\ud83d\udca5 The background<\/h3>\n
The 2022\u201323 men\u2019s basketball regular season was one for the books,<\/strong> with upsets of top squads galore. Not a single team remained undefeated after January 3rd<\/a>, and the game\u2019s parity\u2019s been apparent throughout March Madness, too, with many high seeds tumbling in season-ending losses.<\/p>\n So, it\u2019s no surprise that the men\u2019s Final Four reflects this absurdity. <\/strong>Between No. 4 UConn, No. 5 Miami, No. 5 San Diego State (SDSU) and No. 9 Florida Atlantic (FAU), only UConn has ever advanced to the semis, and the last time they did so was nine years ago.<\/p>\n To say anything can happen is an understatement. <\/strong>So let\u2019s get into the teams, shall we?<\/p>\n SOURCE: UCONNMBB\/TWITTER<\/p>\n <\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n How they got here: <\/strong>Though they fell short in the Big East<\/a>\u2019s regular-season and tournament, the Huskies \u2014 in their sixth trip to the Final Four \u2014 are the clear remaining favorites. UConn\u2019s been decisively dominant against their Madness opponents, outscoring them by an average of 22.5 (!!!) points per game.<\/p>\n Players to watch: <\/strong>While junior forward Adama Sanogo remains the Huskies\u2019 season leader in both points and rebounds, sophomore guard Jordan Hawkins is on fire this tourney \u2014 his back-to-back 20-point games earned him the West Regional\u2019s Most Outstanding Player (MOP) award.<\/p>\n Key to success: <\/strong>UConn\u2019s defense is nothing to scoff at, but offense is the name of their game. Not only did the Huskies outscore their four tourney foes 123\u201354 from beyond the arc<\/a>, but they trailed for just 47 seconds<\/em> in the Sweet 16 and Elite Eight rounds combined. Miami better beware \u2014 they may not be the only ones storming<\/em> tonight\u2019s court.<\/p>\n SOURCE: CANESHOOPS\/TWITTER<\/p>\n <\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n How they got here: <\/strong>At the end of January, Miami turned up the heat, winning eight of their last nine regular-season games for a share of the ACC<\/a> season title. The Hurricanes fell to Duke in their conference tournament, but have been impressive in the NCAA tourney \u2014 Miami\u2019s the only squad to have knocked out three top-four seeds.<\/p>\n Players to watch: <\/strong>Damn near all of them. Junior guard Isaiah Wong leads Miami in points and assists and is the ACC Player of the Year, and sophomore guard Nijel Pack won the Midwest Region MOP honor. Plus, they are just two of the five <\/em>Hurricane starters to score double-digits against both No. 1 Houston and No. 2 Texas last weekend. No weak links.<\/p>\n Key to success:<\/strong> Given Miami will face UConn tonight, their hope hangs on their defense. The good news for the Hurricanes? They\u2019ve already forced 43 turnovers this tourney, which happens to be a weakness of the Huskies.<\/p>\n SOURCE: ROB CARR\/GETTY IMAGES<\/p>\n <\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n How they got here: <\/strong>San Diego State has the distinction of being the only preseason Top 25 team<\/a> still dancing, which is even more spectacular considering they’ve never advanced past the Sweet 16 before. But the Aztecs are the reigning season and tourney champs of the Mountain West<\/a> with only one loss since January 31st.<\/p>\n Players to watch:<\/strong> Despite a slow season start, Aztec leading scorer senior guard Matt Bradley shot 43%<\/a> from beyond the arc in conference action, while junior guard Lamont Butler leads the Aztecs in both assists and steals. However, it was senior Darrion Trammell, the Creighton game-winning free-throw hero<\/a>, who captured the South Region\u2019s MOP.<\/p>\n Key to success: <\/strong>As much as UConn is about overwhelming offense, San Diego State is about elite defense. Case in point? The Aztecs have stifled their March Madness opponents\u2019 offense \u2014 three of their four foes failed to crack 60 points. Look for SDSU to try and prove that \u201cdefense wins championships<\/a>\u201d later today.<\/p>\n SOURCE: FAUMBB\/TWITTER<\/p>\n <\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n How they got here:<\/strong> By the slimmest of margins. The Conference USA<\/a> regular-season and tournament champs edged all of their Madness opponents by a mere 19 combined <\/em>points, which tracks for a team that\u2019s never won a March Madness game before this year. FAU embodies the idea of \u201csurvive and advance<\/a>.\u201d<\/p>\n Players to watch: <\/strong>The sophomores rule this squad. Center Vladislav Goldin and guards Alijah Martin and Johnell Davis all average over 10 points per game, and Goldin also uses his seven-foot-one frame to snag rebounds and make epic blocks<\/a>.<\/p>\n Key to success: <\/strong>Grit. The tough teamwork that took them this far is what could shift them from fairy tale to championship contender. They\u2019ll have to keep their heads rotating<\/a> to do so, though \u2014 the Owls hoop in a 2.9K-seater home court, which means tonight\u2019s 72K crowd could be overwhelming.<\/p>\n SOURCE: NCAA<\/p>\n <\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n Houston, we have a Final Four. <\/strong>Lace up those dancin\u2019 shoes because No. 9 Florida Atlantic and No. 5 San Diego State get the party started at 6:09 p.m. ET, followed by No. 5 Miami vs. No. 4 UConn at 8:49 p.m. ET.<\/p>\n\n
\ud83d\udc15 No. 4 UConn Huskies \u2014 West Region champions<\/h3>\n
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\ud83c\udf00 No. 5 Miami Hurricanes \u2014 Midwest Region champions<\/h3>\n
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\u2600\ufe0f No. 5 San Diego State Aztecs \u2014 South Region champions<\/h3>\n
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\ud83e\udd89 No. 9 Florida Atlantic Owls \u2014 East Region champions<\/h3>\n
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\ud83d\udcfa How to watch<\/h3>\n
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