March Madness 2025: Previewing Final Four matchups

For just the second time in NCAA history, the Final Four will feature four number one seeds. The only other time this has happened was 2008, when Kansas, Memphis, North Carolina, and UCLA all advanced to San Antonio. That tournament was won by the Jayhawks on a buzzer beater to beat Memphis, and much like that one, this figures to be a classic.

Duke, Auburn, Florida, and Houston have been the best four teams in the country for basically the entire season. Duke, with Cooper Flagg and a bumper crop of elite freshman was expected, as was Auburn, courtesy of Johni Broome and a fleet of experienced, talented players around him. Houston, too, with its cadre of elite guards and a defense capable of locking down even the best offenses in the country, figured to be among the sport's best teams.

Florida was the surprise of the bunch, but the Gators quickly announced their quality to the rest of basketball, and delivered the kind of season that has fans reminiscing about Billy Donovan's heyday, when Florida won three straight national championships.

But who of these four will triumph, and advance to the national title game? Will Houston or Auburn make their first trips to the biggest stage in the sport, or will Duke or Florida head on?

Let's break it down. For more detailed analysis of each team, check out our handy guides, linked below.

Duke vs. Houston: What we have here is a classic clash between youth and experience. The Blue Devils feature multiple freshmen in their starting lineup and rotation, while the Cougars are the oldest team in the Tournament field this year. Both teams have elite defenses, but Duke pairs it with the most efficient offense in all of college basketball.

The Pick: Duke. This is the best Houston team Kelvin Sampson has had, but this Duke team might be the most balanced team in the country, and they're tough to stop. The Cougars' occasional scoring woes will come back to to bite them here.

Auburn vs. Florida: On one side of the bracket, we get high-powered defenses. On this side, we have a pair of stellar offenses. The Auburn Tigers are deep, athletic and experienced, and Johni Broome might be the only player in the country on Cooper Flagg's level right now. But the Florida Gators, despite not being pegged as an elite team this season, have arrived on the scene with one of the nation's best backcourts, in Walter Clayton Jr. and Alijah Martin. They're deep in the post, and can score with anyone. But the Gators have a tendency to get off to slow starts and rally, and that can cost you in March.

The Pick: Auburn. The best team in the country all season figures to take their chance to avenge a regular season loss to the Gators here, and hold on to their big lead early to get to the program's first ever national title game.