Final Four upset pick eyes Houston, Duke

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Duke, Florida, Auburn, Houston punch their ticket to the Final Four

The madness continues as Mackenzie Salmon previews the Men’s Final Four matchups, which will feature all No. 1 seeds for the first time since 2008.

Sports Seriously

Duke enters Final Four as a worthy favorite, but how can you ignore Houston’s experience, defense and grit? Beware the upset!March Madness delivered less madness, but that gives way to what could be epic Final Four.Rick Barnes will retain spot on one particular college basketball Mount Rushmore, but either Kelvin Sampson or Bruce Pearl could be preparing for an exit off list.

Auburn, Florida, Houston and Duke proved better than their peers throughout the regular season. They earned uncontroversial No. 1 seeds.

Once March Madness begins, it operates under no duty to respect regular-season results.

This became one of those rare tournaments, though, in which the nation’s four best teams turned back Cinderella, tamed the madness and supplied a Final Four that will be a two-round showcase of the nation’s elite.

All four No. 1 seeds advanced to the Final Four for just the second time in tournament history. With apology to the defeated underdogs, I relish these matchups that offer the foundation for an epic Final Four, following a somewhat mundane tournament – at least by March Madness’ riveting standards.

Here are five burning thoughts and predictions before the Final Four begins Saturday in San Antonio:

SEC lives up to its reputation during March Madness

After the SEC qualified an NCAA-record 14 teams, the tournament would help settle the debate of whether the SEC delivered the greatest season ever for a conference. And while debate continues, know this: The SEC lived up to its reputation for being far and away the best conference this season, if not all-time.

The SEC started shakily, but after cutting loose six teams before the second round, the SEC’s cream rose to the top and proved mighty sweet. By comparison, the Big Ten went 8-0 in the first…

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Publish date : 2025-03-31 10:02:00

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