The race to the Final Four will reach its conclusion by the end of the weekend after the 2025 NCAA Tournament started with 68 teams earlier this month. The first two tickets to the final weekend of the college basketball season will be punched with two marquee Elite Eight matchups in the East Regional Final and West Regional Final on tap.
The first spot in the Final Four will be punched in San Francisco when No. 1 seed Florida faces No. 3 seed Texas Tech. The Red Raiders are coming off the third-largest comeback in Sweet 16 history after rallying from a 16-point second-half deficit to stun No. 10 seed Arkansas. Florida cruised by No. 4 seed Maryland to advance to the Elite Eight for the first time since 2017.
The second and final matchup of the evening will be one of the most anticipated Elite Eight games this century when No. 1 seed Duke plays No. 2 seed Alabama in Newark, New Jersey. The Crimson Tide are coming off the best 3-point shooting performance in NCAA Tournament history after knocking down 25 shots from beyond the arc in a blowout win over BYU.
Duke advanced to the Elite Eight for the second consecutive year under coach Jon Scheyer after surviving an upset bid from No. 4 seed Arizona. Duke superstar Cooper Flagg became the first Duke player with at least 30 points, five rebounds and five assists in an NCAA Tournament game.
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Matt Norlander
Let’s take a look at some of the storylines to know for Saturday’s Elite Eight matchups.
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Flagg coming off historic performance
Flagg became the second freshman in NCAA Tournament history to finish with 30 points, seven assists and six rebounds in Duke’s 100-93 win over Arizona in the Sweet 16 on Thursday. Flagg also added three blocks to his stat line to become the first player in the history of the NCAA Tournament with at least 30 points, five rebounds, five assists and three blocks since UCLA’s Ed O’Bannon in 1994. Flagg is well on his way to becoming the No. 1 overall pick in the 2025 NBA Draft, but adding a Final Four to his résumé would enhance it even more and put him in the conversation as one of the best one-and-done players in college basketball history.
Flagg suffered an ankle injury against Georgia Tech in the ACC Tournament, which forced him to miss Duke’s final two games before the NCAA Tournament began. Flagg returned last week against Mount St. Mary’s in the first round of the NCAA Tournament and finished with 14 points. As CBS Sports’ Matt Norlander wrote, Flagg’s performance in the Sweet 16 might’ve been his best of the season.
Can Bama match record-breaking shooting night?
The Crimson Tide broke a 35-year record for most 3-pointers in an NCAA Tournament game with 25 vs. BYU. It also marked the most made shots from distance in a Division I game by a team this season. Alabama broke the previous record for most 3-pointers in an NCAA Tournament game, held by Loyola Marymount with 21 shots from deep in a 149-115 second-round victory over Michigan in the 1990 NCAA Tournament.
Alabama guards Mark Sears and Aden Holloway became the first teammates to each hit six or more 3-pointers in an NCAA Tournament game. Moreover, Alabama would have defeated BYU if it didn’t make a single 2-point shot. Alabama scored 75 of its points on 3-pointers and 18 off foul shots, which would’ve resulted in a 93-88 victory in its favor.
The next challenge will come against a Duke team that ranked 36th (31%) in 3-point team defense.
Battle on the boards in Florida vs. Texas Tech
Texas Tech pulled off a stunning comeback win over Arkansas by dominating the offensive glass. Twenty-two of the Red Raiders’ 51 total rebounds came on the offensive end of the floor. At one point in the second half, Texas Tech secured six offensive rebounds on a single possession, which helped spark its comeback win.
Florida was also dominant on the glass in its Sweet 16 win. The Gators outrebounded Maryland 42-20 and recorded 15 offensive rebounds in their blowout win. The greatest strength of this Florida team is its frontcourt. Even when star big man Alex Condon went down with an ankle injury and missed nearly 20 minutes of game action, his team didn’t miss a beat. The team that wins the rebounding battle will likely be the representative from the West side of the bracket in San Antonio next weekend.
Check out the full TV and streaming schedule for Saturday’s Elite Eight games below.
Saturday’s NCAA Tournament schedule
| 6:09 p.m. | (3) Texas Tech vs. (1) Florida | TBS (watch live) |
| 8:49 p.m. | (2) Alabama vs. (1) Duke | TBS (watch live) |
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