Sports

A Preview of the NCAA Men’s Final Four

Rohin Shah and Jordan Abell • April 4, 2025

After weeks of buzzer-beaters, busted brackets, and inspirational Cinderella stories, only four teams remain in the 2025 NCAA Men’s March Madness, each just two wins away from cutting down the nets as national champions. This year, the Final Four features some of the most storied and prestigious programs in college basketball, each led by the nation’s finest basketball talent and backed by fan bases known for their deep passion for victory. With the Final Four tipping off on April 5, The Forum offers a brief breakdown of the four teams, key players to watch, and what each squad must do to punch their ticket to the national championship game.

Auburn

#1 Seed
SEC

Key Wins:

#3 Houston
#10 Iowa State
#16 Memphis
#15 Mizzou
#4 Tennessee
#7 Alabama

Key Losses:

#2 Duke
#5 Florida
#22 Texas A&M

Key Tournament Victories:

#5 Michigan
#2 Michigan State

Auburn, the overall highest-ranked team in the tournament, leads the way in the Final Four with impressive tournament victories over both #2 Michigan State and #5 Michigan. The Tigers are led by longtime head coach Bruce Pearl, who helped lead the team to be ranked #1 in the AP regular season polls for almost the entire season, with victories over four top 10-ranked teams. Auburn looks to bounce back from its unfortunate 2024 tournament loss to a Cinderella squad, 13-seeded Yale. With their starting-five having an average age of 23.2 years, Auburn is set apart by its star-studded veteran lineup, with their primary weaknesses stemming from poor free-throw shooting, turnovers, and recent foul trouble.

Johni Broome, Auburn’s star forward, has led the Tigers’ dominant season, averaging an impressive 18.7 points, 10.9 rebounds, 2.9 assists, and 2.1 blocks per game. The senior, who transferred to Auburn in 2022, was honored as a consensus first-team All-American and is a finalist for the Wooden Award, which is given to the nation’s most outstanding player. On the court, Broome is a nightmare for opposing head coaches: standing at a staggering 6’10”, he uses his physicality and length to dominate the paint, often able to take control of a game. Broome injured his left leg and his right elbow during the Tigers’ victory over Michigan State. While he was able to return to the game, his injury status remains unclear for the Final Four.

Auburn’s star-studded line extends well beyond Broome. Their guards:

Chad Baker-Mazara
Miles Kelly
Tahaad Pettiford
Denver Jones

have established the Tigers as one of the nation’s strongest backcourts, led by their efficient three-point shooting, tremendous defensive effort, and overall poise.

Auburn’s success runs through Broome’s performance. In the rare case that an opponent is able to neutralize Broome’s presence, Auburn’s offensive success comes down to the ability of their guards to dominate a game, something that occurred during Auburn’s Sweet 16 victory over #5 Michigan.

Duke

#1 Seed
ACC

Key Wins:

#21 Arizona
#4 Auburn
#10 Louisville

Key Losses:

#18 Kentucky
#12 Clemson
Kansas

Key Tournament Victories:

#4 Arizona
#2 Alabama

At this point, Duke University’s men’s basketball program is widely recognized as the most acclaimed and accomplished team in the entire nation—for good reason. The Blue Devils have now reached the Final Four 18 times, with five of those resulting in national championships. This year’s Duke squad is led by coach Jon Scheyer, successor to legendary head coach Mike Krzyzewski. Scheyer has lived up to the Blue Devil expectation, finishing the regular season ranked #1 in the AP polls and defeating both #2 Alabama and #4 Arizona during the postseason tournament. Moreover, the Blue Devils have had an incredible statistical season, ranked No. 1 in adjusted offensive efficiency and fourth in adjusted defensive efficiency.

The Blue Devils are led by their knight in shining armor, Cooper Flagg. The 6’9” 18-year-old is a do-it-all player, averaging 19.0 points, 7.5 rebounds, 4.3 assists, and 1.3 blocks. Flagg is most known for his winning nature, a trait that has led his team to the Final Four. The Maine-native teenager is a finalist for the Wooden Award, ACC Player and Rookie of the Year, and is a consensus First Team All-American. Offensively, Flagg is a matchup nightmare, given his ability to play out of the post, high-post, wing, act as a primary ball-handler, or lead a Blue Devil fastbreak, bound to posterize a defender and land himself on the daily SportsCenter highlight reel.

On the opposite side of the court, Flagg bears veteran defensive instincts, intimidating offensive players with his quickness and agility. Duke’s lineup also features two other star freshmen:

Kon Knueppel
Khaman Maluach

both projected top 10 NBA picks. Knueppel, a Wisconsin native, is a natural three-level scorer who shoots the ball at an efficient rate, while Maluach, a 7’2” native of South Sudan, is a dominant paint presence, impacting the game on both ends of the floor. The dominant lineup doesn’t stop there.

Tyrese Proctor and Isaiah Evans are the Blue Devils’ elite sharpshooters, while Sion James and Caleb Foster manage the game from the point guard position.

