The theme of this year’s men’s NCAA Tournament — favorites winning the day — continued on the first day of the Elite Eight on Saturday. But there was still some drama.
No. 1 Florida erased a double-digit deficit in the second half against No. 3 Texas Tech to beat the Red Raiders 84-79 and win the West Region inside Chase Center in San Francisco. In the nightcap, played at the Prudential Center in Newark, N.J., No. 1 Duke put together a complete performance to beat No. 2 Alabama 85-65 and earn a spot in next weekend’s Final Four.
Florida will play the winner of Sunday’s South Regional final between No. 1 Auburn and No. 2 Michigan State. Duke awaits the winner of the Midwest Regional final between No. 1 Houston and No. 2 Tennessee.
The Gators, led by Walter Clayton Jr., battled back after trailing 67-57 with less than eight minutes to play. They’re back in the Final Four for the first time since 2014, preventing Texas Tech from reaching the school’s second-ever Final Four.
Duke didn’t need any late-game heroics to secure a bid to San Antonio as the second No. 1 seed to advance. Led by Kon Knueppel, the ACC tournament champion Blue Devils won their 15th straight game by putting on a strong offensive showing and displaying a defensive prowess that placed Alabama out of rhythm, making it difficult for the Tide to match.
Duke slowed Mark Sears and Alabama just two days after the Crimson Tide scorched the nets with an NCAA Tournament record 25 3-pointers.
Here’s a glimpse of the first day of Elite Eight action:
No. 1 Florida 84, No. 3 Texas Tech 79
SAN FRANCISCO — Given that he was compared earlier this week to the Bay Area’s favorite 3-point shooter, it makes sense that in a tight game, with his team’s national championship hopes slipping away, Clayton would be the one to take — and make — the biggest shot of the night.
Florida is headed to the Final Four largely due to Clayton’s shot-making.
After two consecutive one-and-one misses from Texas Tech, Clayton stepped back, pulled up and drained a 3 with 1:47 to play, tying the score at 75.
Or maybe the biggest shot was the next 3-pointer Clayton hit just 48 seconds later after Tech had regained the lead, 77-75. That make gave Florida the lead back 78-77, and then, after a missed 3 by Tech’s Darrion Williams, a couple of made free throws from Florida and another missed 3 by Williams, Clayton stepped to the line with 10.2 seconds to play, his team up a possession, 80-77. He drained both.
The senior guard from Florida, named the Most Outstanding Player of the West Regional, finished with 30 points, eight of them in the final 107 seconds. — Lindsay Schnell
Read more about Clayton Jr’s late-game flurry here.
WALTER CLAYTON JR. ANSWERED THE CALL 📞
🔥 30 PTS | 4 AST | 3 3PT
He showed up BIG in the clutch to help @GatorsMBK advance to the #MFinalFour 🐊#MarchMadness pic.twitter.com/kyBRb5JXwP
— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessMBB) March 30, 2025
No. 1 Duke 85, No. 2 Alabama 65
NEWARK, N.J. — With 6:39 separating Duke from the Final Four berth it’s been chasing all season, coach Jon Scheyer huddled his team and took a deep breath.
What he said next would be the thread: either the thing that sent the Blue Devils to San Antonio … or the most misread moment of Scheyer’s three-year tenure.
“It’s our time, right f—ing now. Right f—ing now!” Scheyer barked out. “This is our game.”
And soon enough, it was.
Free lane to the basket for Knueppel 🚗#MarchMadness @DukeMBB pic.twitter.com/HvmaUfkuN3
— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessMBB) March 30, 2025
Two days after Alabama posted one of the truly historic offensive efforts in the hallowed history of March Madness, Duke dialed up its top-five defense one more time and put the clamps on the Crimson Tide, 85-65, to advance to its First Final Four under Scheyer and the program’s 18th overall but first since 2022. Duke will play the winner of Sunday’s South Regional final between Houston and Tennessee next Saturday. No. 1 Florida advanced earlier Saturday after defeating Texas Tech.
Duke’s defense carried the Blue Devils to ACC regular-season and tournament titles, to the No. 1 ranking in the country and the No. 1 seed in the East Regional.
Now, only two more games separate the Blue Devils from immortality and a sixth national championship banner to hang in Cameron Indoor Stadium. — Brendan Marks
Read more about Duke’s defensive stand and rise to the Final Four.
(Photo: Ezra Shaw / Getty Images)
