NCAA Basketball: How UConn, Miami, FAU and San Diego State got to the Final 4

A lot has happened since the bracket came out two weeks ago. We’ve had historic upsets and fantastic finishes with the field being whittled down from 68 to 4. UConn, Miami, Florida Atlantic, and San Diego State are on their way to Houston to battle it out for a national championship. The foursome may be somewhat unexpected, but given how unpredictable this season has been should anyone be all that surprised?

While people argue incessantly on social media about whether this group of four being the last four standing is good or bad for the sport, such is the life of tournament play and the beauty of March Madness. Some believe that not having a program with name recognition will hurt viewership while others feel that having a final four like this shows the essence of the tournament.

No matter what people think, these four have earned the right to be where they’re at and we should get ready for an exciting three games in Houston to decide a champion. Florida Atlantic, San Diego State, and Miami are all making their first appearance on the sport’s biggest stage and whether or not that will affect them remains to be seen.

Aside from their seeds, another thing that makes these regional champions unique is that they each relied on different strengths in order to move on. With such a different final four than most fans (especially casual ones) are used to, let’s take a look at how these four survived and advanced all the way to Houston.