By Woodrow Carroll
You could see it coming as soon as the 2025 Men’s NCAA Basketball Tournament field was set. Basically, there were going to be few upsets and surprises along the way. Still, the favorites, and we are talking about the heavy favorites in this case, ended up reaching this weekend’s Final Four.
When a Cinderella team comes along, most fans have to do a bit of research on the background of the team with the glass sneaker. All four semifinalists in action this Saturday evening are well known. And, certainly not just for college basketball.
First up Saturday, we have two Southeastern Conference foes, Florida and Auburn, taking the floor in San Antonio.
In 2006 and 2007, the Florida Gators captured back-to-back NCAA Men’s Basketball crowns. It was a Golden Age in Gainesville, Fla. with the football and baseball programs at the school also in the quest for national honors. The 2007 Gators, who beat Ohio State in the championship game, had three starters taken in the 2007 NBA Draft when Al Horford (No. 3), Corey Brewer (No. 7) and Joakim Noah (No. 9) got the call.
For a long time Auburn was known as football school. No more!
With the hiring of Bruce Pearl in 2014 as coach, Auburn basketball took off. The school made the Final Four for the first time in 2019, before falling in semifinal play to eventual national champion Virginia.
Following the Florida-Auburn battle, we will see to more collegiate basketball thoroughbreds in action with Duke and Houston doing battle.
The Duke Blue Devils are clearly the leader here in titles won, with five to their credit (1991, 1992, 2001, 2010, and 2015) And, Duke has a strong Illinois connection with head coach John Scheyer. Scheyer led Glenbrook North to an Illinois High School basketball championship in 2005. In the title game, Glenbrook North beat Carbondale, 63-51, for the Class AA crown. As a player for the Duke Blue Devils, Scheyer did his part in leading Duke to victory in the 2010 NCAA Men’s Tournament.
Lastly in the Final Four we have the Houston Cougars. The Cougars fall in between Duke and Florida on one side and Auburn on the other. Houston has made it to the title game. But, has yet to claim the crown!
Houston made it to the championship final in both 1983 and 1984. In 1983, the Cougars lost to North Carolina State 54-52 when the Wolfpacks’ Lorenzo Charles dunked in the fleeting seconds to give underdog N.C. State the victory.
No final second heroics in the 1984 title game were needed! The Georgetown Hoyas were 84-75 victors over Houston.
A quick glance at the four teams playing in San Antonio shows Duke with five previous championships, Florida with two title trophies, Houston with two second-place showings, and Auburn with its lone Final Four semifinal in 2019. We are not talking Cinderella for these contests.
It’s interesting to take note of how the collegiate football powers seem to do very well in basketball. The rich get richer across the board.
For a long time, the college football champion was voted in by the various newspapers around the country. Far less official than the sanctioned tournament we have today. And, regional bias was far worse than what we have come to expect today, although each location still plays favorites.
Ohio State came away with college football’s top prize last fall. You may not feel that the Buckeyes were truly that great. Still, the big trophy and national recognition was accorded the team after beating Notre Dame at the final stop. In the far distant past, in a year called 1960, the Ohio State Buckeyes beat California, 75-55, for the NCAA men’s basketball championship. It was so easy! Win the tournament! Beat the defending champion (California). It leaves little room for argument, doesn’t it?
The winner next Monday night, when the survivor of Saturday’s semifinal contests do battle in San Antonio, becomes National Champion like it or not!