This is the strongest Final Four since the NCAA tournament expanded in 1985. It’s hard to argue otherwise.
This is just the second time all four No. 1 seeds advanced to the Final Four. It has four of the top 10 highest-rated teams in KenPom.com history, which dates back to the 1996-97 season.
Advertisement
This tournament has been a little dry, in terms of great games, surprise storylines, upsets and Cinderellas. But that all led to a Final Four that may never be replicated. An all-time great Final Four would be the legacy of this tournament, not the relative disappointment that preceded it.
Here are the picks for the Final Four games on Saturday, with odds from BetMGM:
(All times Eastern.)
Think of the Final Four this way: Auburn ranks higher at KenPom than all but six teams from 1997-2024, yet it ranks fourth in this Final Four and has BetMGM’s longest odds to win it all at +525. Auburn would have been the favorite in 21 of the past 27 tournaments, if KenPom was used to set the odds.
Advertisement
Part of the reason Auburn trails the field is Johni Broome’s health. Broome went down in the second half of the Elite Eight win with an elbow injury when he landed hard on the court. Broome came back into that game and there doesn’t seem to be any concern that he won’t play Saturday, but he did miss practices to start the week. Broome is a national player of the year contender along with favorite Cooper Flagg, and if he’s not 100% it would obviously affect Auburn.
But if Broome is at his normal level, Auburn is capable of winning it all. The way Florida gave up points in the paint to Texas Tech in the Elite Eight will be noted by the Tigers. Florida has needed great escapes against UConn and Texas Tech in this tournament, and while the Gators’ clutch play down the stretch in each game was impressive, it’s tough to keep winning that way. Auburn looked vulnerable late in the season but won its first three tournament games by double digits and led Michigan State by 10 or more for most of its six-point Elite Eight win. Florida did win 90-81 at Auburn on Feb. 8, but it’s hard to pass on Auburn getting points.
Duke looks unbeatable in this tournament. But so did 1991 UNLV, 1999 Duke, 2015 Kentucky, 2021 Gonzaga and a few other dominant favorites. And with a Final Four this strong, no team is guaranteed to win two games. Not even Cooper Flagg and Duke.
Advertisement
The late matchup Saturday is fascinating. Duke is the most efficient offense that KenPom.com has ever tracked, barely ahead of fellow Final Four entrant Florida and 2015 Wisconsin. The Blue Devils will go against Houston, which was the No. 1 most efficient defense this season. It held Tennessee, a very good offensive team, to 15 points in the first half of the Elite Eight.
While Duke has had vibes of UConn the past two tournaments, UConn didn’t have a matchup as tough as Houston in either of those title runs. Houston isn’t one dimensional either, with KenPom’s No. 10 offense (Duke isn’t either with its No. 4 defense). This won’t be easy for Flagg and his team to advance, no matter how dominant the Blue Devils have been.
There’s a reason Duke is favored. The Blue Devils are deserving favorites to win it all and have passed every analytics and eye test. This is a very good college basketball team. But so is Houston, and we’re long overdue for a couple of great, close games.
This news was originally published on this post .
