Houston will host first Final Four since 1970 with three debut programs

Did someone say Madness? With our Final Four field set, it has become crazier to look back at how we got to this quartet. However, the road ahead looks just as wild considering the history that FAU, San Diego State, and Miami will make in Houston next week.

The Owls, Aztecs, and Hurricanes will each be making their program debuts on the Final Four stage come Saturday night. According to CBS Sports, that makes this the first year since 1970 where three out of the four teams will be making their first trips to this round of the NCAA Tournament.

FAU, San Diego State and Miami are all making their Final Four debuts.

This is the 1st Final Four with 3 “first-timers” since 1970 with St. Bonaventure, New Mexico State and Jacksonville. pic.twitter.com/QuM8ATEgql

— CBS Sports College Basketball 🏀 (@CBSSportsCBB) March 26, 2023

UConn doesn’t fit this bill considering the Huskies have won four championships in their history.

However, when you look deeper at the history of FAU, SDSU, and Miami, this stat becomes even more impressive. For the Hurricanes, this was just their second-ever Elite Eight after earning their first opportunity just last year. As for San Diego State, this was just their first-ever Elite Eight after losing in the Sweet 16 twice before. The Owls have everyone beat, though, as they had never even won a game in the NCAA Tournament before this run.

In 2022, many complained that the Final Four featured too much of the blue-blood crop as Duke, North Carolina, Kansas, and Villanova all made it. Well, in 2023, those same complaints can’t even come close to being made. It may take some of the shine off of this year’s ending for some but, to others, this stat and these teams will make this one of the most fascinating and unique Final Fours we’ve seen in recent college basketball history.

NCAA Tournament: Final Four tip-off times released

Following a wild first four rounds of NCAA Tournament action, the tip-off times for the Final Four have been released. Florida Atlantic, Miami, San Diego State, and UConn are all on the way to Houston to compete for a national championship in what has been a tournament filled with upsets.

UConn has won each of its tournament games by 15 points or more. They are set to take on Miami, which is appearing in its first Final Four in program history.

Florida Atlantic is also making its first appearance in the Final Four. They will take on San Diego State, which escaped on Sunday after a controversial foul was called with just 1.2 seconds remaining in their Elite Eight matchup.

Below are the tip times for both matchups. All times are Eastern.

Final Four tip times

• No. 5 San Diego State vs. No. 9 Florida Atlantic — April 1, 6:09 p.m. (CBS)
• No. 4 UConn vs. No. 5 Miami — April 1, 8:49 p.m. (CBS)