Best Final Four ever? Maybe.

The four No. 1 seeds faced off Saturday in two matchups of all-time great teams. The games lived up to the hype with Houston's amazing comeback vs. Duke, and Walter Clayton Jr's stellar performance vs. Auburn. Plus, transfer portal moves to know.

Author

Mike Miller
April 06, 2025

Good morning! I’m in such a good mood after two spectacular games on Saturday night that today’s Field of 68 Daily is free.

Let’s celebrate when we have amazing games!

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1. Houston’s historic comeback all about belief

SAN ANTONIO — In front of a jubilant Houston crowd that was delirious with joy — and possibly in mild shock from the remarkable, somewhat surreal final seconds — Kelvin Sampson stood at the edge of the Alamodome court, arms in air, celebrating with that crowd.

“Let’s fucking go! Let’s fucking go!”

Houston’s 70-67 win Saturday night over Duke not only capped a stunning comeback, it cemented the Cougars as the sport’s unkillable team. Down by 6 with 18 seconds left? Big deal. Down by 7 with 86 seconds left and a spot in the national championship on the line? No problem.

“Quitting is not part of the deal. We’re not going to quit. Were just going to play better,” Sampson said. “I mean, being down, what’s the problem?”

Sampson and his players certainly believed. Duke controlled much of the game, but as a result it also seemed to lose focus down the stretch. It made one field goal in the final 10:31. It had one rebound in the final 3:24.

Houston? It started 3-of-15 from the field, and was 31% in the first half. Then it scrapped, it clawed, and did everything possible to win the game. LJ Cryer juked and shot his way to 26 points. J’Wan Roberts grabbed rebounds (12) and guarded Cooper Flagg. Emanuel Sharp (16 points) hit big 3s in the first half and handled the ball in the second half.

It all adds up. It all matters.

“It’s the culture. It’s amazing,” Houston alum and basketball legend Hakeem Olajuwon said after the game. “Even when you’re down, it seemed like there’s a chance. if you believe it, you can do it.”

Jim Nantz, another Houston alum who’s seen his fair share of NCAA Tournament games, said “it’s beyond words.”

So how does one pull off one of the largest rallies in Final Four history? One possession at a time. Because while Houston struggled to make shots, it also made it tough for Duke (35-4) to do the same.

The Devils were just 39% from the field and rarely got a clean look. Sampson emphasized for the Cougars to not foul (don’t go for shot fakes), and to limit second-shot opportunities. It placed 6-9 JoJo Tugler and his 7-8 wingspan at the top of the key so over-the-top passes couldn’t go in.

Houston crept closer and closer, but didn’t finally close in until an Emanuel Sharp 3-pointer and a Tugler follow-up dunk with 25 seconds left made it a one-point game. After Cooper Flagg was called for an over-the-back foul on a missed free throw, J’Wan Roberts hit two free throws and Houston’s first lead since early in the second half.

Duke set up a play for Flagg, who backed down Roberts, but left his jumper short. It wasn’t the ending the NPOY (who had 27 points) envisioned.

“Thought I got my feet set, rose up. Left it short, obviously,” he said. “A shot I’m willing to live with in that scenario.”

Duke coach Jon Scheyer said afterward that he didn’t do enough down the stretch to place his team in a position to win.

Now Houston (35-4) will play in its first title game since 1984. It’ll also be the first time for Sampson, who’s been to three Final Fours, but never this far in the tournament. It’ll be a slight underdog on Monday vs. Florida.

I can’t wait to see to see how resilient Houston is when a national title is on the line.

2. ‘Clayton was the difference’

How good is Walter Clayton Jr? Nobody’s scored like him this late in the NCAA Tournament since Larry Bird. And the long list of guys who’ve topped 30 points in the regional finals and Final Four? That’s even older.

Still, the raw numbers — 34 points on 11-of-18 shooting, including 5-of-8 from deep — don’t tell the full story from Florida’s 79-73 win over Auburn.

Clayton hit his usual barrage of 3s, but his ability to shake defenders on drives or on turnarounds baffled Auburn in the late in the first half and at the start of the second half. His shot chart? A thing of beauty. Florida’s defense stepped up, but Clayton was the overall driving force.

“About the only think I probably should have done more is trap the ball out of his hands a little bit. Believe it or not, that was part of our game plan. We just didn’t execute it,” Auburn coach Bruce Pearl said. “Clayton was the difference. He was just flat out the difference. We couldn’t contain him.”

Alijah Martin added 17 points and Thomas Haugh had 12 as Florida (35-4) beat Auburn for the second time this season, and reached their fourth Championship game in school history. It’s 15-1 all time as a 1 seed.

The Gators’ defense to start the second half was just as important as Clayton. Auburn (32-6) scored 1.46 points per possession in the first half, shooting 51.5% from the field and committing just two turnovers. Much of that was due to its frontcourt, which manhandled Florida during the half.

