Did This Year’s Elite 8 Live Up To The Billing?

According to the metrics and overall seeding, this year’s Elite 8 field was arguably the strongest in the history of the NCAA Tournament. 

Of the remaining eight teams entering the weekend, four were No. 1 seeds, three were No. 2 seeds, and one was a No. 3 seed. According to Jordan Mendoza of USA Today, this was the lowest remaining seed total in the Elite 8 since 2007 (13). That 2007 tournament also had an identical draw in terms of seeds remaining. 

What makes this year different?

The difference between this year and 2007, or really any other year, is the quality of the No. 1 seeds. I’ve listed this fact in various articles over the past few weeks, but it bares repeating one more time given the circumstances.

This year’s edition of the NCAA Tournament featured four of the six highest-rated teams in 23 years of KenPom’s pre-tournament rankings.

All four historically great one-seeds prevailed in their matchups, setting the stage for a loaded Final Four in San Antonio next weekend. 2008 was last time all four No. 1 seeds made the Final Four, and that tournament ended with one of the lasting images of March Madness.

The only thing we can do now is hope for more drama in the games next weekend. Until then, let’s go through what we saw this weekend and determine what lived up to the billing and what didn’t. 

West Region: (1) Florida 84, (3) Texas Tech 79

This was easily the game of the weekend. Texas Tech proved that you sometimes live by the sword and die by the sword, losing at the hands of an improbable Gator comeback after pulling off a miraculous comeback of their own in the Sweet 16 against Arkansas. 

Florida trailed by nine points with just 3:14 remaining, but came all the way back, taking a 78-77 lead on a Walter Clayton Jr. 3-pointer with 59 seconds remaining. Clayton Jr. scored 22 of his 30 points in the second half, and shot 50% from the field overall to help coach Todd Golden and the Gators stave off elimination for another round.

East Region: (1) Duke 85, (2) Alabama 65

This was one of the games that did not live up to the billing. While I was certainly expecting a Duke victory and some regression to the mean from Alabama following the Tide’s 113-point performance against BYU in the Sweet 16, I wasn’t expecting this. 

Alabama went from shooting an NCAA Tournament record 25-of-51 from 3-point range in the Sweet 16, to shooting just 8-of-32 from 3-point range in the Elite 8 on Saturday. The Crimson Tide’s shooting woes and lack of defensive presence were felt on the scoreboard. Duke didn’t trail for a single second and the Blue Devils held a secure double-digit lead for the final 12 minutes of the game. First team All-American Mark Sears was a non-factor for Alabama, scoring just six points on 2-of-12 shooting. Kon Knueppel led the way for Duke with 21 points. 

Midwest Region: (1) Houston 69, (2) Tennessee 50

In terms of how the 2025 Elite 8 would be remembered, Houston vs. Tennessee had a lot riding on it. As the Sunday matinee, the quality of this game between the nation’s two premier defenses went a long way in determining whether the weekend would be remembered or largely lost to history.

It was another dud. Tennessee put together a historically awful performance in the first half, scoring just six points in the first 11+ minutes of the game. Houston led 34-15 at halftime and led by as many as 22 points in the first half. According to Matt Norlander of CBS Sports, Tennessee’s 15 first-half points were the lowest ever by a No. 1 or No. 2 seed in any NCAA Tournament game.

Tennessee’s 15 first-half points are the lowest in NCAA Tournament history by a team with a No. 1 or No. 2 seed.

Lowest not just in an Elite Eight game — lowest in any round of the tournament. Ever.

— Matt Norlander (@MattNorlander) March 30, 2025

The Vols showed some semblance of life in the second half and cut the deficit to 10 points with under six minutes remaining. That was as close as they would get after the break, however, and Houston moved on to the program’s seventh Final Four without so much as breaking a sweat. 

South Region: (1) Auburn 70, (2) Michigan State 64

I actually think this game did live up to the billing, although Auburn was never really against the ropes at any point. On the other hand, Michigan State kept its head above water just enough to where you could never really count them out at any point either.

This game also gave us one of the coolest moments of the tournament so far. Auburn star and SEC Player of the Year Johni Broome went down with what appeared to be a serious injury midway through the second-half, casting a sobering cloud over what was tracking to be a historic day for the Auburn program. Minutes later, however, Broome emerged from the locker room to raucous applause.  From there, Broome took his spot back on the floor with Auburn still firmly in position to secure its second Final Four berth in school history. And that the Tigers did.