For Duke to complete their national championship conquest, they simply have to continue their play style. With seven of their players able to take over a game at any time, the Blue Devils should have no trouble sustaining their offensive dominance, and with the defensive prowess of Flagg and Maluach, opposing teams will have difficulty sustaining their offense. Duke’s main flaw stems from their lack of experience, given that the Blue Devils start three freshmen and play four 18-year-olds. A lack of experience shines brightest in the biggest stages, and if Duke’s young core struggles to handle the pressure of a tight Final Four matchup, their title hopes could quickly unravel, despite their overwhelming talent.

Florida

#1 Seed
SEC

Key Wins:

#6 Tennessee x 2
#4 Auburn
#19 Texas A&M
#7 Alabama x 2

Key Losses:

Georgia
#18 Kentucky
#23 Missouri

Key Tournament Victories:

#8 UConn
#4 Maryland
#3 Texas Tech

The Florida Gators will take on Auburn in a Final Four SEC bout. While the Gators took care of business in the first round, they survived a second-round nailbiter, barely defeating two-time defending champion UConn. After close tournament victories over Maryland and Texas Tech, third-year head coach Todd Golden will attempt to lead the Gators to their first championship appearance since their back-to-back titles in 2006 and 2007.

After missing the tournament two years ago and getting bumped in the first round last year, this is Golden’s best squad yet—the Gators’ #4 AP season ranking is their highest since 2014, and during this year’s NCAA tournament, Florida has highlighted their ability to go on devastating runs to seal games.

Walter Clayton Jr., the Gators’ star guard, has propelled Florida on their run. He averages a remarkable 18.1 points, 3.6 rebounds, 4.2 assists, and 1.2 steals per game. The senior transferred to Florida in 2023 from Iona and has continued to improve his game each year. Already a consensus All-American, Clayton was recently named a finalist for the Wooden Award. Standing at 6’2”, Clayton is a knockdown shooter, making 38.5% of shots from downtown and 44.6% from the field. Throughout the tournament, Clayton has been on fire, averaging 22.3 points per game and hitting 45.2% of his threes, of which he has taken almost 8 per game. He will be a central piece to any Florida title hopes.

The Gators are also backed by:

Guards: Will Richard and Alijah Martin
Forwards: Alex Condon and Thomas Haugh

Earlier this season, the Gators’ deep roster was able to defeat Auburn, thus opening as a 2.5-point favorite for their Final Four matchup. Todd Golden hopes to bring Florida back into the national spotlight for the first time since 2007, filling the shoes left vacant since Florida’s longtime coach, Billy Donovan, held the role.

Houston

#1 Seed
Big 12

Key Wins:

#17 BYU
#21 Arizona
#15 Iowa State
#9 Texas Tech

Key Losses:

#4 Auburn
#7 Alabama
San Diego St.
#9 Texas Tech

Key Tournament Victories:

#4 Purdue
#2 Tennessee

The Houston Cougars will face the Duke Blue Devils in a Big 12 vs ACC matchup. The Cougars dominated their first-round game vs SIUE, then cruised past Gonzaga with a comfortable win. Houston’s Sweet 16 matchup versus Purdue, however, was much more challenging. Houston had commanded the game early, leading by 10 points with only a few minutes left, when a last-effort run by Purdue tied the game with 30 seconds to go. Houston was able to secure an easy score from an incredibly drawn baseline out-of-bounds play, with just a second remaining.

Houston’s gritty squad is led by Kelvin Sampson, head coach since 2014. Sampson’s last trip to the Final Four came in 2021, when he was trounced by the eventual champion Baylor. This year is Sampson’s third consecutive year ranked as a #1 seed—both previous times the Cougars were defeated in the Sweet Sixteen, by Miami and Duke, the latter of which is once again their opponent this weekend.

The Cougars are led by their star trio of guards:

L.J. Cryer – 15.4 PPG, 42% 3PT
Emanuel Sharp – 12.7 PPG, 1.4 SPG, elite defender
Milos Uzan – 11.6 PPG, 4.4 APG, interior-focused guard

J’Wan Roberts is Houston’s tallest player at 6’8”. He contributes:

10.7 points per game
6.3 rebounds per game (team-high)
0.7 blocks per game

Houston’s roster this year is quite similar to that of last year, when Houston was defeated by a less impressive Duke team. Houston is considered to be at risk of squandering their third straight #1 seed designation to Duke, given that the Cougars opened as 5.5-point underdogs.

About the Contributors

Rohin Shah, News Editor

Rohin Shah (’27) is a sophomore at Latin and is delighted to serve as news editor for The Forum. He hopes to become a proactive and investigative journalist, focusing on topics that engage the Latin community. Outside of The Forum, Rohin is a member of the varsity basketball and track teams, an avid traveler, and enjoys discovering Chicago’s culinary gems.

Jordan Abell, Web Editor

Jordan Abell (‘27) is excited to serve as a web editor for The Forum this year. While it is his first year with the job, he hopes to help improve the website’s user experience. Outside of The Forum he enjoys golfing, sailing, and playing guitar.

A Preview of the NCAA Men’s Final Four

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