A Series of Four-tunate Events

Miami and San Diego State stamp their tickets to the Final Four; plus, what's at stake for UConn and FAU, and more

Author

Riley Davis
March 27, 2023

It always amazes me how quickly we go from 68 teams to four in such a short period of time (I'm a writer, not an arithmetician). Yet here we are, on the precipice of crowning college basketball's next national champion.

And if you haven't heard, this year's Final Four is a bit unorthodox (more on that later). But that doesn't mean the buildup to it lacked entertainment. Sunday's semifinal games brought no shortage of thrills and surprises. (Though... nothing may have been better than what Caitlin Clark did last night in leading the Iowa women to the Final Four. A 40-point triple-double is insane.)

Let's get to the news.

1. The Final Four is set

The last four standing: UConn, Florida Atlantic, San Diego State and Miami. If you picked one of those in your bracket, kudos to you. Two or more? Head straight to Vegas.

In Sunday's early game, San Diego State slugged it out with Creighton for the South Region crown. The matchup between two defensive stalwarts unfolded how one might expect — physical and exacting, with neither team cracking a point per possession.

The Bluejays, for example, entered the contest hitting 37.5 percent of their 3-point attempts over the past two games. But against the tight pressure of the Aztecs, that number plummeted to 11.8 (2-of-17). Keshad Johnson, Lamont Butler and Darrion Trammell allowed few open looks for Creighton's perimeter corps; any scoring punch from Trey Alexander and Ryan Nembhard came on contested jumpers.

And after halftime, the Aztecs ratcheted their defense up another level. Specifically, Nathan Mensah controlled the game. The senior held All-Big East center Ryan Kalkbrenner to just 3-of-9 from the field.

On the other end of the court, Butler knocked down some timely baskets, and Trammell made enough plays late to hold off Creighton's push. And no moment was more clutch than when he drew a (controversial) foul with one second left in a tied game.

Trammell missed the first but made the second, sealing the 57-56 win and spurring the Aztecs to their first-ever Final Four.

It's poetic that San Diego State gets its moment three years after COVID erased its big postseason opportunity. At 30-2, the 2020 Aztecs looked poised for a run before the pandemic forced the tournament's cancellation. How sweet it must be for Johnson, Mensah, Aguek Arop and Adam Seiko — the four holdovers from that roster — not to mention coach Brian Dutcher.

"Well, [going to the Final Four is] a vision coach [Steve] Fisher had all those years ago when he came to the Mesa," Dutcher told reporters after the game. "And we recruited and told people this is what we were going to do. They all thought it was just recruiting talk, but here we sit."

If San Diego State-Creighton resembled a defensive standoff, Texas-Miami brought the offensive fireworks. Both teams featured pace, connectivity and high-quality shot-making. Let's just say it was a sight for sore eyes after the first contest.

In particular, Texas' ball movement was a thing of beauty. The Longhorns generated open looks off dribble hand-offs and drive-and-kicks, assisting on 14 of their 17 made field goals in the first half (and registering a blazing 1.45 points per possession). Marcus Carr did most of the heavy lifting, using 10 points and three assists to take an eight-point advantage into the half.

Once the second period started, that lead ballooned to 13 as the Longhorns got out in transition, with Carr finding Dillon Mitchell on a pair of alley-oops. But Miami answered. Behind Jordan Miller's perfect game (7-of-7 from the field, 13-of-13 from the line) and Isaiah Wong's awakening (12 points in the second half), the Canes took the lead with just four minutes remaining. They held on until the end, winning 88-81.

The victory sends Miami to its first Final Four and Jim Larrañaga's second as a head coach — a feeling he described as "the same exhilaration, just the jubilant attitude" it was 17 years ago. But think about where this program was two years ago: Across three seasons (2018-21), the Canes went 39-51, never winning more than 15 games in that span. No one would've blamed Larrañaga had he hung it up.

But instead, he adapted. Miami reached the Elite Eight last season, then Larrañaga re-tooled the roster (with some help from LifeWallet) to do one better this year. Now, he's two wins away from immortality.

So what's at stake for the other teams?

2. UCoulda seen it coming

College basketball narratives change at a breakneck pace from year to year.

Take Dan Hurley, for instance. When he arrived at UConn in the spring of 2018, he carried the reputation of an expert rebuilder. A UConn Today article from the day of his hire noted his "impressive two-year turnaround of Wagner" (he won a school-record 25 games in his second season) and the pair of NCAA Tournament wins he accumulated at Rhode Island.

However, doubts about Hurley surfaced less than four years into his tenure — mainly regarding his ability to succeed in March. In consecutive seasons, the Huskies lost first-round tourney games to lower seeds: 10-seed Maryland in 2021 and 12-seed New Mexico State in 2022.

Entering the 2023 campaign, there was no guarantee that perception would change. UConn sat outside the preseason AP Poll, and started 27th on KenPom and 34th on EvanMiya.

You probably remember what happened next. The Huskies started 14-0, obliterating every opponent by double digits. They looked every part of a national title contender... And then the slide happened. Six losses in eight games, to be exact, evoking those same questions about Dan Hurley.

