By Marc Lawrence, PlaybookSports.com — We’re down to the final four teams in the 2023 NCAA Tournament and for the first time in tournament history no Top-3 seed has made it to the Final Four. It’s also the first time since 1970 that three first time-teams have made the Final Four in the same year.
Of the four remaining teams—the Connecticut Huskies, Miami Hurricanes, San Diego State Aztecs and Florida Atlantic Owls—only UConn has previously appeared in the Final Four.
There will be no No. 1 seed at the Final Four for the first time since 2011. In fact, this is also the first time in tournament history that no top-three seeds made it to the Final Four.
After allowing opponents to shoot just 27.9% from beyond the arc in the regular season (third-best in the country), the Aztecs have upped their game and smothered tournament opponents to 17% from long range.
Florida Atlantic, meanwhile, has won 11 straight games but received little recognition this year despite going 28-3 during the regular season. That’s changed over the last few weeks, however, as they’ve emerged as the Cinderella story of March Madness in just their second-ever tournament appearance.
The Owls are the deepest team in the tourney and play a 9-man rotation.