That stopped in the second half. Florida opened with an 11-2 run and shut down Johni Broome. He finished with 15 points, but had as many turnovers (3) as points (3) in the second half. And that spelled trouble for the Tigers.

“He had a great first half. We didn’t have anybody that could stop him,” Golden said “I thought our depth, being able to get Reuben (Chinyelu) and (Alex) Condo(n), sub early, bringing them back, I think we wore them down a little bit.”

When you’ve got a physical frontcourt and a guard that can’t miss, that usually means good things happen.

3. Alijah Martin defies gravity

Walter Clayton Jr. was off the charts. But his highlight reel might not have hit the highs of two Alijah Martin dunks.

Midway through the first half with Florida putting the finishing touches on its run that swung momentum its way, Martin made a steal, revved up for a breakaway and took flight.

Wow. And yet, does anyone think Martin took off a little early?

“I did,” Golden said.

Anyone else?

“Hell yeah. I thought he took off way too early,” said big man Alex Condon. “But he’s a freak-of-nature athlete, that guy. I’ve never seen anyone jump that high. Such a clutch moment as well. it was crazy.”

Remarkably enough, it had competition for dunk of the game. Martin got loose on a breakaway just five minutes later and flew past two Florida defenders for a dunk that Haugh thought might’ve been more jaw dropping.

“The second dunk was ridiculous. I was like ‘Oh my gosh’ and just BOOM,” Haugh said. “It felt insane. Being in there and being on the court when he’s doing that is just incredible to see.”

So. Did Martin hit the jets too soon? He didn’t commit either way. He just had a singular focus.

“Those dunks, I was just thinking, “I’m just going to dunk it.”

4. Another all-time efficiency monster won’t win it all

This Final Four had four No. 1 seeds, and four of the Top 10 teams on KenPom’s efficiency ratings. As everyone saw on Saturday, all four teams were loaded with talent and capable of impressive play.

Yet Duke was the best of the bunch, at least from an efficiency margin. And just like three other teams in the top five, it didn’t win the title.

FWIW, Houston’s now at +36.75, which places it behind 2014-15 Kentucky all time. Florida’s now at +36.34. There’s a chance one of those two will end up as a top 5 team with a title.

5. Michigan’s crushing the portal (for now) + more news

Dusty May’s got this transfer portal thing on lock.

Michigan landed UAB big man Yaxel Lendeborg on Saturday, giving the May his third transfer of the spring. With Morez Johnon (Illinois) and Eliot Cadeau (North Carolina), that’s a terrific core for 2025-26.

Not locked into Evan’s rankings? 247 Sports has the Wolverines with the No. 2 overall class for 2025. But … there’s a chance Lendeborg might not play for the Wolverines. He’s wholly focused on going pro.

"I'm focused on the draft process and making the NBA right now," Lendeborg told ESPN. "I want a guaranteed contract. That's the biggest thing. Make sure I am in a good spot. I would prefer to play college basketball in Ann Arbor than be in and out of the G League on a two-way. I want to find a safe spot."

If Lendeborg does play at Michigan, it follows a season in which Michigan’s best players (Vlad Goldin, Danny Wolf, Roddy Gayle, Tre Donaldson) were all transfers. Michigan has two incoming freshmen (4-stars Trey McKenney and Winters Grady), but it’s clear the path (for now) is transfers.

Kentucky landed its first transfer portal commit on Saturday, and it’s a big one: Pitt’s Jaland Lowe.

The sophomore point guard was third-team All-ACC after averaging 16.8 ppg, 4.2 rpg and 5.5 apg this season. There’s a lot to like about his game beyond his production — he’s got good size at 6-3, and is a creative, dynamic playmaker — but there are concerns about his perimeter shooting (it dropped from 35% to 26% this season) and his turnovers.

Other transfer moves to note:

Notable portal entrants

  • Honor Huff, Chattanooga guard (15.2 ppg, lead D-I in 3-pointers made)

  • AJ Staton-McCray, Miami guard (7/3 ppg, 2.4 rpg)

  • Wesley Yates, USC guard (14.1 ppg, 44% on 3s)

  • Jaden Brownell, Samford forwward (14 ppg, 4 rpg)

Players returning to programs next season

One Crown to rule them all

When Nebraska (20-14) and UCF (20-16) play in the College Basketball Crown today (5:30 pm ET on FOX), I’m hoping for one thing: A scoring showdown between Brice Williams and Darius Johnson. Johnson dropped 42 points in Saturday’s 104-98 overtime win over Villanova, the most-ever April points in a D-I game. Williams went for 30 points and 28 points in the Huskers’ first two Crown wins. He “only” had 14 in Saturday’s 79-69 win over Boise State.

Haunting loss

Jon Scheyer had the best team, the best player, and the most talent on Saturday night. What does this loss do to him going forward?

Links as you remind all your friends that college basketball is the greatest.

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