The Final Four Forecast

By Cormac Lyons

3, 2, 1, 0! The crowd erupted at the end of the final quarterfinal, or Elite Eight game, of the NCAA Division 1 Basketball Championship, better known as March Madness. Auburn fans and players cheered for their victory over the Spartans of Michigan State, but they awaited a tough semifinal, or Final Four, of incredibly talented teams. For the first time since 2008, the final four would be made up entirely of one seeds, in other words, the four best teams who entered the 68-team tournament. The Final Four games will be electric, and hard to predict. 

The first game is between the Florida Gators and the Auburn Tigers. Auburn and Florida have already had tremendous success during the season and the playoffs. Before March Madness, Auburn won the Southeastern Conference regular season championship, while Florida was the champion of the Southeastern Conference Tournament.  Florida is led by superstar Walter Clayton Jr, an electric player who has made clutch plays throughout the year.  The high-powered Florida offense, and their balanced defense, will be too much of a struggle for the Tigers. If Auburn is going to win, it will have to be from a stellar performance by Johni Broome, a veteran forward and a finalist for the National Player of the Year Award. However, Florida’s talented frontcourt, including Alex Condon and Thomas Haugh, will limit Broome’s production, en route to a dominant victory for the Gators from Gainesville. 

On the other side of the bracket, the Houston Cougars will face the Duke Blue Devils in a defensive battle. Duke has been dominant, a freight train that shows no sign of stopping. Along with their hardcore defense, they also have a firepower offensive led by Cooper Flagg. Flagg won the National Player of the Year Award and will likely be the first player selected in the 2025 NBA Draft. Maliq Brown, an elite defensive player, is not completely healthy after recently returning from an injury. This unquestionably affects Duke’s defensive status. The Blue Devils will face Houston, a team with one of the best defenses in the country. Houston’s opponent in the Elite 8, Tennessee, was held to just 15 points, demonstrating the effectiveness of Houston’s defense. Despite Houston’s defense, Cooper Flagg and another star freshman, Kon Knueppel, will overcome Houston’s defense. Thus, they will advance and face the Gators in the National Championship. 

Some students have been making personal predictions about the championship game, including Junior Declan Lyons, who said “If Duke is in the Championship, write it in, they’re taking it home!”

Despite Declan’s prediction, I believe Florida will capture their third National Championship, their first since 2007. Florida has shown that they can win close games, and with the talent spread between the two rosters, this game has a high percentage chance of being a tight battle.  Duke has not had to fight in many close games this tournament. While this may be a testament to their success, it also might cause their downfall. In their one close battle against Arizona, their second half was far worse than their first half, potentially revealing a key weakness. 

Brian Kim, a Junior, is one student who agrees with me, saying, “The Gators are definitely taking home this title!” Kim cited the Gator’s depth and determination as the reasons they will prosper in this high-intensity environment.