NCAA Tournament 2023: 5 key storylines for Miami vs UConn matchup

ALBANY, NEW YORK - MARCH 17: Head coach Jim Larranaga of the Miami Hurricanes looks on after defeating the Drake Bulldogs during the first round of the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at MVP Arena on March 17, 2023 in Albany, New York. Miami defeated Drake 63-56. (Photo by Rob Carr/Getty Images) /

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NCAA Tournament Head coach Jim Larranaga of the Miami Hurricanes (Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images) /

The story of this college basketball season has been the sport’s competitive balance and parity, which have been on full display in the NCAA Tournament. UConn (4-seed), Miami (5-seed), San Diego State (5-seed), and Florida Atlantic (9-seed) have a combined seed total of 23. The highest-ever seed total came in 2011 when UConn (3-seed), Kentucky (4-seed), Butler (8-seed), and VCU (11-seed) had a total of 26. UConn won the national championship that season and is the betting favorite to do it again this weekend.

With that in mind, here are five storylines to watch for in Saturday’s Final Four game between Miami and UConn.

First time, long time; first time…ever

17 years. That’s how long Jim Larrañaga has waited for a well-earned return to the Final Four. In 2006, he steered perhaps the greatest Cinderella run in NCAA Tournament history, leading 11-seed George Mason to the Final Four. Now in 2023, he’s taken Miami to its first Final Four in program history.

Before Larrañaga was handed the reins in 2011, Miami had won four NCAA Tournament games in program history. Under Larrañaga, the Hurricanes have made the Sweet 16 in 2013 and 2016, the Elite Eight in 2022, and are now just two wins away from cutting down the nets in Houston.

Miami is a high-major program, but it was never able to build or sustain a successful basketball program before Larrañaga’s arrival in Coral Gables. He’s conducted a complete program rebuild, making Miami a consistently nationally relevant brand in college basketball.

13 years. That’s how long Dan Hurley has been a head coach at the college level. Just over a decade ago, he was grinding at a prep school before getting the head-coaching gig at Wagner in 2011. From there, he went to Rhode Island, where he spent seven seasons as the Rams’ head coach, winning an NCAA Tournament game in both 2017 and 2018.

When Hurley took over at UConn in 2018, the program was slipping from its place as a modern Blue Blood, despite winning two national championships earlier in the decade. The Huskies had missed four out of the previous six NCAA Tournaments and were struggling to save face in the American Athletic Conference. Under Hurley, UConn has moved back to the Big East and has fought its way back to the Final Four, where it belongs.

For Miami, it’s their first-ever trip to the Final Four. For Larrañaga, it’s the first time in too long. Ironically, the exact opposite can be said about Hurley and UConn.

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