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NBC Sports
05-04-2025
- Sport
- NBC Sports
What March Madness games are on today? Men's college basketball tournament schedule for Final Four and more
For just the second time in the history of the men's NCAA Tournament, all four No. 1 seeds have made it to the Final Four. Auburn, Duke, Houston and Florida have been historically dominant all season long, so it isn't any surprise that they were all capable of making it this far. In fact, the four teams all rank in the top nine in KenPom's net efficiency metric going back to the 1996-97 season. Still, by pure statistical probability alone, it is unlikely to see all No. 1 seeds make it this far. The result, along with the lack of other upsets or Cinderella runs in the tournament, has sparked conversation about the roles of NIL and the transfer portal in generating more chalky results during a postseason known for shocking and dramatic moments. Coincidentally, the only other tournament, 2008, that saw this feat also had its Final Four take place in San Antonio, where this year's event is being held. Kansas beat Memphis for the title after Mario Chalmers' three sent the championship game to overtime. Here is all the info you need to watch the men's Final Four: What Men's March Madness games are on today? All times listed are Eastern Time. (1) Florida vs. (1) Auburn – 6:09 p.m., on CBS (1) Houston vs. (1) Duke – 8:49 p.m., on CBS Remaining Men's March Madness 2025 schedule Championship Game: April 7 (16) Alabama State 70, (16) Saint Francis 68 (11) North Carolina 95, (11) San Diego State 68 (16) Mount St. Mary's 83, (16) American 72 (11) Xavier 86, (11) Texas 80 Thursday, March 20th (Round of 64) (9) Creighton 89, (8) Louisville 75 (4) Purdue 75, (13) High Point 63 (3) Wisconsin 85, (14) Montana 66 (1) Houston 78, (16) SIU Edwardsville 40 (1) Auburn 83, (16) Alabama State 63 (12) McNeese 69, (5) Clemson 67 (6) BYU 80, (11) VCU 71 (8) Gonzaga 89, (9) Georgia 68 (2) Tennessee 77, (15) Wofford 62 (10) Arkansas 79, (7) Kansas 72 (4) Texas A&M 80, (13) Yale 71 (11) Drake 67, (6) Missouri 57 (7) UCLA 72, (10) Utah State 47 (2) St. John's 83, (15) Omaha 53 (5) Michigan 68, (12) UC San Diego 65 (3) Texas Tech 82, (14) UNC Wilmington 72 Friday, March 21st (Round of 64) (9) Baylor 75, (8) Mississippi State 72 (2) Alabama 90, (15) Robert Morris 81 (3) Iowa State 82, (14) Lipscomb 55 (12) Colorado State 78, (5) Memphis 70 (1) Duke 93, (16) Mount St. Mary's 49 (7) Saint Mary's 59, (10) Vanderbilt 56 (6) Ole Miss 71, (11) North Carolina 64 (4) Maryland 81, (13) Grand Canyon 49 (1) Florida 95, (16) Norfolk State 69 (3) Kentucky 76, (14) Troy 57 (10) New Mexico 75, (7) Marquette 66 (4) Arizona 93, (13) Akron 65 (8) UConn 67, (9) Oklahoma 59 (6) Illinois 86, (11) Xavier 73 (2) Michigan State 87, (15) Bryant 62 (5) Oregon 81, (12) Liberty 52 Saturday, March 22nd (Round of 32) (4) Purdue 76, (12) McNeese 62 (10) Arkansas 75, (2) St. John's 66 (5) Michigan 91, (4) Texas A&M 79 (3) Texas Tech 77, (11) Drake 64 (1) Auburn 82, (9) Creighton 70 (6) BYU 91, (3) Wisconsin (1) Houston 81, (8) Gonzaga76 (2) Tennessee 67, (7) UCLA 58 Sunday, March 23rd (Round of 32) (1) Florida 77, (8) UConn 75 (1) Duke 89, (9) Baylor 66 (3) Kentucky 84, (6) Illinois 75 (2) Alabama 80, (7) Saint Mary's 66 (4) Maryland 72, (12) Colorado State 71 (6) Ole Miss 91, (3) Iowa State 78 (2) Michigan State 71, (10) New Mexico 63 (4) Arizona 87, (5) Oregon 83 Thursday, March 27th (2) Alabama 113, (6) BYU 88 (1) Florida 87, (4) Maryland 71 (1) Duke 100, (4) Arizona 93 (3) Texas Tech 85, (10) Arkansas 83 (OT) Friday, March 28th (2) Michigan State 73, (6) Ole Miss 70 (2) Tennessee 78, (3) Kentucky 65 (1) Auburn 78, (5) Michigan 65 (1) Houston 62, (4) Purdue 60 Saturday, March 29th (1) Florida 84, (3) Texas Tech 79 (1) Duke 85, (2) Alabama 65 Sunday, March 30th (1) Houston 69, (2) Tennessee 50 (1) Auburn 70, (5) Michigan State 64 Nicole Auerbach and Jordan Cornette explain how the shifting landscape of college basketball may explain why there haven't been many upsets or Cinderellas in the men's NCAA Tournament. Seth Greenberg joins Dan Patrick to discuss the role of coaching in the Final Four, why an all-No. 1 seed Final Four is 'a good thing,' Cooper Flagg's versatility, and more.
