The NCAA Tournament has almost reached its end as we are down to down to just four teams remaining in the field. All four one-seeds made the Final Four for the first time since 2008, and a lot of college basketball fans aren’t happy about it. People want to see upsets during March Madness, but that is not something that we got this season. Just one double-digit seed made it out of the first weekend, and it was 10-seed Arkansas. However, it’s hard to not be excited about this Final Four. The best teams made it, and we have some outstanding matchups on deck. Let’s talk about the Florida basketball team going up against top overall seed Auburn.
We should see some great matchups in the Final Four, and so far, the Florida basketball team has played in some of the best games of the NCAA Tournament. The Gators started their run against 16-seed Norfolk State, and that was an easy win, but things got more difficult in the second round. Florida had to go up against the two-time defending champs as UConn was an eight-seed this year. The Huskies led for most of the second half, but Walter Clayton Jr. put the team on his back to lead the Gators to victory in the final minutes.
Florida played Maryland in the Sweet 16, and after a close first half, the Gators pulled away for a comfortable win. However, the Elite 8 was a different story, and Clayton Jr. was once again the hero.
Texas Tech led Florida by nine points with under three minutes to go, but four huge threes down the stretch led to an absurd comeback win for the Gators. Clayton Jr. hit two of them. Now, the top seed in the tournament awaits.
SEC powers Florida and Auburn ready for Final Four tilt
Florida and Auburn have already met once this season, and the Gators got the win. Florida played the Tigers on the road back in February, and it was a dominant victory. The Gators led by 21 points at one point in the second half, and they knocked off the #1 team in the land.
Don’t expect either team to lead by 20 or more points in the Final Four. These two squads are playing great basketball right now, and Saturday night’s matchup should go down to the wire.
Unlike Florida, the Auburn basketball team hasn’t really had a close call in the tournament yet. Creighton played the Tigers tough in the second round as they had small a lead in the second half, but the Tigers ended up pulling away for a comfortable win.
Michigan really had the Tigers on the ropes in the Sweet 16. The Wolverines led by nine points with about 12 minutes to go, and they were in complete control. Auburn then flipped a switch and completely dominated the rest of the game. The Tigers ended up winning by 13 points.
Now, the toughest test of the tournament awaits both of these teams. Here are three predictions for the contest:
Walter Clayton Jr. will hit 4+ threes
Walter Clayton Jr. has already made his case for NCAA Tournament MVP as the Florida basketball team would not be in the Final Four without him. The Gators will need him to step up again this weekend against Auburn, and he will be up to the challenge. Clayton Jr. is going to play a big role in this game as he is going to light it up from beyond the arc once again.
Florida-Auburn will go into overtime
Who doesn’t like free basketball in the Final Four? This weekend is shaping up to be a great one, and don’t be surprised if things aren’t settled after 40 minutes in this game. Auburn and Florida are two of the best teams in college basketball, and they are very similar in skill level. This game should go right down to the wire, and it just feels like we have an instant classic brewing between these two SEC heavyweights.
Auburn will win 82-80
This game is going to come down to the final possessions, and the Auburn basketball team will eventually get it done. Johni Broome has been on another level the past couple of games, and Florida is incredibly fortunate to even be here. They have had a couple of close calls, but they won’t be able to escape this time. The Tigers will punch their ticket to the national title game with an 82-80 win.
Final Four preview
The Final Four is almost here. We didn’t see the upsets that make March magical, but the matchups that we see this weekend in San Antonio should make up for it. The four best teams in college basketball made it to the Final Four. Auburn, Florida, Duke and Houston. The four one-seeds are ready to go, and it’s going to be fun.
Auburn is the top overall seed in the NCAA Tournament, and they have pulled off some impressive wins during their run so far. The Tigers were in a dogfight with nine-seed Creighton in the round of 32, but a 34-21 run to close the game put the Blue Jays away. Auburn was then in major trouble in the Sweet 16 against Michigan as they trailed by nine points with about 12 minutes to go. The Tigers closed the game on a 39-17 run to get the win. The Tigers put together a complete performance in the Elite 8 as they comfortably led for the entire game against Michigan State.
Florida has also had some close calls in the tournament, but late surges have gotten them into the Final Four. UConn, Maryland and Texas Tech all gave the Gators some good fights, and the Huskies and Red Raiders especially had Florida on the ropes. UConn and Texas Tech both led late in the game, but the Gators have found a way to survive thanks to Walter Clayton Jr.
Houston has also narrowly avoided a couple of upsets. Gonzaga and Purdue both tested the Cougars as those contests went down to the wire, but the win against Tennessee in the Elite 8 was incredibly impressive. Houston is bringing a lot of momentum into the Final Four.
Duke is the only team that hasn’t had an upset scare yet. They have been dominant so far in the tournament as they have cruised by Mount St. Mary’s, Baylor, Arizona and Alabama.
Auburn and Florida will get the Final Four started on Saturday at 6:09 ET. The Duke-Houston matchup will be roughly 30 minutes after the conclusion of game one. Both games will take place at the Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas, and they will both be airing on CBS.
The post Florida basketball bold predictions for 2025 Final Four vs. Auburn appeared first on ClutchPoints.