And yet, despite the mounting pessimism, UConn never fell lower than sixth on KenPom after Dec. 1. So maybe its dominance en route to the Final Four shouldn't be all that surprising.

As the AFTER DARK crew discussed, Hurley found the right buttons to push. He optimized Andre Jackson as a slasher and a playmaker and also found ways to get him buckets from the dunker spot. Additionally, the coach unlocked Adama Sanogo as a passer, opening up the offense.

The result is a UConn team that no longer wins with size and physicality alone. It can just as easily run foes off the court as it can lock them up defensively. Of course, it also helps that the Huskies decided to make every 3 they take (Hello, Jordan Hawkins).

So maybe Hurley's "rebuilder" label was right after all. Consider: The Huskies made just two NCAA Tournaments in the five seasons before his arrival. And now, five seasons with him at the helm, "UConn is back," as Hawkins eloquently put it.

Back in the Final Four for the first time since 2014. Back challenging for NCAA championships. Back producing NBA talent. And back with a coach who's up to snuff.

3. FAU far from fraudulent

With every step it takes, Florida Atlantic makes history. First NCAA Tournament win. First Sweet 16. First Elite Eight, and so on. If they beat San Diego State in the Final Four, the Owls will become the lowest seed to ever play for a national championship.

And yet, they feel different than recent unlikely semifinalists.

Compare FAU to the lowest seed in last year's Final Four: 8-seed North Carolina. Despite their blue-blood status, the Tar Heels looked thoroughly mediocre through three months of the season. They lost seven games by double digits and five by 17 or more.

Then, there was 2021 UCLA. The 11-seed Bruins dropped four straight heading into the Big Dance. Loyola Chicago, an 11-seed in 2018, got blown out by a Milwaukee team that finished under 500. 2011 VCU snuck in via the First Four and finished 53rd on KenPom after its tournament run.

No similar demerit can be fond on FAU's résumé. This season, the 35-win Owls have reeled off streaks of 20 and 11 victories, the latter of which they hope to continue. Quip all you want about their level of competition — after so many triumphs, it becomes part of the culture. They expect to win.

ESPN's Jeff Borzello noted this mindset after they defeated Kansas State on Saturday. The piece highlights FAU's poise in close games and quotes sophomore guard Alijah Martin saying, "we're some pit bulls and Rottweilers" — not Cinderellas, despite what media folks like us might say.

Martin's performance justified his words — his proclamation came after a 17-point outburst against a team that finished fourth in the best conference in America. Meanwhile, his backcourt mate, Johnell Davis, contributed 13 points, six dimes, and most impressively, the defensive play of the game. And in the frontcourt, 7-footer Vlad Goldin grabbed 13 boards, as the Owls out-rebounded K-State, 44 to 22.

Saturday's win displayed all of Florida Atlantic's national title-level strengths — its toughness, depth, guard play, shooting, and the Yeoman's work done by head coach Dusty May.

Name brands don't always matter in March. Don't be surprised if Conference USA has a representative on Monday night.

4. Houston, we have logistics

The games tip off Saturday, but here's everything you need to know leading up to the Final Four (all times CT):

Wednesday, March 29, and Thursday, March 30

  • Media arrive to Houston

  • Press availability on Thursday

Friday, March 31

  • Press availability

  • Open practices for all four teams between 11 am and 3 pm, NRG Stadium

  • Reese's NABC College All-Star Game, 3:30 pm, NRG Stadium

Saturday, April 1

  • (9) FAU vs. (5) San Diego State, 6:09 pm ET on CBS, NRG Stadium

  • (5) Miami vs. (4) UConn, 8:49 pm ET on CBS, NRG Stadium

Sunday, April 2

  • Press availability

Monday, April 3

  • Championship game tip-off, 9 pm ET on CBS, NRG Stadium

5. A few more Final Four notes

We'll close today's Daily with a handful of factoids regarding this abnormal Final Four.

  • For the first time since 1979, when seeds were introduced, the Final Four will not feature a Top 3 seed.

  • Three teams will play in their first Final Four: Miami, San Diego State and FAU; this is the first time that has happened since 1970.

  • For the first time since 2006, the Final Four features zero consensus First or Second Team All-Americans.

  • Relatedly, the NABC is the only outlet that named a player on a Final Four team to All-American honors (Isaiah Wong, Third Team).

  • One potential national championship matchup could pit a player against his former team: FAU's Jalen Gaffney if the Owls face UConn.

  • Let's test your conference history knowledge: FAU is the first Conference USA team to make the Final Four since...2008 Memphis.

  • San Diego State is the first Mountain West team to reach the Final Four since the league's inception in 1999.

  • Jim Larrañaga would be the oldest coach (73) to win a national title.

Hook him, Horns

Rodney Terry reportedly will have the interim tag removed today after he meets with Texas AD Chris Del Conte. The AFTER DARK crew discusses what took so long and why Terry deserves it.

Links to click as you mute all the AT&T commercials

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