- The Field of 68 Daily
- Posts
- A fearsome (final) foursome
A fearsome (final) foursome
Houston manhandles Tennessee, while Auburn starts fast and stops Michigan State, leaving the Final Four filled with nothing but 1 seeds. Plus: Stats and facts for San Antonio, New Mexico snags a coach with upside, and the latest from the transfer portal.
Mike Miller
March 31, 2025
In partnership with
Good morning! If you’re one of those people who went with mostly chalk in your bracket, congrats. This is your ideal tournament.
The good news? It’s ideal for everyone else, too. Because the Final Four should be historically good.
Looking for unbiased, fact-based news? Join 1440 today.
Join over 4 million Americans who start their day with 1440 – your daily digest for unbiased, fact-centric news. From politics to sports, we cover it all by analyzing over 100 sources. Our concise, 5-minute read lands in your inbox each morning at no cost. Experience news without the noise; let 1440 help you make up your own mind. Sign up now and invite your friends and family to be part of the informed.
1. The best Final Four ever?
How good are the four teams playing in San Antonio for the 2025 Final Four? This sums it up nicely.
10 best kenpom teams ever!
FOUR ARE IN THE FINAL FOUR‼️
— The Field of 68 (@TheFieldOf68)
12:33 AM • Mar 31, 2025
Yes, all four of this year’s teams rank among the 10 best KenPom teams in the history’s database, which dates back to 1996-97. That’s four teams whose adjusted efficiency margin is at least +35.2. (Also worth noting that among that top 10 list, only three of those team won a title.)
The best ever is ‘98-’99 Duke at +43.0. For this season, it’s:
2) 2024-25 Duke: +39.6
6) 2024-25 Houston: +36.5
8) 2024-25 Florida: +36.0
10) 2024-25 Auburn: +35.2
Those four separated themselves from the rest of college hoops by February. In most seasons Tennessee’s +30.85 margin would make it No. 1. That’s a nod to how improved offenses are this season, and how the truly elite teams have played this year.
It’s also the second time since the NCAA Tournament expanded in 1985 that all four No. 1 seeds reached the final weekend. Also worth noting that both of the Final Four games that season were blowouts, and coincidently played in San Antonio.
It’s enough to warrant a week’s worth of hype heading into Saturday in San Antonio. Or to have Rob Dauster, Jeff Goodman and Mike LaTulip start to hype it here.
2. Houston dominates, Auburn stays poised amid Broome scare
Nothing on Sunday delivered the same drama of Florida’s win over Texas Tech, but there was still drama. It just came in the form of an injury.
