By Eddie Young, Aidan Mastandrea, Jhett Laurie, Tyler Morello and Joseph Caruso
Sports Editor, News Editor and Staff Writers
After two weeks with very minimal madness, the Final Four has been set. For the first time since 2008, the four top seeds are the four finalists, as they have proven to be in a tier above everyone else all season long. On Saturday, April 5, the University of Florida will take on Auburn University, followed by a matchup between Duke University and the University of Houston, in San Antonio, Texas. The sports section of The Signal is here to give their predictions on what will happen in the Final Four.
Eddie’s prediction: Florida beats Duke
From the start of the season until now, Florida has proven themselves to be one of the best teams in the nation. They played in the gauntlet that is the Southeastern Conference, and won that tournament. While they will be facing a fellow SEC school in Auburn, they have already taken care of business once against them, and there is no reason to believe they will not do it again. Florida traveled to Auburn as 10.5-point underdogs, according to ESPN Bet, and won that game 90-81 without senior guard Alijah Martin. They controlled that game on the road from start to finish, even being up by 21 at one point in the second half.
Duke has been at the top of college basketball all year, and the freshman trio of Cooper Flagg, Kon Knueppel and Khaman Maluach all look to be surefire lottery picks in the upcoming draft. When Flagg is healthy, they seem like a guarantee to win by double digits. While Houston may be their toughest competition yet, Duke has proven in their non-conference games that they can handle tough battles, and they will beat a very talented Houston squad.
When it comes to winning March Madness, more times than not, experience beats out inexperience. There is a chance that someone as talented as Flagg may be able to break this trend like Anthony Davis did with Kentucky in 2012, but Florida’s older team will be positioned better to win this championship. Martin has played in the Final Four before, sophomore Thomas Haugh has stepped up and taken on a bigger role in this tournament, and senior Walter Clayton Jr. has looked like an unconscious Steph Curry in the clutch at the end of their close games. If the ball is in Clayton’s hands at the end of the game, he will make the right decision and win it for Florida.
Most Outstanding Player: Walter Clayton Jr., senior guard, Florida
Aidan’s Prediction: Auburn beats Duke
Despite being the number one overall seed, Auburn has been overlooked for much of the tournament thus far. At times, the Tigers have looked careless on the offensive side of the ball, trailing both Creighton and Michigan in the second half in round two and three, respectively. With that said, they are the number one overall seed for a reason. A dominant regular season in the best conference in the country has Bruce Pearl’s squad battle-tested and prepared for this historic Final Four. Senior Johni Broome is arguably the best player in the country, and his size will be important against a massive Duke front line.
Duke has been nearly unstoppable heading into their first Final Four since 2022. Freshman Flagg, Maluach and Knueppel will all be lottery picks in this year's NBA Draft, and Tyrese Proctor has been a much needed veteran leader. These two teams met earlier in the season, with Duke narrowly coming out victorious, but that game took place directly after Auburn’s long trip to Maui.
This matchup, with a week of preparation, will be different for the Tigers. Freshman Tahaad Pettiford and senior Denver Jones will have to make shots from the perimeter if Pearl and Auburn want to win the program's first ever national championship. Broome and Flagg will be the players to watch certainly, but if Auburn’s experienced supporting cast can show up, they will be cutting down the nets on Monday night.
Most Outstanding Player: Johni Broome, senior center, Auburn
Jhett’s Prediction: Duke beats Florida
Duke’s offense has been unstoppable in the past months, going on a 31-1 tear over their last 32 games. With the number one offense in the nation and number four defense, according to KenPom, they handily beat down on No. 2 ranked Alabama on March 29. Alabama had a record-setting offense, scoring a tournament high 25 three-pointers in their dominant win over BYU. They stood no chance against Duke's defense, which held them to 8-32 from the arc, a meager 25 percent. Expect them to use this momentum going into their matchup against Houston, where they will likely cruise their way to the championship game. They will win 98-78.
