- That was the last time three new teams made the final weekend of the college basketball season. Well, 53 years later and we get to repeat the feat thanks to an absolutely absurd string of weekends filled with drama, madness, and pure chaos. The round of 64 gave us some nice upsets and so did the round of 32 and so did the Sweet 16 and so did the Elite Eight games. Now we are here at the March Madness Final Four. Are you sensing the theme yet?
On top of all those upsets, we’ve also got a first-time-ever feat since the tournament started seeding teams. Basketball fans will be treated to seeds No. 3 or higher in this Final Four. But you want to know more about the games, so get a taste of them here.
How to Watch March Madness Final Four Games
No. 5 San Diego State vs No. 9 Florida Atlantic
- When: Saturday, April 1st, 2023
- Start Time: 6:09 PM ET
- Location: NRG Stadium – Houston, Texas
- How to watch: CBS
San Diego State vs Florida Atlantic Preview
This is a game that no one saw coming at all and will come down to two wildly different styles of play. San Diego State wants you to play the worst game of offensive basketball you’ve played all year. The Aztecs are here for a rock fight, they want to make your life miserable, and they do not care if the game they play is not aesthetically pleasing. As they say, defense wins championships and there might not be a team that embodies this more than SDSU.
Florida Atlantic is a high-scoring team at 78 points a game and the Owls make almost 10 triples a game. They are not afraid to let it fly and that is exactly the kind of play style that takes down giants. SDSU may not exactly be that, but they are certainly going to be the favorite in this game. FAU moves the ball pretty well on offense and takes care of it, turning it over less than 12 times a game and assisting 14.6 times a game.
Both of these teams are in the Final Four for the first time in their respective school histories. In fact, FAU had not won a tournament game before this season so you could argue they are on one of the most magical runs in recent memories. This game could either be the ugliest thing you have since the last Big Ten Conference game you watched or it could be a fast-paced shootout in favor of the Owls. It’s going to be fun and if the Owls win, we could have an all-Florida final for the championship.
No. 4 UConn vs No. 5 Miami
- When: Saturday, April 1st, 2023
- Start Time: 8:49 PM ET
- Location: NRG Stadium – Houston, Texas
- How to watch: CBS
UConn vs Miami Preview
This is going to be the “heavy hitter” game of the night — hence its primetime TV slot. UConn is considered the blueblood team in this matchup as Miami makes its first-ever Final Four. Miami coach Jim Larrañaga has been heralded as one of the most underrated coaches of our time. If he can will his team to win this game and the next, there will be no question that he will be properly rated after that. He’s made it to the Final Four now with two different teams (the first being George Mason). Dan Hurley for UConn is in his first Final Four as a coach, but the school is at its sixth Final Four.
UConn definitely has the advantage in the front court with a big man like Adama Sanogo who has been dominant in the paint this year. The Huskies then have the luxury of bringing in 7-foot-2 big man Donovan Clingan coming off the bench. Miami really has no one who can match with these guys and the job will likely fall to the 6-foot-7 Norchad Omier. The Hurricanes may go deep on the bench and get the 6-foot-9 Anthony Walker to come in and relieve Omier at times. How that matchup plays out likely decides this game.
Miami’s and UConn’s guards should put on a fireworks show in this game. Isaiah Wong, Jordan Miller, and Nijel Pack are incredibly fun to watch and can get their own shots. They have a heavy isolation offense for their guards. It works for them and puts great pressure on the defense. On the flip side, Jordan Hawkins for UConn can get extremely hot if he gets any sort of space. He will definitely light up Miami’s defense. Expect some exciting offense in this game. We could have a first-timer make it to the title game if Miami pulls off the upset. Whichever team goes on a run last will surely win this game.
