Final Four Preview: Miami Hurricanes vs. UConn Huskies
HOUSTON, TEXAS - MARCH 31: Anthony Walker #1 of the Miami Hurricanes practices ahead of the 2023 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament Final Four semifinal games at NRG Stadium on March 31, 2023 in Houston, Texas. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images)
(5) Miami Hurricanes
NCAA Tournament path: First round – Def. No. 12 Drake 63-56; Second round – Def. No. 4 Indiana 85-69; Sweet 16 – Def. No. 1 Houston 89-75; Elite Eight – Def. No. 2 Texas 88-81 to win the Midwest Regional.
Miami will face its biggest challenge on Saturday when they take on the UConn Huskies. They have some big challenges they will have to face in order to make it to Monday’s championship game. Offensively this team can do a lot because they can score at will with at least three players in Isaiah Wong, Nijel Pack, and Jordan Miller.
Jordan Miller is the team’s best player and he showed that against Texas. He was perfect from the field 7-of-7 and perfect from free throw 13-for-13 scoring 27 points. Wong has not had the best tournament because defenses key in on him but he can get off when he wants to.
Pack can shoot from deep and if he gets in a groove as he did against Houston it will be a long night. The biggest strength for the Hurricanes is the fact they can score in different ways. With four guys averaging double digits in points scheming to stop one or two players will not help win the game. After almost getting upset in the first round to Drake the Canes have scored at a rapid pace.
A weakness of theirs is defense, scoring at a high clip hides their average defense. In adjusted defense efficiency the Canes rank 104th. The defense will have to come to play against the Huskies who have dominated everyone. There is a size down low on the block to overcome.
Adama Sonogo is averaging 9.8 rebounds on 60% shooting and their 7’2 freshman Donovan Clingan is a good rim running big. The size plus the transition offense can become overwhelming for the Canes if they don’t get back and stop the ball. Getting back in transition could determine the outcome of this game.
(4) UCONN Huskies
NCAA Tournament Path: First round – Def. No. 13 Iona 87-63; Second round – Def. No. 5 Saint Mary’s 70-55; Sweet 16 – Def. No. 8 Arkansas 88-65; Elite Eight – Def. No. 3 Gonzaga 82-54 to win West Regional.
The Huskies looked more so like a No. 1 or 2 seed based on how they dominated their opponents. Before Miami the Huskies’ toughest test was Gonzaga and they ran through them as if they were a division two team.
If there is a team left in the Final Four that can cut down the nets Monday it will be the Huskies. They are beating teams in the tournament by an average of 22.5 points per game.
There are two players to talk about on this team and that is Adama Songo and Jordan Hawkins. Hawkins was named the Most Outstanding Player in the West Regional. He scored 44 points combined against Arkansas and Gonzaga and made nine threes. Sonogo is a different beast to deal with.
No one in the Final Four has scored more points than him in the tournament so far (80). He was the Big East’s leading scorer this season, UConn is 19-0 when Sonogo scores 20 or more points. This is a very well-balanced team that can get scoring from a lot of places.
A big strength for the Huskies is their size and the ability to dominate. This is one of the best offensive rebound teams in the nation and one of the best when the ball is moving.
The Huskies rank in the top-15 as a defensive team and that includes their size and length. They are physically imposing on the inside and outside of the paint. They are good at running teams off the three-point line and forcing offenses to go to the inside where Sonogo usually stops everyone.
One big weakness of this team is that they don’t have a traditional point guard. They don’t have someone they completely trust with the ball in their hands when the game is tight or when there is pressure.
Another thing is if they don’t get out in transition and stop them they won’t be able to score as high as they have been. As complete of a team as they are there are weaknesses that Miami can expose.
Ranking the NCAA Men's Final Four Uniforms
The final four is officially upon us. A #9 seed, two #5 seeds, and a #4 seed. Not what everyone predicted! Three of the teams that will take over Houston next weekend come from sunny beach corners of the country. The other comes from the raw Northeast. Florida Atlantic will take on San Diego State in the first game on Saturday. About two hours and forty minutes later, Miami will play UConn. This year’s matchups not only include unlikely teams, they also four very different uniform designs. In ranking the final four uniforms, we took a close look at the unique details each combination entails.
Florida Atlantic and Miami will be the away teams, which historically means they will be sporting the color threads. San Diego State and UConn would then wear white. In terms of school colors, we have three that rock a vibrant design and one that is more traditional. Florida Atlantic, San Diego State and Miami have uniform accents that help make the colors pop. They contain custom aesthetics that represent the school nickname thematically. While UConn’s navy, red, and white layout goes for classic look.
Before we get to our final rankings, let’s break down what we’ve seen so far and what is expected to worn on Saturday night.
Game One:
Florida Atlantic has been the home and away team so far in their journey to cut down nests. This has resulted in three different uniform combinations. The Owls wore the road reds in game one vs. Memphis. They were the home team in game two vs. FDU, so this was their one game in white. As a big underdog vs. Tennessee in game three, they opted for their alternate threads, which is a navy uniform displaying “Owls” in a cursive font across the front. Finally, this past weekend, we saw FAU go back to their more common red away team look. What’s most unique about this uniform is that the last name is printed across the lower back (below the numbers) as opposed to across the shoulders. Florida Atlantic is an Adidas school.
San Diego State has surfed through the tournament with two different looks. As the home team vs. Charleston, Furman, and Creighton they sported their home whites. It’s a standard home design with “San Diego State” printed in black across the chest. This is complemented by red numerals and the school’s strong logo stamped on the lower right trim of the shorts. SDSU knocked off the South region’s #1 seed in Alabama Friday night. This was the one time they were the road warriors and wore their black uniforms. The difference is that the primary black has “Aztecs” printed across the chest. There is no white in this uniform. It’s all black with red accenting. San Diego State is a Jordan-brand school.
Game Two:
Miami, just like their fellow Floridians FAU, has worn three different uniform options in the 2023 tournament. All three are different from each other. They tipped off wearing white with “Canes” spelled out. This is accented by green and orange ribboning throughout the top and bottoms. The Hurricanes then went with their road “Miami” greens in game two vs. Indiana. This is where things get interesting. In the next two games, Miami would defeat the #1 seed in Houston and #2 seed Texas. Both games saw Miami opting for their alternate black option. This has the infamous “U” logo on the tank and shorts. The back of the shorts look like a school color hurricane – with bold waves of green and orange. It’s a pattern unlike any other short we’ve seen in this year’s March Madness. Miami is also an Adidas school.
UConn is the highest remaining seed left in the tournament as the #4. However, their quest to get to Houston also includes a mix of home white and road navy. Their path has been – white, white, white, for the first three rounds. Then, the road navy option vs. Gonzaga in the elite eight. Although, you could have easily confused the two teams given their almost identical school colors. In their 100 + year history (with four tournament championships), UConn has not strayed much from their classic uniform look over the years. They’ve simply varied the “UCONN” vs. “Connecticut” print. The Husky logo on the side of the shorts is such a powerful touch. UConn is a Nike school.
The Final Fit
Typically, in the NCAA men’s tournament, we see a team sport one uniform option all the way through. We may see a team always in their home whites due to being the higher seed. Or a school will can go a more superstitious route and wear a color like maze each game because it is flexible enough to serve as a home or away option.
The 2023 tournament has presented us with some unique color combinations without consistency. To complete a ranking of the final four uniforms here, we assume San Diego State and UConn will be in white as the home teams.