About the author
2025 NFL odds: Can Travis Hunter make award-season history?
<!--> Can Travis Hunter really play both sides of the ball in the NFL?Wait, let's take it a step further.Can Travis Hunter really win awards on both sides of the ball in the NFL?Everything mentioned above might seem unlikely, but when has that ever mattered when it comes to gambling? ADVERTISEMENT -->Post-NFL Draft, FanDuel Sportsbook has posted a bunch of odds having to do with No. 2 pick Hunter. Two of those wagers go as follows:Travis Hunter to win either Offensive Rookie of the Year or Defensive Rookie of the Year: +320 (bet $10 to win $42 total)Travis Hunter to win both Offensive Rookie of the Year and Defensive Rookie of the Year: +5000 (bet $10 to win $510 total)Jacksonville's Hunter winning either OROY or DROY isn't a long shot. He's +750 to win OROY (third on the oddsboard) and +1000 […]
Cruzeiro libera Dudu dos treinos enquanto se define o futuro do atacante
Atacante está dispensado dos treinos no Cruzeiro (Foto: Gustavo Aleixo/Cruzeiro) Dudu sairá ou não do Cruzeiro? Enquanto o clube não decide o que fazer com o atacante, a diretoria decidiu por dispensar o atleta dos treinamentos enquanto se discute qual será o seu futuro dentro do clube. A informação é do GE. Tal dispensa é mais uma parte do afastamento ao qual o camisa 7 foi submetido pelo técnico Leonardo Jardim por conta das polêmicas declarações feita após a derrota para o Palestino, na última semana, pela Copa Sul-Americana. E que o fez ficar de fora da vitória sobre o Vasco, pelo Brasileirão. PUBLICIDADE PUBLICIDADE Quando sai a resolução? Dudu ficará fora dos treinos da Raposa até que a diretoria e o estafe do atleta discutam qual será o seu futuro na equipe. O que tem se noticiado é que, […]
Yankees make MLB history, open game with 3 straight home runs again
<!--> The New York Yankees became the first team in major league history to open a game with three consecutive home runs more than once in a season when Trent Grisham, Aaron Judge and Ben Rice went deep off Baltimore's Kyle Gibson in the first inning on Tuesday night.New York started the bottom of the first of its March 29 game against Milwaukee with three homers in a row. In that game, Paul Goldschmidt, Cody Bellinger and Judge needed only three pitches to hit three homers.Yankees' Aaron Judge, Ben Rice and Cody Bellinger smack BACK-TO-BACK-TO-BACK homers vs. Orioles --> <!-->On Tuesday night, the Yankees hit three of the game's first five offerings out to right field.ADVERTISEMENT -->It was an ugly return to the majors for the 37-year-old Gibson, who made 30 starts for the St. Louis Cardinals last season before […]
Kentucky Derby Betting for Beginners | Bear Bets
Horse Racing Video Details Chris 'Bear' Fallica' and Geoff Schwartz are joined by Mike Joyce to help you tackle betting the Kentucky Derby as a beginner and what horses they are targeting. JUST IN・Horse Racing・8:22 Horse Racing
How Gianluigi Donnarumma’s performances in goal are key to PSG’s Champions League dream
Getty Images PSG goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma delivered another huge performance in the 1-0 away win against Arsenal in the first leg of the UEFA Champions League semifinals on Tuesday night. The Italian goalkeeper was at the center of multiple discussions over the past years, as many were divided between the potential of the former AC Milan player. In fact, if some think he's a world-class goalkeeper, others at the same time believe he can't deliver, especially in some key games, as it happened in recent seasons. However, his performances this season, especially in the Champions League big nights for PSG, are proving he is one of the best goalkeepers in the world and can potentially help the French side to win their first ever UEFA Champions League, if they are able to keep the advantage in the second leg next week […]
Seleção Brasileira feminina Sub-17 vai jogar no estádio Francisco Rivera no sul-americano da categoria
Seleção Brasileira sub-17 conhece o estádio que vai jogar no sul-americano da categoria (Reprodução/América de Cali) A Seleção Brasileira feminina sub-17 se prepara para a sua estreia na fase de grupos do sul-americano da categoria que começa nos próximos dias. Assim, o Brasil conheceu a sua casa durante a fase de grupos, o estádio Francisco Rivera. Com capacidade para mais de 15 mil pessoas, o local já recebeu partidas de clubes como América de Cali, Boca Juniors de Cali e outras equipes. Fundado em 1950, o estádio já passou por algumas reformas. PUBLICIDADE PUBLICIDADE Caminho do Brasil no sul-americano feminino sub-17 A Seleção Brasileira sub-17 já chegou a Colômbia, país sede da competição e já fez o reconhecimento do gramado do estádio Franciso Rivera. Porém, a equipe brasileira só entra em campo na quinta-feira (1), às 21h (horário de Brasília), […]
