The March Madness field of 68 is quickly being whittled down to four.
The Florida Gators and Duke Blue Devils punched the first Final Four tickets of the 2025 NCAA tournament with wins over the Texas Tech Red Raiders and Alabama Crimson Tide on Saturday night.
The Elite Eight continues with Tennessee vs. Houston (2:20 p.m. ET) and Michigan State vs. Auburn (5:05 p.m. ET) on Sunday, but for now, our analysts recap the first two games of this round while breaking down how Florida and Duke reached the Final Four and what will be key for each in the semifinals next Saturday.
Jump to: Relive Saturday night's action
(2) Alabama vs.
(1) Duke
Final: Duke defeated Alabama 85-65
How Duke beat Alabama: It was inevitable that Alabama wouldn't carry its incredible shooting display of 25 3-pointers from Thursday's Sweet 16 win into Saturday's Elite Eight matchup, ultimately finishing 8-for-32 from beyond the arc. Duke, meanwhile, was able to finish consistently at the rim or throw lobs to Khaman Maluach for easy dunks. Kon Knueppel led the way for the Blue Devils with 21 points, while Cooper Flagg finished with 16 points and nine rebounds.
The Crimson Tide were only briefly able to generate consistent momentum early in the second half, but the Blue Devils responded with an 11-4 run to extend the lead to 13, keeping Alabama at arm's length before growing the lead to 20 points in the final minutes. -- Jeff Borzello
The No. 1 factor that helped Duke reach the Final Four: Duke is simply more talented than any other team. Flagg and fellow NBA prospects Maluach and Knueppel deserve most of the credit, but the fleet of talent down the roster has enhanced everything that coach Jon Scheyer has done with it.
It has made practices more competitive. It has allowed the team to overcome adversity (see: winning the ACC tournament title with Flagg injured). And it means that in the final stage of the season, the players coming off the bench would be starters for many other teams -- Caleb Foster was a top-30 recruit in high school, Isaiah Evans could be selected early in the second round of this summer's NBA draft, Mason Gillis helped Purdue reach the national title game a year ago and Patrick Ngongba II was 26th in ESPN's ranking of the 2024 recruiting class. How many teams are bringing players of that pedigree off the bench?
Top to bottom, there just isn't a team in the field that can assemble a comparable collection of elite players. -- Myron Medcalf
Duke's key in the Final Four: The Blue Devils' ability to protect the rim and defend the paint. This Duke team has one of the top defensive units in recent program history. Against an Alabama squad that made 25 3-pointers in the Sweet 16, the Blue Devils forced the Crimson Tide into awkward, off-balance shots. Alabama plays at the fastest pace in America, but Duke turned that tempo into chaos, limiting Alabama's options around the rim.
The Blue Devils are assertive with their interior defense, whether it's Khaman Maluach altering and blocking shots, Cooper Flagg guarding players for 90 feet or others challenging opponents on the perimeter then feeding them to the Blue Devils' big men. Alabama was outscored in the paint by double digits Saturday, in part because Duke does not give opposing teams space to get comfortable in the post. -- Myron Medcalf
(3) Texas Tech vs.
(1) Florida
Final: Florida defeated Texas Tech 84-79
How Florida beat Texas Tech: With Florida on the brink of elimination, Walter Clayton Jr. scored 13 of his game-high 30 points over the final 5:24 to erase a 10-point deficit to Texas Tech and send the Gators to their first Final Four since 2014. Florida had been unable to score back-to-back buckets the entire second half, but Thomas Haugh finally shot back-to-back 3s to cut the deficit to 75-72 with 2:27 to play before Clayton Jr. took the baton, also hitting back-to-back shots from beyond the arc to give Florida its first lead since early in the half and ice the game in its closing moments with a pair of free throws. -- Kyle Bonagura
Florida's Walter Clayton Jr. hits a pair of clutch 3-pointers late to send the Gators to the Final Four.
The No. 1 factor that helped Florida reach the Final Four: The Gators are here because no team in America has been able to turn games in their favor with devastating runs the way they have. Down nine points with 3:14 to play against Texas Tech, they ended the game on an 18-4 run akin to ones we have seen from them multiple times this season. Just in this tournament, they outscored Maryland 47-33 in the second half of their Sweet 16 win and had 53 points in less than 17 minutes against Norfolk State in the opening round.
They have launched those same knockout punches against other elite teams, too. In the SEC tournament championship, Florida was tied with Tennessee at 16 with 11:30 to play in the first half. Eight minutes later, the Gators had a 12-point lead.
Florida is college basketball's equivalent of a home run hitter in the bottom of the ninth inning. It's never over with the Gators because of the way they can seize control of games, even when they seem out of reach. -- Myron Medcalf
Florida's key in the Final Four: Walter Clayton Jr.'s brilliance. The Final Four is all about stars. The teams that have players who shine under the brightest lights are the teams that ultimately cut down the nets and win national championships. There is a reason we mention Anthony Davis, Carmelo Anthony, Kemba Walker, Mateen Cleaves and Jay Williams when we discuss the greatest NCAA tournament runs. Star power reigns. And next to Cooper Flagg, Florida might have the biggest star of them all in Clayton Jr. His sheer will and talent could be the deciding factors in whether the Gators win the title. -- Myron Medcalf