NBA DRAFT WATCH: CBB 'FINAL 4' PREVIEW (SAT.04.01.23)

 

UConn's starting lineup has been steady in their run to the Final Four 
(Photo Credit: UConn Athletic Communication)

Of the 363 teams at the D1 level, including the 68 that were selected to the Big Dance, just a few remain as March Madness has reached the famed round of the Final Four. UConn, Florida Atlantic, Miami (FL), and San Diego State have braved their way through the bracket to arrive in Houston with the chance to capture the National Championship. 

This year's edition of March Madness has made for plenty of excitement through all-time individual performances, unforeseen upsets, and overall unpredictability leaving an improbable, yet worthy group of schools left seeking their "One Shining Moment". 

Unique in their own way of winning, each program has propelled themselves to this point remaining true to their identity: UConn with their size and balance in sharing the ball, Florida Atlantic's guard-oriented, perimeter shooting and freedom offensively, Miami relying on their attacking offense, up-tempo style of play, and San Diego State whose stout defense has kept opponents quiet for minutes at a time. 

Each of those teams will take the stage later today with the opportunity to advance to the National Championship at stake. Below, Matt's Draft Journal provides perspective on each program and it's players that formulate the two games set to take place this evening. 

#5 SAN DIEGO STATE VS #9 FLORIDA ATLANTIC (6:09, CBS)

Both having reached the round of the Final Four for the first time in their program's history, Florida Atlantic and San Diego State will look to earn another win with the chance to compete in the National Championship on the line. While they are considered mid-major programs in the landscape of college basketball, there is no denying the major success of each team this season. 

No stranger to March Madness, having reached the tournament each of the last three years, the Aztecs of San Diego State are 31-6 this season with five of their losses coming to teams who made it to the Big Dance. Taking home the Mountain West Conference (MWC) regular season and tournament titles, they have defeated the College of Charleston (63-57), Furman (75-52), Alabama (71-64), and Creighton (57-56) in their run to reach the Final Four. 

A participant in March Madness for just the second time in school history and first since 2001-2002, Florida Atlantic has found success winning more games than any other team in college basketball this season, as they enter today's matchup at 35-3. Also champions of their regular season and conference tournament, representing Conference USA (C-USA), they won against Memphis (66-65), Fairleigh Dickinson (78-70), Tennessee (62-55), and Kansas State (79-76) to advanced to today's game, with the opportunity to reach the National Championship in their sight. 

Steadying San Diego State is their dominant defense that has rated amongst the best in the country all season, manned in the middle by big man Nathan Mensah. Also featured in the starting five are forward Keshad Johnson, wing Matt Bradley, and guards Lamont Butler and Darrion Trammell. 

A 2-time MWC Defensive Player of the Year, Mensah followed his 5 block performance against Alabama with 3 blocks in the close win verse Creighton. Bradley, the team's leading scorer, has been backed by his teammates during the last two games in which he's shot a combined 3/17 from the field scoring, just 6 and 2 points, respectively. The backcourt of Butler and Trammell have stepped up to help supply the scoring load, with Butler scoring 18 against Creighton and Trammell totaling 21 in the win against Alabama. Johnson does his part on both ends of the floor at forward, averaging 7 points and 4 rebounds during San Diego State's tournament run. 

Florida Atantic's first five features center Vladislav Goldin in the middle, with guards Nick Boyd, Johnell Davis, Bryan Greenlee, and Alijah Martin playing out on the perimeter, powering their offensive attack and providing support rebounding.  

A transfer from Texas Tech, the gargantuan Goldin had his best game of March Madness in FAU's win over Kansas State, putting up 14 points, 13 rebounds, 2 assists, and 2 blocks. During the Owls 4-game run in the tournament to reach the Final Four, the lefty Boyd had his high of 12 points in the win verse Tennessee and has added some timely scoring, including the game-winning basket against Memphis with under 3 seconds left. Davis has been the most consistent scoring option for FAU, scoring at least 12 points in each game during the Big Dance. Including having one of the most complete games in March Madness history when he totaled 29 points, 12 rebounds, 5 assists, and 5 steals in the second round victory verse Fairleigh Dickinson. Greenlee provided his best scoring effort of March Madness in the most recent win against Kansas State scoring 16 points, shooting 4/6 from 3. The active and athletic Martin scored a team-high 17 points in their last game against Kansas State, adding 4 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals, and 2 blocks. 

