NCAA Males’s Basketball Match’s Closing 4 spherical opens with an SEC showcase.
The primary half of the NCAA Males’s Closing 4 simply means extra.
The SEC’s match takeover is on its purest show within the opening leg of the San Antonio doubleheader, which can function the Auburn Tigers and Florida Gators vying for a visit to the nationwide championship sport. It is the primary postseason assembly between the 2 longtime rivals and the winner faces both Duke or Houston in Monday’s grand finale.
Florida, which has two nationwide titles to its identify (2006-07), is again within the Closing 4 for the primary time since 2014. This newest trek has featured some shut calls: the Gators barely obtained by two-time defending champion Connecticut in spherical two earlier than they made up a late 10-point deficit to high Texas Tech within the regional last final weekend.
The frequent issue has been the clutch antics of Walter Clayton Jr., a consensus All-American (and the primary in class historical past) who saved one in all his finest for final within the type of a 30-point effort in opposition to the Crimson Raiders. With Clayton letting it fly, the Gators additionally boast the inside skills of Alex Condon, Ruben Chinyelu, and Thomas Haugh, all of whom are averaging over six rebounds a sport.
Auburn, then again, is making simply its second Closing 4 look, and its first for the reason that 2019 group led by Bryce Brown and Chuma Okeke fell to the eventual champions from Virginia. The Tigers have spent most of this season atop the nationwide rankings and have spent most of this match defending that fame: they gained their first three video games by a median of 15 factors and the Elite Eight conflict vs. Michigan State was not as shut because the 70-64 resolution signifies.
Loads of Warfare Eagle cries have come by means of the antics of SEC Participant of the 12 months Johni Broome, who has pulled in 53 rebounds over the match quartet along with maintaining his elite scoring. Broome handled an harm in last levels of the Elite Eight however the Tigers are well-stocked after which some: Chad Baker-Mazara reached the All-SEC third group alongside Condon whereas Denver Jones and Tahaad Pettiford appeared on the All-Defensive and Freshman squads, respectively.
This would be the second and last assembly between the 2 golf equipment this season, as Florida beforehand prevailed, 90-81, at Auburn again in February. Clayton flirted with a triple-double by combining 19 factors with 9 assists and 6 rebounds, whereas Condon paired 17 tallies with 10 boards. Auburn leads the all-time sequence 90-84.
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Who: (1) Auburn Tigers vs. (1) Florida GatorsWhat: 2025 NCAA Males’s Basketball Match, Nationwide SemifinalWhere: The Alamodome, San Antonio, TXWhen/Watch: Saturday, 6:09 p.m. ET, CBS/Paramount+Who’s Favored: UF -2.5
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Tiger to Watch: Chaney Johnson
The Tiger lineup options name-brand skills all through, but it surely’s depth stars like Johnson that make March (and April) march: the Division II switch from Alabama-Huntsville rose to the event when Broome went down in opposition to Michigan State and helped keep the Tigers’ lasting lead in the course of the center levels of the second half. It is one factor to do it early within the yr in opposition to foes like Georgia State (as Johnson beforehand did throughout a distinct Broome medical incident), however the Closing 4/nationwide championship spherical have steadily seen the emergence of second unit males (i.e. Phil Sales space for Villanova in 2016) pave the trail to a shining second or two. Is Johnson the following man up in additional methods than one?
Gator to Watch: Walter Clayton Jr.
If anybody has put the “V” in MVP on this match, it has undoubtedly been Clayton, the Iona switch that has helped Florida keep away from being the antagonist in a Cinderella story. Clayton’s clutch capturing from all ends of the ground has bailed the Gators out of bushy conditions and stored Florida’s offense rolling after inserting second within the SEC in scoring this season. Dealing with the impenetrable forces of Baker-Mazzara, Pettiford, and Miles Kelly, Clayton will want one other good exhibiting to beat the Tigers’ seemingly limitless reinforcements. ______________________________________________________________________________
They Mentioned It
“There are 4 groups within the nation which can be left, and Auburn is one in all them. So we could not be happier … We will the Closing 4 with our 4 1 seeds. The 4 groups that superior, I feel they’re the 4 finest groups within the nation. That does not clearly all the time occur … We’re a soccer faculty. We’re. Do not ever overlook that. We’re a soccer faculty. We’re. However we’re additionally an every part faculty. We’re an every part faculty.”-Auburn head coach Bruce Pearl after the win over Michigan State (h/t Taylor Jones, Auburn Wire)
“It is sort of rather a lot to placed on a younger man. However I might say the one factor the place Walt one hundred pc is just like Steph is their shot-making and their skill to get it off each time they need. Similar to the Warriors need Steph to have the ability to discover a option to get open and get these pictures in these moments, we wish Walt taking the pictures for us down the stretch. There is a cause why he was an AP first-team All-American. He’s, in my humble opinion, the very best guard in America.”-Florida head coach Todd Golden on Walter Clayton Jr. getting comparisons to Stephen Curry (h/t Kyle Bonagura, ESPN)
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Prediction
Florida is probably the furthest factor from a Cinderella story, however some will little question query its championship credentials in opposition to essentially the most frequent No. 1 group within the main polls and one which rolled by means of their opening video games. The dynamic, multi-faceted one-two punch of Clayton and Condon, nevertheless, can transfer mountains and the Gators have confirmed themselves well-capable of rising in opposition to any problem. It would take an old school slugfest higher suited to the fields of fall Saturdays quite than the hardwood of early April, however my nod goes to the Gators.
Florida 70, Auburn 66
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Geoff Magliocchetti is on X @GeoffJMags
