Final Four Set With Three Newcomers in the Field
It’s been a wild NCAA basketball tournament so far, with upsets and surprises. None of the #1 seeds got as far as the Elite Eight, and the Final Four has no #2 seeds or #3s. It’s the first time we’ve had a Final Four with no 1s, 2s, or 3s, since seeding began in 1979.
The highest seed left is #4 UCONN, winner of the West Region. The Huskies are playing great basketball, beating Iona 87-63, #5 Saint Mary’s 70-55, #8 Arkansas 88-65, and #4 Gonzaga 82-54. This is the sixth time UCONN has reached the Final Four, and the Huskies won the championship four times (1999, 2004, 2011, and 2014). The way they are playing makes a fifth championship a real possibility.
All the other teams are making their first Final Four appearances. Florida Atlantic became just the third #9 seed to reach the Final Four since seeding began after beating Kansas State 79-76 to win the East Region. This is only the second NCAA appearance for FAU; the other was in 2002.
In the South Region, Darrion Trammell sunk a free throw with 1.2 seconds left to give #5 San Diego State a 57-56 victory over Creighton. And in the Midwest Region, #5 Miami beat the lone remaining #2 seed Texas, 88-81.
In the semifinals, San Diego State will play FAU and Miami will play UCONN. Both of those games are on Saturday April 1st. The winners will play on Monday April 3rd. The Final Four is at NRG Stadium in Houston.
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Mark, I was glued to the TV this weekend. The games yesterday were the best imo. I’m surprised no team from Texas is in the Final Four and Florida has 2 teams. Also, I didn’t foresee San Diego State making the Final Four instead of UCLA when the Tournament began.
I do have a question. The season record for FAU was 35-3. They were ranked #9 in the Tournament. The season record for Kansas State University was 26-10. They were ranked #3 in the Tournament. Why?
The seeding procedure is a somewhat complicated process involving wins and losses, strength of schedule, quality wins and losses, (against better opponents) and other factors. Looking at FAUs scheduled, they did not beat a team ranked in the Top 25 until the tournament, while Kansas State did (and lost to some, which would be a “quality loss”). This article from Wikipedia actually explains it fairly well.
Mark, Thanks so much for the information and the link. A complicated process it definitely is. Wow! You made an excellent point about some teams playing tougher teams during regular season. I guess the selection committees had their work cut out for them as well as the seeding committees. Even the commentators, who were former NBA players, had incorrect predictions on which teams would win games. This year has definitely been exciting and one for the record books. Can’t wait to see who makes the Final game to be played on April 3rd.