Coming into the tournament after dropping three conference games in the span of just 11 days, the formerly No. 1 ranked Auburn was looking to gain some momentum in the first rounds of the tournament, which they did, healthily beating the likes of Creighton, Michigan and Michigan State. Coming into the matchup against a somewhat unstable Florida team, Auburn looks to use their underdog mentality to sneak out a win against a strong Florida team. The Gators have struggled in the past weeks, nearly falling to a weak UConn squad in the second round. They struggled yet again against three-seeded Texas Tech, managing to overcome a nine-point deficit with 3:14 left in the game. In all likelihood, I would have picked Auburn to come out on top in this game, as Florida has proven unstable throughout the games, often relying on late surges to win. In spite of this, I have a bracket that is currently sitting at 97 percent accuracy, which has Florida beating Auburn. With the hopes that they can manage to keep back a strong Auburn offense, I reluctantly pick Florida to beat Auburn, 89-86.
Both of these teams have shown that they deserve to be at the top of their respective sides of the bracket. They have played tough, fast basketball and will likely send quite a few of their players to the first round of the NBA draft this June. In spite, Duke will cruise their way to their first national championship in a post-Coach K world. Flagg is the standout player on this team. Many have argued that he is a generational talent, similar to the likes of LeBron James. Flagg, along with sharp-shooters Knueppel and Proctor, will be looking to out-shoot Florida while locking them down on defense. Do not be surprised if this game winds up being a blowout in favor of Duke, due to their fast-paced offensive scheme. The score will be 107-89, Duke.
Most Outstanding Player: Cooper Flagg, freshman forward, Duke
Tyler’s Prediction: Duke beats Auburn
The Blue Devils have five players projected to be drafted in the upcoming 2025 NBA draft. While this sounds familiar to past Duke teams that have underachieved, this team has a different feel to it. Potential first overall pick Flagg is one of the best American-born prospects the game has ever seen, and his fellow freshmen compliment his game extremely well, along with some key upperclassmen. Houston has the defense to give Duke some fits, but the Blue Devils’ defense should do the same to lead the way to a 72-60 victory.
On the other side of the ball, you have an Auburn team that was counted out by many after finishing their regular season with three losses out of their final four games. No team has ever done this and gone on to win the championship. Broome is up there with Flagg as the two best players in college basketball this season, but suffered an elbow injury that limited him in the Elite Eight. The Tigers have a great squad, but the SEC Player of the Year potentially not being 100% come game time is quite concerning. I think they beat Florida 75-70, setting up for a phenomenal championship matchup.
The age difference between Duke and Auburn’s starting five is glaring, with Duke’s average age at 19.4 and Auburn’s at 23.2, which is comparable to some NBA teams. While one may look at this as the Tigers having the experience advantage, you could argue Duke has the advantage of playing and winning big games, as they were the ACC tournament champions this year. Flagg and the Blue Devils will get the best of Broome and the Tigers, 79-69.
Most Outstanding Player: Cooper Flagg, freshman forward, Duke
Joseph’s Prediction: Houston beats Auburn
Kelvin Sampson’s Cougars have now won an NCAA-best 13 games in a row, a streak that spans over two months, and it's easy to see why. Houston’s defense-first mentality has continued to serve them well, appearing in the Sweet 16 for the fifth consecutive year under the Big 12 Coach of the Year. Houston had four players named to an All-Big 12 team, including senior guard L.J. Cryer, who leads the Cougars in scoring with 15 points per game on career-high efficiency. Junior guards Milos Uzan and Emanuel Sharp have also been huge contributors, both averaging double-digit points per game.
Duke, led by a trio of freshman phenoms in Flagg, Knueppel and Maluach, will have to face a Houston team that is the best in the country in opposing field goals made (19.6) and opposing points per game (58.3), and will serve as their toughest test of the season to this point. The experience of this veteran-led Cougars team will get the best of the young Duke squad to advance to the national championship game.
On the other side, Auburn will finally be the team that can close out Florida, as National Player of the Year frontrunner Broome will continue to dominate and prove too much to handle for the Florida Gators, despite Clayton’s recent play vaulting him into conversations for the best guard in the country, and will advance to the national championship to take on Houston.
In the championship game, Houston will prove to be the toughest possible matchup for Broome and the Tigers. Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year Joseph Tugler profiles as a stout defensive big, and more adept defensively than any player Broome has had to score on. When Samspon’s squad shuts down Broome, the rest of the pieces will fall into place, leading to the Houston Cougars winning their first title since 1984.
Most Outstanding Player: L.J. Cryer, senior guard, Houston
