Final Four proves magical even without powerhouse programs
HOUSTON — There was no one from Tobacco Road.
No sons of Westwood. And there were no chants of "Rock Chalk" anywhere to be found inside NRG Stadium on Saturday.
But it turns out the Final Four doesn't need to be filled with blueblood programs to be magical.
San Diego State's Lamont Butler stopped, stepped to his left and fired a perfect mid-range shot, releasing the ball just before the backboard lit up as the clock hit zeroes.
Swish.
Then elation, shock and disbelief.
But most of all, magic.
Butler's shot lifted the Aztecs to a 72-71 win against upstart Florida Atlantic, who despite 35 wins and the best record in college basketball this season, had never won a tournament game before three weeks ago.
And that after San Diego State fell behind by as much as 14 in the second half, a game it trailed for more than 31 minutes, before forging the third-biggest comeback in a semifinal in tournament history.
FAU and San Diego State are far from household names and had never played a game in April, but neither team appeared fazed by the grand stage and cavernousness nature of NRG Stadium, coming out swinging and providing early excitement for the fans.
It didn't take more than a moment before the names on the jerseys were no longer the storyline and it was simply another game showcasing two of the nation's best men's basketball teams.
Fresh faces
Along with Miami, out of the heavyweight ACC, three of the Final Four were dancing on college basketball's biggest stage for the first time.
But it wasn't just that they were newcomers. It was where they were from.
FAU is finishing its residency in Conference USA before heading to the American and San Diego State resides in the Mountain West. That other conference on the west coast.
No, not even Gonzaga's West Coast Conference — that other, other conference in the Pacific time zone.
And even needing to maneuver through four rounds of tournament play, against programs with much more history and tradition, the duo stood one game away from competing for a national championship.
Butler made sure Saturday was memorable etching his name with the likes of Bryce Drew, Tyus Edney, Christian Laettner, Kris Jenkins and others with memorable buzzer-beaters in the NCAA Tournament.
Now the Aztecs will have to climb another mountain on Monday against a UConn program familiar with the Final Four, as the Huskies go for the program's fifth national championship.
Dan Hurley's squad continued its impressive dominance of the tournament field with another dialed-in double-digit win against the Hurricanes, 72-59, in the nightcap.
Still magical
Too many voices suggest that upsets are only fun the first few days of the tournament, and that after that the cream should rise to the top.
That the Final Four is better when everyone there has banners already hanging, a stocked trophy case with a fanbase that has standing reservations.
But for those that rued the parity that college basketball has displayed this March that two No. 1 seeds didn't make it out of the first weekend, and for the second time ever a No. 16 took down a No. 1 in Fairleigh Dickinson's memorable upset of Purdue, the biggest night in the sport still delivered.
No Houston, no problem.
No Rodney Terry and Texas? No matter.
The Final Four still gave the 73,860 in attendance at NRG Stadium a glimpse of the madness March has become synonymous with.
Even without Tar Heels and Jayhawks and Blue Devils.
Somehow the Final Four was still magical.
This article originally appeared on Corpus Christi Caller Times: Final Four proves magical even without powerhouse programs