Related
2025 NFL odds: Can Travis Hunter make award-season history?
<!--> Can Travis Hunter really play both sides of the ball in the NFL?Wait, let's take it a step further.Can Travis Hunter really win awards on both sides of the ball in the NFL?Everything mentioned above might seem unlikely, but when has that ever mattered when it comes to gambling? ADVERTISEMENT -->Post-NFL Draft, FanDuel Sportsbook has posted a bunch of odds having to do with No. 2 pick Hunter. Two of those wagers go as follows:Travis Hunter to win either Offensive Rookie of the Year or Defensive Rookie of the Year: +320 (bet $10 to win $42 total)Travis Hunter to win both Offensive Rookie of the Year and Defensive Rookie of the Year: +5000 (bet $10 to win $510 total)Jacksonville's Hunter winning either OROY or DROY isn't a long shot. He's +750 to win OROY (third on the oddsboard) and +1000 […]
Cruzeiro libera Dudu dos treinos enquanto se define o futuro do atacante
Atacante está dispensado dos treinos no Cruzeiro (Foto: Gustavo Aleixo/Cruzeiro) Dudu sairá ou não do Cruzeiro? Enquanto o clube não decide o que fazer com o atacante, a diretoria decidiu por dispensar o atleta dos treinamentos enquanto se discute qual será o seu futuro dentro do clube. A informação é do GE. Tal dispensa é mais uma parte do afastamento ao qual o camisa 7 foi submetido pelo técnico Leonardo Jardim por conta das polêmicas declarações feita após a derrota para o Palestino, na última semana, pela Copa Sul-Americana. E que o fez ficar de fora da vitória sobre o Vasco, pelo Brasileirão. PUBLICIDADE PUBLICIDADE Quando sai a resolução? Dudu ficará fora dos treinos da Raposa até que a diretoria e o estafe do atleta discutam qual será o seu futuro na equipe. O que tem se noticiado é que, […]
Yankees make MLB history, open game with 3 straight home runs again
<!--> The New York Yankees became the first team in major league history to open a game with three consecutive home runs more than once in a season when Trent Grisham, Aaron Judge and Ben Rice went deep off Baltimore's Kyle Gibson in the first inning on Tuesday night.New York started the bottom of the first of its March 29 game against Milwaukee with three homers in a row. In that game, Paul Goldschmidt, Cody Bellinger and Judge needed only three pitches to hit three homers.Yankees' Aaron Judge, Ben Rice and Cody Bellinger smack BACK-TO-BACK-TO-BACK homers vs. Orioles --> <!-->On Tuesday night, the Yankees hit three of the game's first five offerings out to right field.ADVERTISEMENT -->It was an ugly return to the majors for the 37-year-old Gibson, who made 30 starts for the St. Louis Cardinals last season before […]
Kentucky Derby Betting for Beginners | Bear Bets
Horse Racing Video Details Chris 'Bear' Fallica' and Geoff Schwartz are joined by Mike Joyce to help you tackle betting the Kentucky Derby as a beginner and what horses they are targeting. JUST IN・Horse Racing・8:22 Horse Racing
How Gianluigi Donnarumma’s performances in goal are key to PSG’s Champions League dream
Getty Images PSG goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma delivered another huge performance in the 1-0 away win against Arsenal in the first leg of the UEFA Champions League semifinals on Tuesday night. The Italian goalkeeper was at the center of multiple discussions over the past years, as many were divided between the potential of the former AC Milan player. In fact, if some think he's a world-class goalkeeper, others at the same time believe he can't deliver, especially in some key games, as it happened in recent seasons. However, his performances this season, especially in the Champions League big nights for PSG, are proving he is one of the best goalkeepers in the world and can potentially help the French side to win their first ever UEFA Champions League, if they are able to keep the advantage in the second leg next week […]
Seleção Brasileira feminina Sub-17 vai jogar no estádio Francisco Rivera no sul-americano da categoria
Seleção Brasileira sub-17 conhece o estádio que vai jogar no sul-americano da categoria (Reprodução/América de Cali) A Seleção Brasileira feminina sub-17 se prepara para a sua estreia na fase de grupos do sul-americano da categoria que começa nos próximos dias. Assim, o Brasil conheceu a sua casa durante a fase de grupos, o estádio Francisco Rivera. Com capacidade para mais de 15 mil pessoas, o local já recebeu partidas de clubes como América de Cali, Boca Juniors de Cali e outras equipes. Fundado em 1950, o estádio já passou por algumas reformas. PUBLICIDADE PUBLICIDADE Caminho do Brasil no sul-americano feminino sub-17 A Seleção Brasileira sub-17 já chegou a Colômbia, país sede da competição e já fez o reconhecimento do gramado do estádio Franciso Rivera. Porém, a equipe brasileira só entra em campo na quinta-feira (1), às 21h (horário de Brasília), […]
Be the first to leave a comment