Well, it’s Final Four time in the Stock Market Madness bracket, which means that semifinalists Starbucks Corporation (NASDAQ:SBUX) and Visa Inc (NYSE:V) will now have to square off.

Obviously we’re dealing with two very different companies, with Starbucks being the world’s largest coffee chain and Visa being the world’s premier payments processor. However, when it comes to SBUX stock vs. V stock, the differences aren’t quite so clear.

Both stocks pay modest dividends. Both stocks have demolished the S&P 500 in the last one-, five- and 10-year periods. But only one can advance into the finals.

Let’s take a look at the matchup.

Starbucks (SBUX)

Remarkably, Starbucks has been able to turn coffee into a $16 billion-a-year business by merit of ambitious expansion, loyal customers and sweet, sweet caffeine. Under the leader of its visionary CEO Howard Schultz, SBUX has enjoyed meteoric growth. Since 1987, when Schultz’s Il Giornale acquired Starbucks, the company has grown its store count from 17 to 20,519.

With SBUX stock soaring more than 290% in the last five years, investors may wonder whether the growth days are over for Starbucks. Well, Wall Street doesn’t seem to think so, with analysts expecting revenue and EPS growth in excess of 15% this fiscal year.

For me, CEO Howard Schultz is the X factor for SBUX stock. He’s heavily invested — both emotionally and financially — in the company that he morphed from a local Seattle small business to a dominant, globally recognized corporation. You don’t build something like that without having some exceptional business acumen.

To fuel future growth, SBUX is expanding into new verticals, namely edibles and alcohol. It has been a leader in mobile payments, and it’s testing a delivery service.

While Starbucks may not enjoy the souped-up growth of yesteryear, it should continue to chug along nicely for years to come.

Visa (V)

In the last round of the tourney, Visa walloped CVS Health Corp (NYSE:CVS) to move on to the Final Four. This round won’t be quite as easy. Like Starbucks, V stock trades at just under 30 times earnings. Unlike Starbucks, revenue growth is expected to grow at a mere 8%-11% over the next two fiscal years.

InvestorPlace Feature Writer Dan Burrows recently touted an important new trend that’s putting wind behind Visa’s sales:

“As we’ve said before, Visa has new growth opportunities cropping up all the time. Tech companies are stumbling over themselves to roll out mobile payment systems. Think Apple Inc.’s (NASDAQ:AAPL) Apple Pay. Every time a new system debuts, Visa wins.”

In the battle against fellow processors Mastercard Inc (NYSE:MA) and American Express Company (NYSE:AXP), Visa is doing quite well. It’s a slightly more accepted card from a global perspective than Mastercard, and also controls costs better than MA does. As for AmEx, Visa recently inked an exclusive deal with Costco Wholesale Corporation (NASDAQ:COST) after AXP’s deal with the mega-retailer expired.

Our Semifinal Pick: SBUX

This is a close one. Starbucks and Visa both trade at roughly the same P/E ratio, for instance. And both SBUX and V have similarly slight dividends, with Starbucks getting the edge at a 1.3% yield vs. Visa’s 0.7%.

However, Starbucks’ growth prospects top Visa’s, and with Howard Schultz at the helm, it’s hard to compete with Starbucks’ elite management.

SBUX earns our vote to advance to the finals.

Head back to the Stock Market Madness bracket to vote for your favorite stocks and check out other previews!

As of this writing, John Divine owned shares of AAPL stock. You can follow him on Twitter at @divinebizkid or email him at editor@investorplace.com.