The battle of the #1 seeds, which two are going down first? For the 2nd time in NCAA history, all #1 seeds have made it to the final four with little to no problems. All these teams have proved dominant throughout the tournament besides Florida having a comeback win versus Texas Tech last week. Even with that scare, all these teams combined beat their opponents by an average of 16 points each game. This is a dominance that hasn’t been seen before by all the #1 seed in a tournament. With such a dominant season and tournament, let’s dive right into what the experts think.
#1 Florida vs #1 Auburn
This matchup will be interesting as Florida is coming off a scary game narrowly coming back, beating Texas Tech by five. ESPN analytics has Auburn with a 57.9% chance to win and Florida with a 42% to win making this an entertaining game. Florida is led by senior Walter Clayton Jr. with 18.1 points per game and shooting 44.6% from the field. Meanwhile, the Auburn Tigers are led by senior big man, Johni Broome who averages a double-double with 18.7 points per game and 10.9 rebounds per game. These two will lead their teams however I believe it’s going to come down to who has more depth with starters and coming off the bench. Florida has 4, almost 5 players averaging double digits. With their big man taking the defense to the paint, hopefully, Florida’s shooters will be able to get open. Auburn also has 5 players in double digits for scoring and Chaney Johnson being just short at 9.2 points per game. Another stat to keep an eye on is the rebounding battle as Florida averages 42 rebs and the Tigers average a smaller 37.1 rebs per game. This might be the difference in the game along with shooting the ball. This close one should be entertaining as we step closer to the National Championship.
#1 Houston vs #1 Duke
In another battle of the #1 seeds we have another interesting matchup. Two dominant programs, not just this season but for years, go head to head for a spot in the Nation Championship. ESPN Analytics has Duke with a slight advantage at 53% and Houston at 46.1%. Duke has had what many may say is an easy route to the championship beating their opponents by an average of 23.5 points. Their closest contest was in the Sweet Sixteen against #4 Arizona, beating them 100-93. Duke has played strong as a team averaging 16.8 assists per game with high team chemistry. Their leading scorer is the famous freshman star Cooper Flagg leading the team in points 18.9, rebounds 7.5, assists 4.2, and steals 1.4 per game. He will be key to their success with the help of freshman guard Kon Knueppel who averages 14.4 points per game. This duo has been strong all tournament and I would expect the same for this game. Houston, although not projected to win, is also a very tough team and not an easy opponent. The Cougars are led by senior guard L.J. Cryer with 15.4 points per game. Houston has been known to be a defensive team so we will see if they are able to stop the offensive machine that is the Duke Blue Devils.
So who do you have winning in the Final Four? Who do you have winning it all? Let us know in the comments what your thoughts are.