South Florida: A college basketball hot bed for Final Four teams: CBS News Miami's Steve Goldstein
MIAMI -- South Florida is the envy of the college basketball world.
That's right, forget about states like North Carolina, Kentucky and California.
The University of Miami and Florida Atlantic University are both in Saturday's Final Four and remarkably, could meet in next Monday's NCAA championship game. All three Final Four games will be televised on CBS.
The U...Basketball School
The Hurricanes run isn't a shock as Jim Larranaga's team has been solid all season, finished the regular season as co-ACC champs and made a run to the elite 8 last season.
The team used the fuel from last year's loss that left them short of the Final Four, to get over the hump against Texas Sunday. The Canes trailed most of the game game...until crunch time arrived.
They showed what they were made of and proved they aren't a Cinderella story by dominating a strong Texas team down the stretch. The Longhorns led by 13 points in the 2nd half before UM took over. For Larranaga, he goes to his 2nd Final Four after leading upstart George Mason there, nearly 20 years ago.
Winning in Paradise
FAU's story in remarkable.
With players that think team first all the time, coach Dusty May and the Owls are on the national map.
They had a dominant season that had them right around 25th in the national rankings but still, many people didn't take notice.
Everyone's eyes are wide open now. The Owls came through with solid wins over big time national programs in the tournament, showing they belong. The football program in Boca has received the attention over the years as the basketball program has built itself up over the last few seasons, culminating in this year's amazing campaign.
FAU won conference USA.
Saturday's Matchups
FAU plays the first game of the Final Four doubleheader, taking on another surprise team in San Diego State.
The Aztecs won a thriller against Creighton, and like FAU, they're also making their first Final Four appearance. Tip-off on CBS is 6:09 p.m.
Then it's the Canes turn, in their first Final Four, against Connecticut. The Huskies are not a big surprise as they had a strong season in the Big East.
UCONN is the only school of the four that has been to the Final Four before. Gametime is scheduled for 8:49 p.m.
No matter who wins the semi-final games, it has been a magical time for college basketball in South Florida, something many doubted we would ever see. But Miami and FAU playing for the title would take it to another level!
