By DaVince “Dino” Wright
This year’s Final Four Tournament will be the strangest basketball tournament in history. Usually, you would see Duke, Kentucky, Kansas, UCLA and Michigan State playing for the title. Can you digest Florida Atlantic, San Diego State, Miami and Connecticut gearing up to hoist the national championship. Millions upon millions of hoop heads and critics picked 30 other teams than these. Heck, I was going with Texas, but was crazy about Baylor when it all started. Here we are on the cusp of crowning another champion but trying to figure out who these guys are and how they got to the final four. Allow me to briefly give you some insights on the teams and pick my champions of the 2022/2023 college basketball season.
Game Info
#9 Florida Atlantic University Owls vs #5 San Diego State University Aztec
Saturday – April 1 – 5:09 p.m.
TV: CBS
NRG Stadium – Houston, TX
#9 FAU Owls
The Owls have taken the road less traveled. FAU was the sleeping giant team that has defeated solid teams on the road and at home. If you want to play a close game on the road with the score in the low 50’s, FAU has proven from time to time that they will grind it out with anyone. Sophomore guard Johnell Davis leads this team in scoring with 13.9 points a game.
#5 SDSU Aztecs
The Aztecs are a solid team that has been on the outside looking in for the past 3 years. The Aztecs are led by senior guard Matt Bradley who has 12.5 points a game with 3.8 rebounds and 2.1 assists. His numbers won’t blow you away but he’s the key for the Aztecs on both ends of the floor. Rebounding will take center stage for the Aztecs because they average 8 more rebounds on both ends of the floor.
Prediction
This is the Cinderella game of this year’s final four. I really like both teams and ESPN is taking SDSU by 15%. The over/under is 132, so take the over for this one. I’m taking SDSU by 6.
Final Score
SDSU – 78
FAU – 72
Game Info
#5 University of Miami Hurricanes vs #4 University of Connecticut Huskies
Saturday – April 1 – 7:49 p.m.
TV: CBS
NRG Stadium – Houston, TX
#5 Miami Hurricanes
Miami has length across the board. The average height for the Hurricanes is 6’5! Miami’s length has been a nightmare for opposing teams. They led their conference in rebounding, blocks and second chance points. Junior forward Adama Sanogo leads the team in scoring with 17.1 points per game and rebounding with 7.5 he will be the key for a Miami win.
#4 Connecticut Huskies
The Huskies are led by a young man that puts me in the mind of a former UConn guard Caron Butler. Junior guard Isaiah Wong. He can score as needed, but also plays tough defense on the wing and in the paint.
He averages 16.2 points per game while leading his team in steals. He’s third on the team in rebounding. Miami is on a 4-game win streak beating teams like Texas, Houston, IU and Drake.
Prediction
ESPN has the Huskies with a 76.7% chance of heading to the championship game. The over/under is 149.5, so take the over in this one. I’m taking UConn by 9!
Final Score
Huskies – 89
Hurricanes – 80