Raise your hand if you had 1 of these teams in your Final Four.

A few? Impressive.

OK, now raise your hand if you had 2 of these teams in your Final Four.

None? Yeah, that’s what I thought.

Reality is the majority of people didn’t have FAU winning its first-round game against Memphis, and San Diego State was in that ever-popular upset spot with the 5-12 matchup against Charleston. And even if you did have UConn and Miami taking down 1-seeds in the Sweet 16, having a 4-seed vs. a 5-seed in a national championship is usually reserved for the dude who filled out 8 brackets.

I sound like a hater because in some ways, I am. No, I’m not hating because we have 3 new teams in the Final Four and one of my good buddies went to UConn. I’m hating because I’m pre-mad at people who are going to say this random Final Four is a bad one just because it lacks familiar faces.

The only team in the field who had even been to a Final Four, UConn, might have 3 titles in the last 2 decades alone, but prior to this current run, it also had just 1 NCAA Tournament victory since cutting down the nets in 2014. That year, 7-seed UConn took down 8-seed Kentucky, which marked the only time that a non-top 3 seed won a national title in the 21st century.

We know that we’re about to see a second non-top 3 seed join that club. So who is it?

Let’s dig into it:

FAU vs. San Diego State

Winner — San Diego State

After seeing San Diego State twice in Orlando, I grew to really respect what Brian Dutcher has built. I came off the opening weekend saying that the Aztecs were West Coast Tennessee. I guess that’s a good sign for an FAU team that already beat actual Tennessee.

I think teams run into problems against San Diego State because of how physical and long they are defending the rim — Nathan Mensah probably just blocked another Jahvon Quinerly layup attempt by the time you finished reading this sentence. For frustrated offenses, it’s easy to be tricked into shooting 3-pointers. Tell me how that’s gone so far for teams in the NCAA Tournament:

  • Charleston: 5-for-24 (20.8%)
  • Furman: 6-for-26 (23.1%)
  • Alabama: 3-for-27 (11.1%)
  • Creighton: 2-for-17 (11.8%)
  • Total: 16-for-94 (17.0%)

You could look at that and say that the Aztecs have just gotten lucky that nobody has been able to shoot well from deep. I, however, don’t think it’s luck at all. They close out on shooters extremely well. I mean, Charleston, Furman and Alabama all rank in the top 20 in 3-pointers made and 3-pointers attempted.

Who else ranks in the top 20 in 3-pointers made? FAU.

The game plan isn’t to try and shoot over San Diego State. You need to be crafty in the mid-range game. Floaters, pull-up jumpers, jump hooks, etc. The team that can execute that will be who’ll send the Aztecs packing. Do I think FAU has some of that? Certainly. Johnell Davis could make me look extremely dumb and drop a 28-point game in which it’s nothing but 2-pointers and free throws.

But I trust the mental and physical toughness of a veteran SDSU team who stared down the No. 1 overall seed in the field and overcame a late 9-point deficit in impressive fashion. They never panic, they generate high-percentage looks and they don’t rely on the outside shot. Give me the Aztecs to play for all the marbles.

UConn vs. Miami

Winner — UConn

I realize that every single time we say “that team looks like the new favorite,” that team goes home. It happened with Alabama, it happened with Kansas State and then it happened again with Texas. If that trend holds true in Houston, that’ll happen again with a UConn team that got to Houston by way of 4 blowout wins. Compare that to a Miami team who was:

  • Down 8 with 4:30 left in Round 1 vs. Drake
  • Down 2 with 13:03 left in Round 2 vs. Indiana
  • Down 13 with 12:36 left in Elite 8 vs. Texas

Go figure that the beatdown of No. 1 Houston in the Sweet 16 was the lone instance in which Miami didn’t find itself trailing in the second half of a tournament game so far. Mind you, that 13-point deficit was against a Texas team that looked like it was set for takeoff into the Final Four and perhaps a title.

While there’s no guarantee that the Hurricanes fall behind against a red-hot UConn team, I think this is finally where Miami’s defensive woes surface.

If you don’t defend at a high enough level, Dan Hurley’s squad will absolutely dominate. They can do it on the inside with Adama Sanogo and they can light it up from deep with Jordan Hawkins and Alex Karaban. They’re unselfish and they move the ball in the half-court as well as any team in America. The Huskies don’t force shots, and when they do, they hustle enough to clean up the offensive glass.

I know, I know. Miami does that, too. Norchad Omier is a machine. That’ll be an excellent matchup with him and Sanogo battling for rebounds and second-chance points.

But I picture UConn jumping out to a lead and Miami being forced to put up too many low-percentage shots to try and keep pace. I don’t doubt Nijel Pack and Isaiah Wong’s ability to hit those, but not at a rate that’s going to allow them to hang with this UConn team.

Huskies advance.

National championship: UConn vs. San Diego State

Winner — UConn

There are a lot of people who’ll knock this matchup and just say it’s a ratings nightmare to see this play out for a national championship. I, however, would love to see a team with UConn’s offensive versatility face a team of San Diego State’s defensive versatility. It would be a phenomenal contrast in styles, not because of tempo, but because of what both teams do best.

Remember when I said before that you can’t just settle for outside jumpers against San Diego State and you need to find a way to be craftier in the mid-range game? UConn can be that team. I mean, the Huskies actually had their worst 3-point shooting game of the tournament and Sanogo was held in check against Gonzaga … and the Zags didn’t belong in the same gym as them. There’s a chance that San Diego State will guard the perimeter well and Mensah will present problems for Sanogo.

But when you move the ball like UConn does, you can overcome those things. I envision a scenario in which UConn starts a bit slow and then takes off early in the second half, which prompts the “this is why you can’t have San Diego State here” even though the Aztecs are built more like a football team than a mid-major. Again, don’t knock the team who beat the top overall seed in the tournament. It’s not their fault that Alabama couldn’t close out a 9-point lead.

Instead, just appreciate this ridiculously good UConn team.