A highly awaited Final Four event this Saturday night in San Antonio features an SEC matchup between Florida and Auburn, followed by Duke facing off against Houston, creating an exciting finale.
Here’s a preview of this year’s semifinals and the ten highlights about the four teams remaining ahead of the action at the Alamodome.
1. This marks the second occasion in four years that all the teams remaining are No. 1 seeds.
The sole instance in tournament history where all four No. 1 seeds made it past the regional rounds was in 2008. During that year, No. 1 Seed Kansas defeated North Carolina in the semifinals and triumphed over Memphis in one of the most iconic national championship games ever.
This situation likely sets a favorable precedent for Auburn, the top seed this season.
2. Duke boasts an overall net efficiency rating of 39.63 in Ken Pomeroy’s metrics (often referred to as the College Basketball Bible). This is the second-best rating recorded since Kenpom’s inception in the 1996-97 season.
The only team to achieve a higher overall ranking? The 1998-99 Blue Devils, who faced a defeated uconn in the National Championship Game.
3. This year’s Final Four includes three players from the Associated Press’ First Team nationwide.
National Player of the Year candidates Cooper Flagg (Duke) and Johnny Bloom (Auburn) were both selected as First Team Leaders, along with Florida’s Walter Clayton Jr. – arguably the most thrilling player of the NCAA Tournament thus far – as the third leading vote recipient.
Given such heavy star power, the last four hasn’t been seen for some time.
4. The SEC held a record of 30-4 against the ACC this season. This is an important statistic if Duke can advance past Houston to face the winner between Auburn and Florida.
Notably, one of those four ACC losses was Duke defeating Auburn on December 4th.
5. Houston stands out as the best defensive team in the nation, excelling particularly in the first half of games.
The Cougars allowed an average of just 26 points per game in the first half, limiting Tennessee to a mere 15 points in their Elite Eight victory. If Duke maintains a typical scoring rate after the first 20 minutes, it would bode well for their chances on Monday night.
6. Saturday’s matchup will be the first Final Four clash between the country’s top offensive team (Duke) and the leading defensive team (Houston) since Wisconsin ended Kentucky’s perfect season ten years ago. The game was clinched by the more offensive-minded side.
7. This season, Houston has suffered only one loss due to limitations.
In a surprising twist, Auburn defeated the Cougars (74-69) on the second Saturday of the season, November 9th.
Houston faced overtime defeats against Alabama, San Diego, and Texas Tech, but has since embarked on a current winning streak of 17 games.
8. This season, Florida made history as the fifth team in college basketball to defeat two different AP No. 1 teams within the same season (Tennessee and Auburn).
The Gators could become the first team to defeat three No. 1 teams if they can overcome Duke for the national title on Monday night.
9. Despite only being in the Big 12 for two years, Houston has already claimed three conference championships (two regular season, one tournament). The Cougars are the first Division I team since 1922 to join major conferences and win their first two regular season titles.
10. Two of the last five national champions came from programs that had never previously cut nets (Baylor in 2021 and Virginia in 2019).
Should either Auburn or Houston secure two more victories, that figure could rise to three. Auburn is participating in its second Final Four, while Houston is making its seventh appearance, having previously lost twice in the National Championship Game.
Duke seeks its sixth national title, while Florida aims for their third win overall.
