Finding the Final Four: Each No. 1 Seed’s Journey

While the men’s NCAA Tournament extends into the start of April, the majority of the madness has concluded. In a matter of six days and 52 games, a field of the best 68 teams in college basketball has been whittled down to just 16. Amidst those 16 fabled teams stand all four No. 1 seeds, each still vying for their chance at glory. Now that the dust has settled, what is the remaining path to the Final Four for the No. 1 seed in each region?

Auburn Tigers-South Region

No. 1 overall seed Auburn will keep dancing into the second weekend after two solid but shaky wins. The top-seeded Tigers opened the tournament with an 83-63 win over No. 16 seed Alabama State, followed up by a 82-70 second round victory over No. 9 seed Creighton to advance to the Sweet 16.

Aside from the momentary lapses and scares, the overall confidence in the team is high heading into the remaining path:

“We played like the No. 1 team in the country. We acted like the No. 1 team in the country. We prepared like the No. 1 team in the country.”-Head Coach Bruce Pearl following Auburn’s 82-70 Round of 32 win over No. 9 seed Creighton

Now, only two games stand between the SEC Regular-Season Champion Tigers and a trip to San Antonio. First, the burnt orange and navy blue will take on No. 5 seed Michigan at 9:40 p.m. Friday night. The Wolverines most recently beat No. 4 seed Texas A&M, who took down Auburn in the regular season, 91-79 in the Round of 32. The matchup is quite complicated for Auburn, facing the literal tall task of Michigan’s two seven-footers and an experienced coach in Dusty May. If 7’1 Vlad Golden and 7’0 Danny Wolf can get good looks in the paint, the Tigers’ March Madness run may end early. Auburn ranks 12th in defensive efficiency and will need to put that on display if they hope to advance.

If the Tigers can move forward, they will face the winner of No. 2 seed Michigan State vs. No. 6 seed Ole Miss. Facing the Spartans may be quite treacherous due their perimeter ball movement and deep lineup. Bruce Pearl is most likely hoping for the latter to move on, as the Tigers took down Ole Miss three times this season. Regardless of the opponent, Auburn will remain the best team in the tournament and use that confidence to catapult them into the last four teams alive.

Duke Blue Devils-East Region

The second best team in college basketball, as determined by the NCAA Selection Committee, appears to possibly be the most dominant team in the tournament field. Duke handled No. 16 seed Mount Saint Mary’s 93-49 in the first round and No. 9 seed Baylor 89-66 in the Round of 32 with the utmost ease. Now, the Blue Devils look ahead to a marquee matchup against No. 4 seed Arizona.

A reason for the buzz around 9:40 p.m. tip off Thursday night is the history between Arizona guard Caleb Love and Duke. Love, who previously played three seasons at key rival North Carolina, will face the Blue Devils for a staggering 10th time in his career. Love has been on the winning end of five of the nine previous meetings, most recently losing 69-55 to Duke earlier this season in November. The prolific guard has also found success against Duke in the tournament, scoring 28 pts in the 2022 Final Four to advance his then No. 8 seeded Tar Heels to the Championship against No. 1 Kansas.  Nothing is better than the storylines that March Madness brings.

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A win against Arizona would send Duke to its 25th Elite Eight in program history, set for a faceoff against the victor of No. 2 Alabama vs. No. 6 BYU. Although the path is not easy by any means, a visit to the Final Four looks more probable after every game the Blue Devils’ play. With one of the strongest rosters in March Madness headlined by predicted-NBA lottery picks Cooper Flagg, Khaman Maluach, and Kon Kneuppel, the sky is the limit for this outstanding Duke team.

Houston Cougars-Midwest Region

The hardest journey to San Antonio belongs to No. 3 overall seed Houston, who will need to play its best basketball all year if they hope to keep dancing. Houston took down No. 16 Seed SIU Edwardsville 78-40 in the Round of 64 before clashing with No. 8 seed Gonzaga. The Bulldogs, who ranked 9th in the overall KenPom rankings, were deemed a seeding misstep from the NCAA Selection Committee by fans and analysts alike. The Round of 32 battle between the two teams showed why, as Houston narrowly fended off a Gonzaga comeback to secure an 81-76 triumph. Now, Houston will play its toughest games yet with a spot in the Final Four on the line.

Been said many times before, but worth saying again: Houston vs. Gonzaga should have been an Elite Eight game, not a second-round game. Zags didn't deserve to have their Sweet Sixteen streak end like this. Major botch by the selection committee.

— Bauertology (@Bauertology) March 23, 2025

Houston will take on No. 4 seed Purdue in the Sweet 16, a team that flaunts a top-20 scorer in the nation in forward Trey Kaufman-Renn. The key Purdue flaw the Cougs will need to utilize is a weaker Boilermakers bench, as no player averaging less than 30 minutes also averages 7+ points. If Houston can take advantage of moments when key players like Kaufman-Renn trot off to the bench, then it may have a chance to keep their dream alive. Their grand reward for winning? An Elite Eight throwdown with either No. 2 seed Tennessee or No. 3 seed Kentucky.

Both the Volunteers and the Wildcats push the pace offensively, an interesting tactic that would be must-see TV when used against Houston’s top-ranked defense that slows opponents down. Houston stares down the toughest remaining region in the tournament and the Cougars will need to muster up every ounce of strength left to continue their conquest for the program’s first ever national championship.

Florida Gators-South Region

As for the last No. 1 seed, the Florida Gators look ahead at the most unpredictable region left in March Madness. To begin their campaign, the Gators breezed past No. 16 seed Norfolk State 95-69 in the first round, with the following round proving much harder. A date with two-time reigning national champion and No. 8 seed UConn in the Round of 32 stayed close throughout, with Florida edging out a 77-75 victory in the dying minutes to advance to region semifinals. Now, Todd Golden’s versatile team makes the trip to San Francisco to face a No. 4 seed Maryland Terrapins team that also nearly bowed out in the Round of 32.

Locked in a back-and-forth dogfight with aspiring Cinderella No. 12 seed Colorado State, chaos ensued. Rams’ guard Jalen Lake drained a go-ahead three-pointer over Maryland center Derik Queen to lead 71-70 with just six seconds left. The shot did not sit well with Queen, who hit an unthinkable buzzer beater to rise Maryland above Colorado State 72-71 for a trip to the Sweet 16. With both teams coming off close wins, who has the edge?

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On paper, the Orange and Blue stack up well against the Terrapins, boasting a much deeper bench attack and a third-ranked offense. After taking those factors into consideration and Florida’s sixth-ranked rebounding mark, advancing to the Elite Eight for Florida is not farfetched. Once there, the Gators would face No. 3 seed Texas Tech or No. 10 Arkansas. If Florida doesn’t face a familiar opponent in Arkansas and instead faces an offensively strong Red Raiders team, progressing to the Final Four may not be as easy. Time will only tell if the Gators can navigate a tricky South region with many surprises and stars.

Four No. 1 Seeds Remain

If all things go according to plan for the four No. 1 seeds, a rarity may repeat itself. The last time four No. 1 seeds made the Final Four was seventeen years ago when the last three games took place in San Antonio, Texas, in 2008. Where does the Final Four take place this year? You guessed it: San Antonio. With a national championship on the line and history on their side, the four No. 1 seeds may be poised to keep on keeping on and continue their dominance.