A men’s basketball Final Four lineup like this one doesn’t happen often. In fact, as regular tournament followers well know, a weekend comprised entirely of No. 1 seeds like the current quartet gathered in San Antonio has only happened once before.
But while an ensemble of this caliber offers great promise for an entertaining climax to the season, a fantastic finish is not a guarantee. The prior iteration of all top seeds in 2008, also in San Antonio by coincidence, did yield a classic title game but the semifinal contests were both forgettable. What we do have then are high hopes that the on-court product in 2025 will live up to the hype and provide us with an event we’ll remember for a long time.
There are a couple of things we can say for certain heading into Saturday’s contests. One finalist will be an SEC team, and the other will be a squad that dominated its power conference all season.
Here’s a look at the matchups:
No. 1 Auburn vs. No. 1 Florida
Time/TV: 6:09 p.m. ET, CBS
The participants in this all-SEC showdown aren’t as familiar with each other as they could be. They only met once in the regular season, and their first potential rematch in the conference tournament was derailed when Auburn was bounced by Tennessee in the semifinals. That result, along with a couple other late setbacks down the stretch, is why, unlike last week, the Tigers might actually have a case to play the underdog card here despite being designated the tournament’s overall top seed. Another reason, of course, is that the Gators took that first meeting on Auburn’s home court.
Florida’s first priority will be keeping Auburn’s star big man Johni Broome under wraps. The Gators have a number of options there, as frontcourt starters Alex Condon and Rueben Chinyelu have been joined by key reserve Micah Handlogten, another seven-footer who had planned to redshirt but rejoined the team in mid-February to provide needed depth. Broome for his part is still likely to post yet another double double by night’s end, and Dylan Cardwell can help on the glass. But the Tigers are going to need points from the arc to keep pace with the Gators. Tahaad Pettiford has had a good tournament thus far, but the Tigers need better shot selection from Miles Kelly can continued success from Denver Jones.
Ah yes, about those Gators’ scorers. As we’ve seen, it will probably be Walter Clayton Jr. taking the big shot when needed, which means he’s likely to draw attention from Auburn’s Chad Baker-Mazara. But Florida also has Elijah Martin, who has Final Four experience from his time at Florida Atlantic, to help alleviate the ball pressure on the perimeter.
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No. 1 Duke vs. No. 1 Houston
Time/TV: 8:49 p.m. ET, CBS
The Saturday nightcap at the Alamodome features two of the sport’s heavyweights. Both programs were at or near the top of the polls from the outset, and their respective performances in March certainly justified their lofty rankings. Duke sent the top-seeded Cougars packing in the Sweet 16 a year ago, though both teams have since gone through considerable changes.
At first glance, one might project this to be a low-scoring affair. Houston gives up a mere 58.3 points a game, while the Blue Devils aren’t far behind on the defensive end allowing just 62.6. The game might indeed unfold in that manner, but there could be more points than one might expect given all the offensive weapons on both sides.
Houston is rightly identified as a defense-first team, but its three-point prowess this season is somewhat underappreciated. L.J. Cryer, Emanuel Sharp and Milos Uzan all shoot better than 40% from the arc, and the Cougars grabbing nearly 13 offensive rebounds per game helps even some of the misses turn into points. As Alabama just learned, however, Duke’s length on the perimeter could prove more difficult to solve. The Blue Devils’ offense does not rely solely on Cooper Flagg, though he will touch the ball on most possessions. His freshman classmates Kon Knueppel and Khaman Maluach have been just as valuable finishing at the rim, and Tyrese Proctor’s recent hot shooting gives the Cougars’ excellent defenders another element to consider.
