All eyes are on Houston this weekend for the Final Four and two South Florida teams are ready to make some noise.
The University of Miami and Florida Atlantic University are in Texas ahead of their huge games Saturday inside the NRG Stadium.
Miami will play UConn and FAU will play San Diego State.
While there was some rain Thursday and the skies looked gray, fans believe both South Florida schools will shine bright this weekend. The players and coaches are embracing the moment.
Get South Florida local news, weather forecasts and entertainment stories to your inbox. Sign up for NBC South Florida newsletters.
"It's a blessing to be here, we worked all year to get to stages like this and we're looking to make a deep run,” Miami guard Jordan Miller said.
"Once we got on this stage we knew we belonged,” FAU coach Dusty May said.
University of Miami and Florida Atlantic University are on magical runs. They spoke about their road to the Final Four during press conferences Thursday.
Sports
"We just have to stick to the game plan, worry more about Miami than UConn,” Miami forward Norchad Omier said.
"I think when the games start it's going to be like I'm playing at FAU,” FAU guard Bryan Greenlee said.
Students and fans were there Wednesday to send their teams off to Houston. But it's not just the basketball teams gearing up for a big game.
Caiden Gagner is a cheerleader for the Canes. He also got to Houston Wednesday.
"I mean, it's making history,” Gagner said. "They had a whole bunch of stuff waiting for us as soon as we got off the plane. Just decals, everything. They even had the national trophy that we got a picture with, which was super cool."
Gagner is a senior at UM and looking forward to going out on top. He is nervous about this weekend, but hoping he's right about his two picks to play in the championship.
"I told all my other cheer friends, I'm like, you know what? I think it's going to be FAU versus Miami in the final and we're still going on that,” Gagner said. “So we just got to see what happens on Saturday."
Gagner says he’s cheered in big stadiums and arenas before, so he’s excited to cheer in Houston.
“I was at the Texas A&M game when there was 105,000 people. I got to go cheer on for the Elite Eight last year,” Gagner said. "It's something that now I'm a little bit more comfortable with it, but I'm still able to recognize just how incredible it is and the amazing opportunity that is going to last a lifetime."
