The 2025 NCAA Tournament appears to be heading toward an historic ending as the Road to the Final Four reaches its final destination in San Antonio. For the first time since 2008 (also in San Antonio), all four No. 1 seeds advanced to the Final Four, setting up a guaranteed showdown between top seeds in Monday’s national championship.
The festivities from the Alamodome on Saturday begin with a battle of SEC foes when No. 1 seed Auburn faces No. 1 seed Florida (6:09 p.m. ET, CBS) in the first national semifinal of the day. The last time the SEC took home college basketball’s top prize was in 2012 when a freshman named Anthony Davis helped Kentucky win the title. The last non-Kentucky team from the SEC to win the national title was Florida in 2007. Auburn is making just its second Final Four appearance as the program eyes its first championship.
The nightcap between No. 1 seed Houston and No. 1 seed Duke (8:49 p.m. ET, CBS) will also provide fireworks. Duke superstar Cooper Flagg, the projected No. 1 pick in the 2025 NBA Draft, is attempting to complete arguably the best one-and-done seasons in college basketball history with a national title on his résumé. Houston is making its second Final Four appearance since 2021 under longtime coach Kelvin Sampson. This game will have a little of everything as the No. 1 offense in the country (Duke) faces the No. 1 defense (Houston).
With the table set and the teams in place, let’s get into some storylines for Saturday’s Final Four action.
Another historic Final Four from Lone Star State
For just the second time in NCAA Tournament history, all four No. 1 seeds are in the Final Four. The last time that happened was 17 years ago when Kansas, UCLA, North Carolina and Memphis all reached the final weekend of the college basketball season. That national title game between Kansas and Memphis also provided one of the best shots in college basketball history. With Kansas trailing by three in the final seconds, star guard Mario Chalmers knocked down an improbable shot to send the game to overtime, where Kansas went on to defeat Memphis 75-68.
It’s rare that the best four teams in the sport all reach the final weekend. Although this year’s NCAA Tournament has been chalky, the benefit is there will be two heavyweight showdowns in the Final Four on the menu. In the preseason AP Top 25, Houston ranked No. 4, Duke was No. 7, Auburn was No. 11, and Florida checked in at No. 21. In the final poll of the regular season, Duke, Houston, Florida and Auburn were ranked in that order.
The status of Auburn star big man will be one to monitor ahead of Saturday’s showdown against Florida. Broome landed awkwardly in the second half of Auburn’s win over Michigan State in last weekend’s Elite Eight after contesting a shot at the rim. Broome exited the game for more than five minutes and after X-rays were negative, returned to the floor. Broome did not practice on Tuesday and Wednesday in the days leading up to the biggest game in Auburn history, but it appears Broome will be ready to go against Florida.
Broome told reporters on Thursday that he is taking it “day by day” and will be 100% by Saturday. If Broome does play, he will face one of his toughest matchups of the season against a deep Florida frontcourt. Florida won the first and only meeting during the regular season against Auburn without star guard Alijah Martin in the lineup. In that game, Broome finished with 18 points, 11 rebounds and six assists.
Duke’s No. 1 offense vs. Houston’s No. 1 defense
If you love offense, this is the game for you. If you enjoy tough-nosed defense, this is also the game for you. Per KenPom, Duke is ranked No. 1 in adjusted offensive efficiency and fourth in adjusted defensive efficiency. The Blue Devils rank in the top 15 in 2-point field goal percentage (58.5%), 3-point percentage (38.6%) and free-throw percentage (79%). The Blue Devils have the tallest team in Division l basketball, and the shortest player in their starting lineup is 6-foot-6, 220-pound guard Sion James.
The identity of any Houston team coached by Kelvin Sampson is defense. The Cougars have been exceptional on that end of the floor this season and ranked No. 1 in adjusted defensive efficiency. The big surprise about this Houston team this season has been its efficiency from the 3-point line. Houston ranked No. 1 in team 3-point percentage (39.8%), and just under 33% of its total points this season came from beyond the arc. Houston star guard Milos Uzan is shooting 45.2% from beyond the arc, while backcourt mate LJ Cryer has connected on 42.4% of his triples.
Check out the full TV and streaming schedule for Saturday’s Final Four games below.
Saturday’s NCAA Tournament schedule
| Time (ET) | Game | TV / Stream |
|---|---|---|
| 6:09 p.m. | (1) Auburn vs. (1) Florida | CBS (watch live) |
| 8:49 p.m. | (1) Duke vs. (1) Houston | CBS (watch live) |
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