Providing depth off the bench for FAU are guards Michael Forrest, Jalen Gaffney, Brandon Weatherspoon, and forward Giancarlo Rosado. A part of the regular rotation San Diego State relies on guard Adam Seiko, wing Micah Parrish, and forwards Jaedon Ledee as well as Aguek Arop.

SAN DIEGO STATE PROJECTED LINEUP/ROTATION

F 31 Nathan Mensah 6'10, 230 SR (6.1 pts, 5.9 reb, 1.7 blk)

F 0 Keshad Johnson 6'7, 225 SR (7.6 pts, 5.0 reb, 53.1 fg%)

G 20 Matt Bradley 6'4, 220 SR (12.5 pts, 3.8 reb, 2.1 ast)

G 5 Lamont Butler 6'2, 200 JR (8.7 pts, 3.3 ast, 1.5 stl)

G 12 Darrion Trammell 5'10, 175 SR (9.9 pts, 3.1 ast, 1.3 stl)

G Micah Parrish 6'6, 200 JR (7.7 pts, 3.6 reb, 35.9 3p%)

F 13 Jaedon Ledee 6'9, 240 SR (7.8 pts, 5.3 reb, 1.0 ast)

G 2 Adam Seiko 6'3, 210 SR (6.1 pts, 1.4 reb, 46.1 3p%)

F 33 Aguek Arop 6'7, 225 SR (4.5 pts, 2.9 reb, 58.5 fg%)

FLORIDA ATLANTIC PROJECTED LINEUP/ROTATION

C 50 Vladislav Goldin 7'1, 240 SO (10.3 pts, 6.6 reb, 1.2 blk)

G 4 Johnell Davis 6'4, 203 SO (13.9 pts, 5.5 reb, 1.5 stl)

G 2 Nick Boyd 6'3, 175 SO (8.9 pts, 4.3 reb, 2.5 ast)

G 15 Alijah Martin 6'2, 210 SO (13.1 pts, 5.2 reb, 1.0 stl)

G 4 Bryan Greenlee 6'0, 190 JR (7.4 pts, 2.2 ast, 40.3 3p%)

G 11 Michael Forrest 6'1, 175 SR (8.4 pts, 2.3 reb, 1.4 ast)

G 23 Brandon Weatherspoon 6'4, 185 JR (5.1 pts, 2.2 reb, 33.3 3p%)

G 12 Jalen Gaffney 6'3, 185 JR (4.4 pts, 2.7 reb, 2.4 ast)

F 3 Giancarlo Rosado 6'8, 245 SO (5.7 pts, 3.5 reb, 62.4 fg%)

 

#4 CONNECTICUT VS #5 MIAMI, FL (8:49, CBS)

Featuring one program who's a former member of the Big East and now of the Atlantic Coastal Conference (ACC) in Miami and another who left the Big East and has since returned to the conference in UConn, makes for a unique matchup between the two schools. Miami reached the Elite 8 last season and has advanced one round further this year, appearing in the program's first Final Four. UConn, one of the more successful programs in college basketball history, has reached the Final Four for the first time in ten seasons when they won the National Championship in 2013-2014. 

Having began the season 14-0 and ranked as high as #1 in the country in some polls, UConn went through the storm of the Big East in preparation for their success in the Big Dance thus far. The best-seeded team remaining in March Madness the Huskies have a record of 29-8. En route to the Final Four, they handled Iona (87-63), Saint Mary's (70-55), Arkansas (88-65), and Gonzaga (82-54) to win the West Region.

Winners of the regular season title in the ACC, Miami arrives at the Final Four with a record of 29-7. Having taken reign of the Midwest Region, they defeated Drake (63-56), Indiana (85-69), Houston (89-75), and Texas (88-81). 

Comprising the starting lineup for UConn are Honorable Mention All-American big man Adama Sanogo, forward Alex Karaban, wing Jordan Hawkins, as well as guards Andre Jackson and Tristen Newton. 