New York Times
31-03-2025
- Sport
- New York Times
Men's March Madness Final Four power rankings: Why all four No. 1 seeds have a title shot
Editor's note: This article is part of the Bracket Central series, an inside look at the run-up to the men's & women's NCAA Tournaments, along with analysis and picks during the tournaments. One of the chalkiest NCAA Tournaments in history has reached its logical conclusion: All four No. 1 seeds are headed to the Final Four for the first time since 2008. That tournament gave us an all-timer of a championship, with Mario Chalmers' miracle sending the title game to overtime as part of a Kansas victory over Memphis. And just like this Final Four, that tournament ended in San Antonio. Advertisement The burning question for this year, though: Will having these four superpowers actually lead to great games akin to that classic? Only one of the Elite Eight's four games had much drama down the stretch, and Duke's demolition of nearly every challenger could mean the Blue Devils end up blitzing their way through the last two games like UConn did last season. Their Final Four opponent, Houston, is not an easy team to blow out, though. In fact, the Cougars have not lost by more than five points all season (and three of their four losses were in overtime). Plus, Houston has the added incentive of exacting revenge for an NCAA Tournament loss to Duke just one year ago in the Sweet 16. And on the other side, Auburn has revenge on its mind, as well: The Tigers lost to Florida and Duke this season. Below, our final power rankings of the last teams standing, along with one reason for optimism for each of the four heavyweights as they descend on San Antonio. Duke brought Alabama's freight train offense to a screeching halt on Saturday night in Newark. The Blue Devils had the Tide's prolific offense to just 0.89 points per possession, the Tide's second-worst performance of the season. Duke also thrashed Alabama on the glass, 41-30, with Cooper Flagg and Khaman Maluach each tallying nine boards. Jon Scheyer's team is a juggernaut on both ends of the floor, but Houston – whom Duke beat in the Sweet 16 last season after the Cougars' Jamal Shead suffered an ankle injury – could provide a stiff test with its physicality and elite defense. Biggest reasons for optimism: Duke is the best team and has a generational player. Pretty solid reasons to get excited! The Blue Devils have the second-highest efficiency margin in the history of KenPom data (which runs back to 1997), and they can overwhelm opponents with elite units on both offense and defense. Texas Tech was the better team for 37 minutes on Saturday, but late in the game, Thomas Haugh and Walter Clayton Jr. refused to lose. The duo combined to hit four triples in the final three minutes, erasing a nine-point deficit and getting Florida back to the Final Four for the first time since 2014. Clayton's 30 points led the way, but the Gators' overall outstanding free throw shooting (25 of 27) — especially in contrast with the Red Raiders missing two critical front ends — earned them the victory. They now get Auburn, whom they obliterated on the Plains in early February. Biggest reasons for optimism: Florida is deep and immensely talented, and Clayton is the best closer in college basketball. They have survived shaky performances in this tournament, staring defeat in the face and coming out the other side. They will fear nothing in San Antonio. Kelvin Sampson has built his program on a stout defensive foundation, and the Cougars showed how impressive they are on that end on Sunday afternoon. Tennessee managed just 15 points in the first half, a record low for an Elite Eight game, and the Cougars maintained a double-digit lead for the entire second half. Emanuel Sharp (16 points) and LJ Cryer (17 points) hit just enough shots to keep any potential Vols comeback at bay. Houston now gets a shot at redemption against Duke, who sent the Cougars home last March in a grinding 54-51 Sweet 16 battle. Biggest reasons for optimism: Led by a long, athletic frontcourt, the Cougars have the best defense in the country. They also have three snipers in their starting backcourt, and point guard Milos Uzan's ascension to stardom has given Houston another major shot creator. The Tigers led for essentially the entire game against Michigan State, clinching Bruce Pearl's second Final Four appearance at Auburn. Johni Broome was masterful, tallying 25 points and 14 rebounds despite missing a chunk of the game after a scary fall. Broome's health will be a major storyline heading into next weekend, as both his right elbow and left ankle appeared to hamper him even after he returned to the game. The Tigers' defense allowed them to stay ahead against Michigan State, but against Florida — which destroyed Auburn at Auburn in February despite missing starter Alijah Martin — they will need a fully healthy Broome. Biggest reasons for optimism: For extended stretches against Michigan and Michigan State, Auburn has looked like the powerhouse that started the season 27-2 (including 15-1 in one of the toughest conferences ever). That version of Auburn was the best team in the country, replete with scoring options and defensive versatility. The Bracket Central series is sponsored by E*Trade from Morgan Stanley. The Athletic maintains full editorial independence. Sponsors have no control over or input into the reporting or editing process and do not review stories before publication. (Illustration: Dan Goldfarb / The Athletic; Photos: Jared C. Tilton, James Gilbert / Getty Images)
