Duke and Florida punched their tickets to San Antonio on Saturday.
With half of the lads’s 2025 Closing 4 set, listed below are the day’s winners and losers.
Winner: Duke’s protection
With the Crimson Tide and Blue Devils every coming off 100-point video games, we had been ready for offensive fireworks within the East Regional closing. As a substitute, Duke’s masterful defensive efficiency bottled the Tide and saved the ultimate rating nicely under pre-game total point predictions.
Alabama (28-9) had a five-minute, 16-second scoring drought within the second half whereas No. 1 Duke (35-3) went on a 13-0 run, turning a seven-point lead right into a 20-point blowout in an 85-65 win.
The Tide, which entered Saturday No. 1 within the nation in scoring (91.4 factors per recreation), shot 35.4 %, its lowest in the NCAA Tournament in program history and the worst below head coach Nate Oats since January 2022.
The Blue Devils are a machine on offense, capturing no less than 50 % in all 4 of their 2025 NCAA Event wins, tied for the second-most in a single March Insanity in program historical past.
After clamping down on Alabama defensively, Duke must be thought-about the favourite to chop down the nets in San Antonio.
Loser: SEC’s run at historical past
The SEC entered Saturday with an opportunity of breaking the Large East’s longstanding file for many groups from one convention to succeed in the Closing 4 (three), which the Large East set in 1985, the primary yr of the match’s enlargement to 64 groups.
Alabama’s loss to Duke snuffed out that chance, leaving the SEC having to accept probably tying the file with wins on Sunday by South Area No. 1 Auburn (31-5) and Midwest No. 2 Tennessee (30-7).
Winner: Florida ahead Walter Clayton Jr.
Florida’s finest participant got here by when his staff wanted him most. After a quiet first half, Clayton Jr. responded with a number of massive makes within the second to propel the Gators to their first Closing 4 since 2014.
”We did it collectively,” Clayton mentioned after the sport, deferring to his teammates. However make no mistake. Florida wouldn’t have gained the West Area with out Clayton.
The 2024-25 consensus All-American scored 22 of his 30 factors within the second half as No. 1 Florida (34-4) erased a nine-point deficit with below 4 minutes remaining.
Issues regarded bleak for the Gators, however then Clayton took over. It was a particular efficiency, and if Florida wins two extra video games, it would without end be immortalized in Gainesville.
Loser: Texas Tech’s three-point fortune
The three-point gods regarded down on the Purple Raiders on Saturday and frowned. After No. 3 Texas Tech constructed a 10-point lead, 71-61, with six minutes remaining, Florida went 5-of-7 from deep and took a 78-77 benefit.
