Baseball began with a bang on Thursday as Aaron Judge homered on his first swing of 2023. We now have just a week and a half left in the NBA regular season, and the sprint to secure a playoff spot has reached fever pitch. And in Houston this weekend there is a little thing the NCAA likes to call the Final Four.
Florida Atlantic vs. San Diego State
The first of the two Final Four games on Saturday features two teams making their first-ever trip to college basketball’s biggest stage. However, that is where the program’s similarities end.
FAU has only been playing Division I basketball since 1993, and this is just their second-ever NCAA Tournament. The Aztecs began Division I play in 1969 and have played in 15 NCAA Tournaments, and 10 of the last 13. When the 2020 Tournament was canceled because of COVID-19, San Diego State was 30-2.
FAU loves to shoot the three-pointer. The Aztecs play suffocating defense. It’s going to be a great game between two Cinderellas, and someone is going to be playing for their first-ever National Championship on Monday.
Miami vs. Connecticut
In the second game on Saturday, the Miami Hurricanes are making their first-ever Final Four visit against one of the deans of the sport, UConn.
Miami was in the Elite Eight last year, so going one more step this season isn’t that much of a surprise. But if they find themselves playing for a National Championship on Monday, it would be the shock of the year in South Florida. In order to get here, they had to knock off both No. 1 seed Houston and No. 2 seed Texas.
Connecticut is no stranger to Final Fours, with this being their sixth. They’ve also claimed four National Championships – all since 1999. And if not for a very crowded field in the West Region, they would have and should have been higher than a No. 4 seed.
The last time a team won its Sweet 16 and Elite Eight games by at least 20 points was 1996. Kentucky won the National Championship that year after their dominant run through the Tournament. Connecticut is the betting favorite to do the same.
San Francisco Giants at New York Yankees
If you enjoyed Aaron Judge’s home run chase in 2022, we have great news for you. After one swing in 2023, it’s back on. The Yankees won on Opening Day over the Giants 5-0, as Gerrit Cole looked like a potential Cy Young winner on the mound, and Judge looked ready to make a run at 70 home runs.
Last season he set the American League record with 62 home runs. The Major League Record for home runs is 73, set by Barry Bonds in 2001.
Judge and the Yankees host the Giants through Sunday.
Dallas Mavericks at Miami Heat
One of the biggest NBA games of the weekend takes place in Miami on Saturday, as both the Heat and Mavericks battle for their postseason lives. Miami is probably in, but they could drop to the bottom of the Play-In Tournament if they aren’t careful. Dallas is currently outside the top-10, and they need every win they can get.