For the first time since 2008, and just the second time in NCAA Tournament history, the Final Four in San Antonio this weekend will feature all four No. 1 seeds. Interestingly, the 2008 tournament was also held in San Antonio.
Now, two highly anticipated matchups are set to take place, each with its own potential for drama. The first game on Saturday will feature the Florida Gators facing the Auburn Tigers, followed by a matchup between Duke, boasting one of the most potent offenses in college basketball, and Houston, home to the best defense in the country.
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Ahead of these matchups, college basketball icon and CBS Sports analyst Wally Szczerbiak, who led Miami (Ohio) to the Sweet 16 in 1999 and is one of the program’s all-time top scorers, has weighed in with his predictions for the Final Four and even made his call on who will emerge as the national champion with no hesitation.
“I can’t wait to get there in San Antonio,” Szczerbiak said. “Duke’s gonna beat Houston. Auburn’s gonna beat Florida. It’s going to be Duke, Auburn in the finals and Duke domination continues this season in college basketball. They are going to win this national championship and be considered one of the best teams of all-time.”
The Blue Devils are coming off a dominant 85-65 win over Alabama in the Elite Eight and have now strung together four impressive victories.
They’ve been the hottest team in college basketball for well over two months, and now, they are just two wins away from capturing their first national championship since 2015. What makes this run even more remarkable is that they could do it with a freshman, Cooper Flagg, leading the surge.
Duke forward Cooper Flagg cheers as the Duke Blue Devils cuts down the netsRobert Deutsch-Imagn Images
If Duke is able to win the title with a freshman at the helm, it would be a rare feat, one that hasn’t been accomplished since Carmelo Anthony led Syracuse to the national championship as a true freshman in 2003.
Related: Old Video of LeBron James and Cooper Flagg Resurfaces After Duke’s Final Four Berth
