Final Four reading

Not in Houston for the Final Four? Not to worry. We'll get you hyped for tonight's games — forget those prognostications about low ratings — and also recap a busy Friday in the transfer portal.

And if you are in Houston, stop by McIntyre's on Sunday. The Field of 68 will have live shows on site from Noon-2 pm and 6-8 pm, local time.

Let's dive in.

1. Essential reading (& viewing) before tip

We're just a few hours before Florida Atlantic and San Diego State officially kick off games for the men's Final Four, with UConn and Miami following suit about 30 minutes after it finishes. (Here's hoping it's even close to as entertaining as Iowa-South Carolina on Friday night.)

I'm assuming you've watched the Field of 68 live streams the last few days and have most of the talking points down. You know it's UConn's tourney to lose, that SDSU plays nasty defense, that FAU isn't a Cinderella and that Miami is undersized. You get it.

(With any luck, you've also read the Premium analysis of how Miami can win.)

But you've got a few hours, so I'm gonna surface some of the best writing I've seen this week. Call it an appetizer for tonight.

• San Diego State's down-to-Earth approach sums up its program. "“We’re not going to take a guy that says: ‘Coach, I’m leaving a program. I’m scoring 18 for them, I’m going to score 24 for you,’” coach Brian Dutcher says. “We want to hear: ‘Coach, I want to sacrifice part of my game so we can win.’”

• You probably read this one, but it's worth another read: When Dusty May first got to FAU, he thought "I just committed career suicide."

• But on the whole, the Owls aren't much different than the Aztecs. They're all about team.

• What's Bill Raferty's most memorable "onions" call?

• Is Miami now a basketball school?

• UConn freshman Donovan Clingan is thinking about his mom, Stacey, who was a college hoops star herself.

• How UConn unlocked the incredible abilities of Andre Jackson.

• There's no McDonald's All-American or All-American player in the Final Four. So how did these rosters get created, anyway?

We'll close it with this: Robbie Hummel and Dalen Cuff aren't regulars on The Field of 68, so here's a different perspective on how tonight's games will shake out.

2. The portal adds a new target

Hunter Dickinson was a second-team AP All-America in 2021, and was second-team All-Big Ten this past season while serving as the focal point of Michigan hoops the last three seasons.

That's all changing for 2023-24.

Dickinson announced Friday that he's entering the transfer portal. He immediately becomes the best player available — no All-American has ever transferred — while at the same time, he may not be in demand by every team.

There's no denying the big man's talent. He averaged 18.5 points and 9 rebounds this season, and has gone for 17.2 ppg and 8.4 rpg on 57% shooting in 94 career games at Michigan. But he's had public missteps with comments (often from his podcast) and can be a defensive liability because he cant' extend to the perimeter.

What makes sense for him? The AFTER DARK crew has ideas.

Also in the transfer portal:

• Gonzaga guard Hunter Sallis

• Georgetown center Qudus Wahab

• Utah Valley guard Le'Tre Darthard

• Kennesaw State guard Chris Youngblood

• Eastern Washington wing Steele Venters

Meanwhile, two big names did not enter the portal Friday: Devin Carter and Bryce Hopkins of Providence. They'll be around another season for Kim English, which is no small thing.

Another key Big East note: Justin Moore, who missed most of the season while recovering from a torn ACL, will return to Villanova.

3. Off to the NBA

It's not just the portal that's creating college hoops news. We're starting to see more and more players decide to enter the NBA Draft.

Friday had a few expected entrants, along with some who may end up returning to school, depending on the feedback from NBA Teams.

First up? Sorry Kansas fans. But everyone knew this was coming since Gradey Dick is a projected lottery pick.

Also off to the pros:

• Same deal with Kentucky and Jacob Toppin. The senior forward was expected to have a breakout season, but struggled with consistency all season. He averaged 12.4 points and 6.8 rebounds, but given his athletic gifts, he was surprised "to be in college for this long."

• Indiana freshman Jalen hood-Schifino might join Dick in the lottery.

• His Kentucky teammate, freshman Cason Wallace also is headed to the NBA.

• Saint Louis point guard Yuri Collins led the nation in assists the last two seasons, the first player to do that since 2014. He also was the first to hit more than 10 assists per game since Ja Morant. He had one year of eligibility left.Colby Jones was a key piece of Xavier's resurgent season. He's foregoing any eligibility.

• Armaan Franklin, a two-year starter for Virginia.

• Texas sophomore guard Tyrese Hunter will go through the draft process, but retain his eligibility.

• Same for Alabama guard Jahvon Quinerly.

Uh, is this even a question?

Just in case you've gotten this far and have still forgotten the men's Final Four is tonight, here's the final reminder. Here's to two good games on tap.

• Florida Atlantic (35-3) vs. San Diego State (31-6), 6:09 pm ET (CBS)

• Miami (29-7) vs. UConn (29-8), approx. 8:49 pm ET (CBS)

Some fun for the Final Four

Your bracket's in shambles, and you're done with betting. But ... you're still jonesing for a some rooting interest in the Final Four.

You can always try Underdog Fantasy.

That way, if you've got a good feeling about Nigel Pack or Jordan Hawkins having a big game, but not much else, you can roll with that. The Field of 68 crew has their own thoughts on that, along with a promo code that'll get you started,

Thanks for reading The Field of 68 Daily! If you have a news tip or feedback, email us at [email protected].

And don't forget to listen to The Field of 68 AFTER DARK every night at 11 pm ET on Sirius XM radio, or watch it on YouTube and Twitter.