.
Following that will be Number 4, UConn facing off against the Number 5, Miami Hurricanes.
Dating back to at least 1985, this is the first tournament without a 1, 2, or 3 seed in the Final Four. Another fun fact, dating back to at least 1985, this is the second highest number when you combine the Final Four seeds at 23.
The only time it was higher was in 2011 when they added up to 26, thanks to an 11 seed and 8 seed making it.
Now we are going to be looking into each of the two games and my predictions for both.
The first game being San Diego State versus Florida Atlantic, with a tip off time of 6:09PM EST on Saturday.
I think this game will definitely be a close one, considering out of the eight combined games the teams have played, seven have been decided by single digits. Going into this game FAU has the nation’s longest winning streak and most wins in the nation, however, the Aztecs have a very good disciplined team, which I think can play well against the Owls.
I think both teams have a very good chance of winning this game and making their first NCAA National Championship game. With that being said, I have the San Diego State Aztecs winning a close one and moving on.
Let’s now discuss why I have the San Diego State Aztecs winning this matchup and moving onto the National Championship.
I think either way this is going to be a very close game, decided by single digits. Throughout the tournament the Aztecs are giving up the least points on average between these 4 Final Four teams. Why this is important is because watching FAU they have gone on big runs in the 2nd half winning those games. I think San Diego State’s defense is very disciplined however and strong, so I don’t see FAU having that chance to take the lead.
With that being said my first team in the NCAA National Championship is the San Diego State Aztecs.
Our next game is the Connecticut Huskies taking on the Miami Hurricanes, which I honestly don’t see being close. This is the second game on Saturday tipping off at 8:49PM EST, in Houston. Both teams have looked very good in the tournament, both beating some hard teams en route to the Final Four.
Along with that we have seen both teams scoring at very high levels throughout the tournament, both averaging over 80 PPG. Looking into it more however, I don’t think there is a way UConn loses this game.
Miami is a very good team but they are no match for this elite UConn Huskies team. UConn is my second and final team in the National Championship game.
Let’s now dive deeper into why I have UConn winning this game and advancing to their 5th NCAA National Championship game. In their four games played this tournament their closest game played was a 15 point win against Saint Mary’s in the second round. Throughout their four games they are outscoring opponents by 22.5 PPG, while Miami is only outscoring by 11 PPG. UConn is also shooting 50.6% from the field this tournament, and I don’t see Miami having an answer for.
I think UConn walks away with the easy win to take on San Diego State in the National Championship game.
Looking at the NCAA National Championship game, where I have San Diego State taking on UConn, this game I see it being a relatively close game, with UConn coming out on top.
This game is scheduled to take place the night of Monday, April 3rd, with the time to still be determined. This game will be taking place at NRG Stadium in Houston, Texas for the third time. Ironically enough one of the two previous times the final four was in NRG Stadium, UConn won it all.
I have UConn winning this game because of how amazing their offense has been throughout the tournament. Out of the Final Four teams UConn has the best PPG, and SDSU has the best PPG against.
I think San Diego State can definitely keep it close and it won’t be a blowout, however, I don’t think there is anyway they can win. I don’t think San Diego State will be able to interrupt UConn’s very efficient scoring, which will create trouble during this game.
My score prediction is 87-74 in favor of UConn, winning their fifth NCAA National Championship.
Liam Olson
Twitter: LJO_media
*Photo courtesy of The UConn Blog*
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