By Zion Williams, Staff Writer
The University of Connecticut (UConn) Huskies and the San Diego State University Aztecs booked their spots to the NCAA Men’s Championship after beating Miami and FAU respectively in the Final Four. UConn convincingly beat Miami 72-59, while San Diego State beat FAU 72-71 in a much more even contest.
Nicholas Boyd opened the scoring from the three-point line, registering FAU’s first ever points in the Final Four. San Diego State also made similar program history with a three-pointer from Matt Bradley a minute later. After a few turnovers by FAU, Bradley scored again from the three-point line to give his team a 6-5 lead. With 14:20 remaining in the first half, Alijah Martin ended FAU’s four-minute dry spell with a jumper, cutting the deficit from nine to seven.
FAU continued to claw their way back into the game and found their offensive form, which was fueled by a strong defensive push. The Owls had a ten-point lead near the end of the first half, but San Diego State’s Keshad Johnson cut the lead down to seven with a three, ending the first half. Nine different FAU players contributed to the scoring, including three different players recording triples.
San Diego State and FAU traded three-pointers to open the second half. FAU went on an 8-0 run, upping the score to 54-40 with 14:44 left in the second half. San Diego State battled back in the next six minutes, going on a 16-4 run and cutting the FAU’s down to two. Soon after, though, Martin brought the lead back to five, emphatically slamming a dunk and sinking a trey. But San Diego State’s Aguek Arop tied the game at 65 with 4:24 left in the game. It was as back-and-forth as a game could get.
With just 37.6 seconds left in the game, Jaedon LeDee of the Aztecs pulled up and scored a midrange jumper, and his team was now trailing only 71-70. With 12 seconds left on the clock, FAU’s Johnell Davis drove to the basket and missed a contested layup. After receiving the outlet pass, Lamont Butler drove down the court and rose above Boyd, draining the corner jumper and sending San Diego State to their first ever NCAA Title game.
UConn sailed smoothly to a 72-59 win over Miami, a stark contrast to San Diego State’s dramatic comeback. UConn’s Jordan Hawkins scored from the three-point line on the first possession of the game. Adama Sanogo contributed two three-pointers of his own, making it 9-0 early in the second half. Sanogo had an excellent game and was very important to UConn’s success, going 2-3 from the 3-point line and 9-11 from the field.
Miami crept their way back into the game with some key stops, and Nigel Pack tied the game at 19 with a three ball. However, they could not take the lead, and from there UConn went on an 8-0 run. Alex Karaban hit a three at the buzzer to give UConn the 37-24 lead at the half.
UConn’s offensive momentum was still at full throttle early in the second half, with the Huskies increasing the gap to 17 points. Miami was able to close that gap to eight points, trailing 53-45 with 11 minutes remaining, but that would be as close as they would get to UConn for the remainder of the game. UConn cemented their spot in the NCAA Title game, winning by 13 points, their closest result so far this tournament, but still keeping their double-digit win streak for the tournament alive.
UConn will look to win their 5th NCAA Title, being only the second No. 4 seed with a chance to do so, while San Diego State could be the first No. 5 seed to win the tournament. So much has happened over the course of the previous 66 games of the tournament. There is one more opportunity for madness in this final showdown of East against West.
