March Madness: Final Four preview

The nets are still hanging in San Antonio, but they won’t be for long. On Saturday, the last four teams standing in the NCAA Tournament will compete at the Alamodome in the fittingly named Final Four. On Monday, the winners of those two games will meet for the final game of the year, and one team will be crowned the 2025 national champions.

The teams that have made it this far were the four No. 1 seeds left in the tournament: Duke, Auburn, Florida and Houston. It is the first time since 2008 that all four top seeds made the Final Four, and just the second time in history.

Find out everything you need to know about the teams, the players, and when and how to watch ahead of college basketball’s championship weekend.

Where to watch

The Final Four will feature two games, both on Saturday. The first is between SEC rivals Florida and Auburn. It will tip off at 6:09 p.m. ET. In the second, Duke will face off against Houston, with this game scheduled to top off at 8:49 p.m. ET. The games will be broadcast on CBS and also available for streaming on Fubo.

Both games will be played at the Alamodome in San Antonio, which could theoretically affect timings for the second game.

The National Championship will be played at the same venue on Monday night at 8:50 p.m. ET, also on CBS and Fubo.

Auburn vs. Florida

The first game of the day features two conference rivals who have already faced off once this season. The matchup came on Feb. 8, when Florida went on the road to defeat top-ranked Auburn, 90-81, ending the latter’s 14-game win streak.

Florida comes into this game on the heels of two nail-biting victories in this year’s NCAA Tournament. In the Second Round, they were taken to the brink by two-time defending champions (8) Connecticut, eking out a 77-75 victory. Then, in the Elite Eight, Florida had to come back from a 10-point deficit late in the second half to defeat (3) Texas Tech and advance to the Final Four. 

The Gators have been led by senior guard Walter Clayton Jr. On the season, he averaged 18.1 points per game, but he has increased that figure in tournament play to 22.3. He was key for Florida in the comeback over Texas Tech, hitting a series of 3-pointers down the stretch to seal the win. 

Another crucial player for Florida will be sophomore big man Alex Condon. He is a beast on the glass, leading the team in rebounding (7.7 per game) and shot blocking (1.4) in the regular season. He’s also capable of stepping out beyond the 3-point line when the Gators’ rim pressure draws the defense in.

Auburn, on the other hand, has yet to be challenged like Florida has in the NCAA Tournament. The Tigers are coming off four comfortable wins, including an Elite Eight victory over (2) Michigan State where they jumped out to an early 15-point lead which they never relinquished, ultimately prevailing 70-64. 

Senior big Johni Broome has been the star for Auburn this year, averaging 18.7 points, 10.9 rebounds and 2.1 blocks per game, all leading the team. In the tournament so far, his scoring has dipped slightly to 17.3 points per game, but he has still been a force in the paint.

Freshman guard Tahaad Pettiford has helped to pick up some of the scoring burden, equaling Broome’s average of 17.3 points per game in tournament play. While he scored just 11.7 points per game during the regular season, he proved himself as an outside threat, shooting 37% from beyond the 3-point line on the year.

Three-point shooting was a major factor in the first matchup between these two teams. Florida hit 13 of its 33 shots from deep, while Auburn converted on just 7 of 22. The Tigers won both the turnover and offensive rebounding battles, gaining numerous extra possessions. However, a poor shooting night all around left them unable to take advantage of these chances.

Both teams will need to contain their opponent’s star to secure a victory. Auburn will have to try to keep the ball out of Clayton Jr.’s hands and force Florida’s supporting cast to carry the scoring burden. The Gators, on the other hand, will have to key in on Broome, and Condon, their best rim protector, will have to try to stay out of foul trouble.

Duke vs. Houston

The day’s second game is a matchup of strength on strength. Duke’s electric offense will be up against Houston’s suffocating defense. 

Duke has been the most dominant team of the tournament so far, scoring 85 points or more in each of their four games. Its closest contest came with (4) Arizona in the Sweet 16, where the Blue Devils prevailed 100-93 in a shootout. 

Coach Jon Scheyer and Duke have a star-studded roster that is perhaps one of the most talented in college basketball history. Led by three freshmen who are potential top-10 picks in the upcoming NBA Draft (Cooper Flagg, Kon Knueppel and Khaman Maluach), they also boast three other guards all shooting above 40% from 3-point range on the season (Tyrese Proctor, Sion James and Isaiah Evans).

Flagg is the undisputed leader of the team. He leads the team in scoring, rebounding, assists and steals, and he is tied for the lead in blocks. He is Duke’s offensive hub and also the head of the snake on defense. At just 18 years old, this is why experts agree he will be the top NBA Draft pick this upcoming year.

In the Elite Eight game against (2) Alabama, however, Flagg had a relatively quiet performance, but that did not prevent the Blue Devils from winning by 20. In his place, Knueppel stepped up, with 21 points, 5 assists and 3 steals to lead the team. 

Maluach was also dominant, converting 6 of his 7 shots on his way to 14 points, 9 rebounds and 2 blocks.

On Houston’s side, they are headed by three guards who can all effectively pressure the ball on defense and knock down 3-pointers on the other end. Senior L.J. Cryer led the team in scoring in the regular season with 15.4 points per game.

In the tournament, Cryer has been boom-or-bust, leading the way in a tight game against (8) Gonzaga in the Second Round with 30 points. He struggled in Houston’s Sweet 16 rock fight against (4) Purdue, scoring just 5 points in a narrow 62-60 victory.

The trio is rounded out by juniors Milos Uzan and Emanuel Sharp. The former’s scoring has been up and down, but he carries much of the load distributing the ball for the Cougars, averaging 4.4 assists per game on the season and 5 per game in tournament play. The latter has been Houston’s most consistent scorer in the tournament, averaging 15 points in his last three games.

Houston’s identity is centered around ball pressure and defense. On the season, they have allowed under 60 points per game to opponents on just 38.1% shooting. The question will be if they can set the tone against a Duke team with threats all over the floor.

They key to the game may well end up being the matchup that is less talked about: Houston’s offense vs. Duke’s defense. Duke has already allowed 93 points to a team in the tournament. They prevailed by scoring in triple digits, but this will be a difficult script to replicate against the nation’s top defense.

Houston’s defense has been vulnerable at times this season. They have won 17 straight games, but their last loss came in a 82-81 slugfest against Texas Tech. They also surrendered 86 points to Kansas in a 92-86 win earlier in the year. In both of these games, Houston lost the 3-point battle and got into foul trouble, allowing its opponent to shoot over 30 free throws. These games will surely be on Cougar coach Kelvin Sampson’s mind as his team heads into the Final Four.