NCAA Tournament: 5 key storylines for Florida Atlantic vs San Diego State matchup

First-time Final Four participants

Maybe my Wikipedia skills aren’t strong enough, but as far as I can tell, the last time two teams made their Final Four debuts against each other was 1970, when Jacksonville knocked off Saint Bonaventure. I hope that’s right because I’m never getting those 30 minutes of my life back that I spent researching.

There is no doubt that this is the most important game either of these schools has ever played. For Florida Atlantic, this is only the second time they’ve even reached the tournament. San Diego State has been a tournament mainstay for over a decade, but until last week, they’d never gotten past the Sweet Sixteen.

Even before the runs that put the Aztecs and Owls on a collision course, these were already two programs on the rise. Each school looks to be in the midst of changing conferences, with Florida Atlantic already locked in to leave Conference USA for the AAC later this year, and San Diego State rumored to be in talks to fill the Pac-12 void left by USC and UCLA’s move to the Big Ten.

Just because these schools are new to the Final Four doesn’t mean they didn’t earn their way here. In their wake lie some of the best players, coaches, and teams in the field. Florida Atlantic overcame a second-half deficit against one of the country’s best defensive teams in Tennessee. Yes, the same Tennessee that knocked off Duke one round earlier. They then beat Kansas State and coach of the year favorite Jerome Tang in Madison Square Garden, eliminating the tournament’s most electric player, Markquis Nowell, in front of his hometown crowd.

San Diego State has beaten two 31-win teams in Charleston and Alabama, with the latter win sending home the college game’s top NBA draft prospect, Brandon Miller. If Miller’s draft stock is damaged by the defensive full Nelson the Aztecs put him in, he could always turn to masonry, as I believe he became eligible to join the Bricklayers Union after the 3-19 performance San Diego State forced him into in the Sweet Sixteen.

These teams may be the new kids on the block, but they both seem ready for the moment. San Diego State has won eight straight, while Florida Atlantic is riding an 11-game streak of their own. This may be the first time we’re seeing them in the Final Four, but it may not be the last.