North Carolina State University

In the 15 minutes before Alabama makes its first Final Four appearance in school history on Saturday, there probably won't be many warm and fuzzy moments in the locker room.

Defending national champion UConn finally touched down in Arizona for the Final Four at 3:15 a.m. Thursday after a long delay and a red-eye flight. Published reports on the Alabama/UConn game are making the case in the Tide versus Huskies.

It feels like UConn vs. the field in the men's Final Four, and the advanced stats show the defending champions have no glaring weaknesses. Alabama plays the Huskies on Saturday.

The average price paid for a ticket on the resale market this week was twice as high for the NCAA women's Final Four compared with that for the men's semifinals, according to a technology company that analyzes prices across multiple platforms. That means seats Alabama’s appearance in the men’s Final Four, along with UConn, Purdue, and NC State are going for less by comparison.

Nate Oats admits it: He whiffed on Mark Sears out of high school.It's OK, though. So did every other major college coach.It is why Alabama's undersized, high-scoring point guard wound up at Ohio University before finally getting a chance to return to his home state.

Alabama needed more bodies. Connecticut and Purdue needed the right fit. North Carolina State had big holes to fill in the backcourt. They all mined the transfer portal effectively enough that those pieces are key reasons that they've reached the Final Four, headed to the desert with a chance to hoist a trophy.

Alabama in the “Final Four?” Never been. Awaiting them in the Valley of the Sun is a pack of angry pack of UConn Huskies. Dominating on its way to a fifth national championship a year ago, UConn has looked even more unbeatable so far in its run to become the first repeat champion since Florida 2006-07.