The final two spots in the Final Four are at stake as the 2023 NCAA tournament schedule has reached the final day of regional action. It’s been a historic and bracket-breaking year for March Madness, which for the first time ever failed to see a No. 1 seed at all in the Elite Eight. Sunday’s Elite Eight action showcases the teams responsible for this story, as a pair of No. 5 seedlings, San Diego State in the South and Miami in the Midwest, will play in the regional finals after beating the top- Defeated Seedlings in the Sweet 16.
The action begins with San Diego State looking to follow its win over No. 1-seeded Alabama with a win over No. 6-seeded Creighton (2:20 p.m. ET, CBS) in Louisville, followed by the No. 2-seeded Texas against No. 5 seed Miami (5:05 p.m. ET) in Kansas City. Texas is the only of the four programs with Final Four appearances, so there’s a lot of individual school history at stake, and even in the case of the Longhorns, it’s been 20 years since their last Final Four appearance.
Whether it’s a first installment in tournament history or a decade-long drought, each combination of Sunday winners will bring their own unique storylines that add to the celebration.
Let’s take a look at some other storylines to consider in Sunday’s Elite Eight action.
Texas is grappling with a notable injury problem
Texas’ Dylan Disu was a big part of the Longhorns’ good results here this postseason. The senior forward was a force in the Big 12 tournament title run and was named Big 12 Tournament MVP. He followed that strong performance in Kansas City with 17 points against Colgate in the NCAA tournament opener and then with 28 points in a game high in a five-point win over Penn State in the second round. On the way, Disu suffered a bone bruise on his foot. He only played two minutes against Xavier at the Sweet 16 and after the game Rodney Terry appeared to indicate that the opportunity to play was almost ceremonial, giving the senior a chance to speak up with his teammates at the Sweet 16.
Disu is officially considered an everyday patient, with treatment and rehab trying to get him as healthy as possible as soon as possible. But the image of Disu, one of Texas’ key players, in a hiking boot on the bench doesn’t suggest this is a minor issue. Texas has great opportunities to start work thanks to a deep bench and some good bigs in the rotation, but Disu’s absence would leave the Longhorns without much of their postseason success at a very pivotal point in the tournament.
Brian Dutcher’s Championship Pedigree
No coach in the NCAA tournament has won a national championship as head coach, but San Diego State’s Brian Dutcher has been involved as an assistant in a championship run. Dutcher assumed the position of SDSU head coach after Steve Fisher retired, and this relationship between these two coaches dates back to Fisher’s national championship run in 1989, when Dutcher served as an assistant on that staff during his freshman year. He’s been in several Final Fours with Fisher in Michigan, while San Diego State as a program and Dutcher as head coach are in the Elite Eight for the first time ever, there’s plenty of tournament experience on the sidelines of the Aztecs.
Miami is in the midst of a program highlight under Jim Larranaga
Larranaga, at age 73, has left Miami in a place where, under his stewardship, it has enjoyed more NCAA tournament success than at any time in the school’s history. With the win over Houston, Larranaga now has 10 NCAA tournament wins in Miami, while every other coach in school history has just four combined. Larranaga is responsible for four of the program’s five Sweet 16 performances, and now both of the school’s Elite Eight performances are making that point in consecutive years. Another win sends Miami into the Final Four for the first time in the program’s history, though it would mark Larranaga’s return to the Final Four after guiding George Mason to the game’s biggest stage in 2006. That experience advantage is an interesting aspect of Miami’s showdown with Texas, which Rodney Terry has in his first-ever Elite Eight appearance as head coach.
Check out the full TV and streaming schedule for Sunday’s Elite Eight games below.