This past weekend in college basketball, the Sweet 16 turned into the Final Four. Now, if a fan had seen the teams that made it to the Final Four at the start of the tournament, they would have believed someone just pressed a randomizer on their bracket. This year’s March Madness saw a lot more madness than usual.
The first team that was able to secure its place in the Final Four was the ninth-seeded FAU. FAU, or Florida Atlantic University, is a school located in Boca Raton, a city in South Florida. FAU plays its conference games in a small conference called Conference USA, where they won the tournament, allowing them to enter March Madness in the first place. The Owls’ path to the Final Four saw them beating Memphis, FDU, Tennessee and Kansas State.
The next team that punched its ticket to Houston was fourth-seeded UConn, the highest remaining seed left in the tournament. UConn has been one of the most dominant teams in the tournament, with none of its games being close at all. The Huskies beat Iona, Saint Mary’s, Arkansas and Gonzaga to get to the Final Four.
The third team that made it to the Final Four might be the best defensive team still in the tournament. The fifth-seeded San Diego State Aztecs (the team I hope wins the tournament) might have had to play the hardest team to even get to the Final Four. San Diego State defeated Charleston, Furman, Alabama and Creighton. Alabama, one of the favorites to win the tournament, was leading San Diego State in the second half, but the Aztecs were able to rally and win.
The last team to make its way to the Final Four is another team from South Florida. Fifth-seeded Miami was able to secure its spot in the Final Four by beating some of the best teams in the tournament. The Hurricanes beat Drake, Indiana, Houston and Texas to secure its place in Houston, where the Final Four and championship game will be played. Two of the teams Miami played were high seeded, with Houston as a number one seed and Texas as a number two seed in their respective regions of the bracket.
The Final Four will be very exciting this year, with three of the four teams making their first appearances in it. FAU, San Diego State and Miami have never made the Final Four before, so they could all win their very first national championship. This year is also the first year ever when a one to three-seeded team didn’t advance to the Final Four.
The Final Four games start on Saturday, April 1, with San Diego State playing FAU at 6:09 p.m. Miami vs. UConn will follow at 8:49 p.m. These games will be showcased on CBS.
