Chalk Madness: The Final Four is All One Seeds
- George Hathaway
- 55 minutes ago
- 2 min read
Since 1985, only TWICE have all 1-seeds have made the Final Four; first in 2008, when Kansas, Memphis, North Carolina, and UCLA made it and now this year, with Duke, Houston, Auburn, and Florida headed to San Antonio. In 2015, three 1-seeds made the Final Four, and 2016 was the last time every one seed made it to the Elite 8 (before this year, of course). 2023 saw a wild Final Four with 5-seed San Diego State, 9-seed FAU, 5-seed Miami, and 4-seed UConn.
In the future, could NIL and the transfer portal make the future of the NCAA Tournament more chalk?
There was a lot of backlash when analysts like Jay Williams picked all 1-seeds ahead of this year's tournament. Critics often see that as a lazy way to pick, as it's not common to see very strong teams go this far due to the constant risk of upsets. This season, only 5 double-digit seeds advanced past the first round. Most notably, 10-seed Arkansas made a run beating the 2-seed St. John's in the second round, and 12-seed McNeese beating 5-seed Clemson in the Round of 64.
According to ESPN, 25% of brackets have Duke winning it all, Florida at 21.3%, Auburn at 10.6%, and Houston at 8.9%. In brackets made by the House Enterprise staff, 66% picked Florida, 11% picked Duke, 11% picked Auburn, and no one picked Houston to win it all.
Following the Tigers' win over Michigan State, Auburn head coach Bruce Pearl shared his thoughts on this year's historic Final Four.
"The four teams that are advancing, I think they're the best four teams in the country."
Pearl is right, these four are the best teams in the country. The committee got the field right this season.
The first matchup on Saturday will feature the SEC Regular Season Champions, Auburn, and SEC Tournament Champions, Florida. The last time these two teams faced off was in February, with Florida picking up the 90-81 win on the road. The Gators have played very close games this Tournament, including a comeback victory over Texas Tech in the Elite Eight.
The nightcap of the Final Four will feature Houston and Duke. The Cougars are one of the better shooting teams this year averaging nine threes per game in the NCAA Tournament. But it will be their defense that could win them this matchup. Duke is the most talented team in the country with the best freshman in the country.
Say what you want about this year's NCAA Tournament, but the field has been great. 13-year old me would be so happy to see all 1-seeds make the Final Four. The 1-seeds are stacked and leagues above everyone else, and that is why they are 1-seeds. Yes, there have not been crazy upsets or game winners, but these games have been enjoyable to watch. Witnessing history for the second time ever is very rare, and the NCAA Tournament once again proves why it is the best postseason in any sport.