As steady a presence as you'll find in the paint, the powerful Sanogo has averaged 20.0 points, 9.8 rebounds, and 1.3 blocks during the Huskies tournament run. A floor-spacing freshman forward, Karaban has scored in double-figures during the last two games against Arkansas (11 points, 7 rebounds) and Gonzaga (12 points, 4 rebounds). Projected first round pick in the 2023 NBA Draft, the sharpshooting Hawkins has had the hot hand against Arkansas and Gonzaga, shooting 9/19 from deep with 24 and 20 points, respectively. An athletic and intriguing playmaking NBA prospect, Jackson has had at least 7 assists in UConn's 4-game run to the Final Four, including an 8 points, 9 rebounds, 10 assists performance against Gonzaga. Transfer from East Carolina, Newton has provided a positive impact during the tournament averaging 7.8 points, 5.0 rebounds, and 5.2 assists, shooting 41.7% on 3's. 

For the Hurricanes their first five features big man Norchad Omier, with wings Jordan Miller and Wooga Poplar, as well as guards Isaiah Wong and Nigel Pack.

A reliable double-double force all season, Omier has continued his quality play into Miami's run to the Final Four, putting up 10.5 points and 13.3 rebounds in the 4-game stretch. A late-emerging but rising NBA prospect, the versatile Miller proved his value in the recent win verse Texas shooting a perfect 7/7 from the field and 13/13 from the line, scoring 27 points. Another valuable wing for the Hurricanes, Poplar put up his high in scoring during the tournament with 16 points, as well as adding 6 rebounds, 4 assists, and 2 steals in the win last round. A legitimate NBA prospect who continues to capture the attention of analysts and scouts, the quick-twitched guard Wong scored 14 points against Texas, having had 27 and 20, respectively, in the two previous games. Having transferred from Kansas State, Pack has provided a scoring punch at the point guard spot putting up an average of 18.5 points during Miami's 4-game run in the Big Dance, while shooting 44.8% from the 3-point line. 

Off the bench UConn brings a palpable presence in center Donovan Clingan, catch and shoot specialist guard Joey Calcaterra, as well as guards Naheim Alleyne and Hassan Diarra. For Miami their depth is delivered by steady guards Harlond Beverly and Bensley Joseph, as well as forwards in the high-vert athlete, Anthony Walker and AJ Casey.

UCONN PROJECTED LINEUP/ROTATION

F 21 Adama Sanogo 6'9, 245 JR (17.1 pts, 7.5 reb, 34.7 3p%) 
F 11 Alex Karaban 6'8, 210 FR (9.5 pts, 4.4 reb, 40.6 3p%)
G 44 Andre Jackson 6'6, 210 JR (6.8 pts, 6.4 reb, 4.7 ast) 
G 24 Jordan Hawkins 6'5, 195 SO (16.3 pts, 3.8 reb, 38.5 3p%)
G 2 Tristen Newton 6'5, 190 SR (9.9 pts, 4.3 reb, 4.7 ast) 

G 4 Naheim Alleyne 6'4, 195 SR (5.1 pts, 1.1 reb, 86.2 ft)
G 3 Joey Alcaterra 6'3, 180 SR (5.8 pts, 1.2 ast, 43.9 3p%) 
C 32 Donovan Clingan 7'2, 265 FR (7.1 pts, 5.7 reb, 1.8 blk) 
G 5 Hassan Diarra 6'2, 190 JR (2.2 pts, 1.4 reb, 1.9 ast)

MIAMI PROJECTED/LINEUP

F 15 Norchad Omier 6'7, 248 JR (13.3 pts, 10.1 reb, 1.2 blk) 
G 11 Jordan Miller 6'7, 195 SR (15.4 pts, 6.1 reb, 54.9 fg%) 
G 55 Wooga Poplar 6'5, 192 SO (8.7 pts, 3.3 reb, 1.2 stl)
G 2 Isaiah Wong 6'4, 185 SR (16.2 pts, 4.4 reb, 3.2 ast) 
G 24 Nigel Pack 6'0, 185 JR (13.8 pts, 2.4 ast, 40.2 3p%)

G 4 Bensely Joseph 6'2, 207 SO (5.2 pts, 2.1 reb, 2.0 ast) 
G 5 Harlond Beverly 6'6, 200 SR (3.4 pts, 1.2 reb, 1.2 ast) 
F 1 Anthony Walker 6'9, 215 SR (2.9 pts, 1.3 reb, 10.3 min)
F 0 AJ Casey 6'9, 213 FR (1.0 pts, 1.1 reb, 6.6 min)