Fans have come from all over the country to cheer on their teams ahead of the Final Four. NBC6’s Niko Clemmons reports
It's the day fans of four college basketball programs - including the hometown Miami Hurricanes and nearby Florida Atlantic Owls - have been waiting for: the Final Four tipping off Saturday.
From Coral Gables to San Diego and Boca Raton to Storrs, Connecticut, college basketball will crown a national champion on Monday with three teams playing in the final weekend who have never been at this point before.
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With all the action taking place this weekend, here’s a look at the four things you should know heading into the 2023 Final Four.
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No. 1 - Miami and FAU make tournament history this season
While the state of Florida is known as being a football powerhouse when it comes to championships, basketball has not always been as successful. Programs from the Sunshine State have been to the Final Four a total of seven times before (five by the Florida Gators, one each by both the FSU Seminoles and Jacksonville Dolphins).
This season will be special as both Miami and FAU will be making their debuts in the same season – marking the first time since the 1954 Final Four that two teams from the same state will be making their inaugural appearances.
No. 2 - UConn’s lucky charm: the state of Texas?
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All-time, the Huskies have won four national championships, including winning their first in 1999 - which was played in St. Petersburg and remains the only Final Four played in the state of Florida.
The last three titles for the men from Storrs? In 2004, they defeated Georgia Tech in San Antonio, Texas followed by a win in 2011 over Butler in Houston - the site of this year’s Final Four. In 2014, the Huskies defeated Kentucky in the Final Four played in Arlington, Texas.
No. 3 - No number ones in this year’s field
For just the fifth time ever, not a single number one seed advanced to the Final Four. History was made in the Elite Eight as no top seed made it that far for the first time since teams began being seeded in the 1979 tournament.
The Owls coming into this year’s Final Four as the No. 9 seed makes them the lowest seeded team since No. 11 UCLA made it to the Final Four in 2021. The four other seed lower than the Owls to make it this far? LSU in 1986 followed by George Mason in 2006, who made it to the Final Four led by current Miami Hurricanes head coach Jim Larranaga, VCU in 2011 and Loyola Chicago in 2018.
No. 4 - First time for everything, especially San Diego State
While much as been made of Miami and FAU making their first appearances in the Final Four, the San Diego State Aztecs are not just making the program’s first appearance - but also the first appearance for their conference.
The Mountain West Conference, which began in 1998, has never sent a team this far in the tournament since it was created. Three members of the current conference - Wyoming, Utah and UNLV - did win national titles as members of other leagues.
