San Antonio's Final Four tournament will feature the top-ranked seeds from Texas, readying for their basketball showdown.
In the colossal showdown of the 2024-25 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament's Final Four, Texas' Alamodome will witness an epic clash, a first since 2008, as the four No. 1 seeds battle it out for the ultimate prize – a national championship.
The stage is set for an electrifying Saturday evening, featuring two powerhouse Southeastern Conference (SEC) teams, Auburn and Florida, squaring off at 6 p.m. ET. The victor will face Duke or Houston, set to face off at an electrifying 8:50 p.m. ET, both games airing on CBS.
On Monday, the victorious teams from these showdowns will face each other once more in the national championship game at 8:50 p.m. ET.
SEC's College Basketball Dominance Shines
From football-dominated southern sports fields to basketball prominence, the SEC has truly conquered the season. With Auburn seizing the regular-season championship and Florida the conference tournament title, it's guaranteed that a SEC team will compete in the national championship game on Monday.
Coach Todd Golden of Florida summed it up best: "The SEC has had the best efficiency margin over any league for the past 20 years, I believe. The success that the league has had in the tournament has been pretty amazing. To your point, whether it's us or Auburn, one of us is going to be playing for a national championship on Monday night. I think that speaks enough for itself."
Auburn has stomped their way through Alabama State, Creighton, and Michigan before a more challenging Elite Eight test against Michigan State to reach San Antonio. In contrast, Florida's recent success – ten straight victories dating back to February 25, and a 34-4 record – has seen Bruce Pearl viewing his Auburn Tigers as the underdog despite being the tournament's top overall seed.
Florida's last meeting with Auburn was on February 8, a clash that ended Auburn's impressive 14-game winning streak. The Gators, under the leadership of Walter Clayton Jr. and Alijah Martin, will seek to exploit their high-scoring offense that averages 85 points per game, while Auburn, led by SEC player of the year Johni Broome, counters with an offense that stands tall alongside their counterpart.
Although the two teams have familiarized themselves through the conference season, coach Todd Golden expressed a confident outlook: "We're going to show these guys what we call our keys in personnel probably three more times before the ball goes in the air. I would venture to guess Will (Richard, senior guard) could tell you player by player right now the tendencies that each of these Auburn players have..."
Houston and Duke: A Fight for the Known and the Unexpected
Houston, the only team to journey the route to the Final Four in the Lone Star State, will need all the home-state support to challenge the much-favored Duke squad. The Blue Devils have looked invincible in their recent run to the Final Four, save for their one test against Arizona in the Sweet 16 and a tough Elite Eight matchup against Alabama.
Led by Cooper Flagg, who could claim the Naismith Player of the Year award on Saturday, Duke's formidable roster boasts veterans Tyrese Proctor and Sion James, as well as freshman standouts Kon Knueppel and Khaman Maluach.
"First of all, they don't have any freshmen. They were freshmen in November and December. They were sophomores in January and February. March and April, they're vets," Houston head coach Kelvin Sampson mused. "I watch Cooper Flagg... His ceiling is just his size, finishes with his left hand around the paint, right hand has a floater, can make a three. Really good free throw shooter."
The Cougars, however, are known for their smothering defense. Specializing in intensity and familiarity, their disciplined unit only allows a mere 58 points per game on average and restricts opponents to just 38% shooting from the field.
Should Houston's defense succeed in containing Flagg and company, the Lone Star State has a real chance of representing itself in the national title game on Monday.
"You have to give them a lot of credit for what they've been able to do all year long with the pressure and the effort they play with every single night," Flagg acknowledged. "Just seeing the amount of effort and pressure they're able to put on teams is the biggest thing I've seen so far."
- The Auburn Tigers, celebrating their success in the SEC, usually bound onto the court with an offense that is as formidable as Florida's, often averaging 85 points per game.
- In the Final Four of the 2024-25 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament, Auburn, with their impressive victory against Michigan State, cruised into the national championship game alongside Florida.
- Auburn and Florida, both hailing from the SEC, will celebrate their conference's basketball dominance as they face off in the national championship game, where one of them will be crowned the ultimate winner on Monday.
