NCAA Tournament 2023: Ranking each of the Final 4 teams – who is No. 1?

1. Connecticut (4-seed)

Five years ago, Dan Hurley was hired by the Huskies and had a dream to restore this program to its recent glory, having really tumbled into irrelevance under Kevin Ollie. Five years later, that dream has come true and the Huskies sit in perfect position after what’s been an impressive run this season. After starting the year 14-0, Connecticut struggled early in Big East play but have figured things out and look like the nation’s most dominant team.

As insane as it sounds, the Huskies might have been most challenged by 13-seed Iona and Rick Pitino, trailing at the half before running away with a 24-point win after the halftime break. This isn’t entirely true, as they struggled early before pulling away again against 5-seed Saint Mary’s. Their two games in the second weekend were sheer dominance, running away from both 8-seed Arkansas and 3-seed Gonzaga, winning those games by 23 and 28 points respectively, getting to the Final Four for the first time since 2014.

There’s a lot to like about what the Huskies put on the court. The frontcourt boasts Adama Sanogo, one of the best bigs in the country, and Alex Karaban, whose freshman season has been fantastic all over the court. Jordan Hawkins is talented a shooter as has been in this Tournament field while Tristen Newton coming over from East Carolina as a starting point guard has been an essential addition to this team. Connecticut is dripping with talent and that talent has really performed in this Tournament.

It’s not just that the Huskies are the best seed or that they played in the best conference; they’ve been the best team in this year’s Tournament. While they didn’t have to face Kansas or UCLA, the top two seeds in their region, they’ve shown no mercy against their other opponents, winning those four games by an average of 23 points. Considering who they’d face in the Final Four and potential title game, it’s no surprise to have the Huskies as a potentially heavy favorite to cut down the nets. After all, this program has four titles in the last 25 years when these other three teams are making their first trips to the Final Four.

Just because these are how we have the teams ranked doesn’t necessarily mean anything in the long run. This Tournament is still open to any of these four teams. When the field was selected and seeded, Florida Atlantic, Miami, and San Diego State all had less than 1% odds to cut down the nets, with the Huskies not too much higher than that. Now, all four are on the brink of that eternal glory; which one will finish the job with two more wins in Houston?