The 2025 Men’s Final Four was the most exciting Final Four this century. From storylines to game play the Final Four in San Antonio did not disappoint.
This year marked just the second time in history that all four No. 1 seeds made the Final Four. Every game was an exciting matchup and the games only got better as they went on.
One game you had the top overall seed in Auburn led by the AP Coach of the Year Bruce Pearl taking on an SEC foe in the Florida Gators. In the other must see matchup you had the epitome of a blue blood in Duke facing a gritty Houston squad looking for its first national championship in program history.
It was the first Final Four since 1999 that both semifinal games were decided within 10 points and the championship game was decided by one possession.
The Gators 79-73 victory over Auburn in the Alamodome was an electric way to get the final weekend of the tournament started. The SEC showdown was a highly anticipated rematch from when Florida upset the first ranked Tigers in early February.
Florida’s All-American Walton Clayton Jr. was absolutely box office, putting up a career high 34-points in a back and forth contest where neither team led by double digits. Clayton Jr. became the first player since Larry Bird in 1979 to have back-to-back 30-point games in the Elight Eight and the Final Four.
The Florida-Auburn game was a terrific opener for the main event of the evening, Houston versus Duke. It was the ultimate clash of youth versus experience.
Duke starts three freshmen while not a single freshmen from Houston saw game time. Duke’s Jon Scheyer is 37 years old and still wet behind the ears compared to Houston’s Kelvin Sampson who is 69 years old and has been a head coach for 35 years.
The endless storylines for the Duke-Houston contest were great and somehow the game played out even better.
Houston climbed its way out of a 14-point second half deficit to stun Duke 70-67. Although the 14-point comeback was the fifth largest in Final Four history, the real headline was Duke’s inconceivable late-game collapse.
In the final 10:30 of the game Duke only made one field goal and eventually blew a six point lead with 34 seconds to go. Under coach Scheyer Duke was 79-0 when leading by at least 10-points at any time during the game, until Saturday night.
As if the games on Saturday weren’t good enough, the national championship was one for the ages and became an instant classic.
The 65-63 Florida victory over Hosuton was the first time in 15 years the national championship was decided by two or less points. It is truly a treat for all sports fans when championship games come down to the final possession like this one did.
The Gators made huge plays down the stretch to erase Houston’s 12-point lead by forcing three turnovers in the final minute. Florida may have only led the game for a grand total of 64 seconds but they made enough plays to capture the program’s third national championship.
If you’re expecting the Final Four next year to be just as good, don’t hold your breath.
