We began nine days ago with 68 teams. Now, there are eight teams left.
After a record-breaking Selection Sunday, the SEC continued to deliver, and comprises half of the Elite Eight (Florida, Auburn, Tennessee, Alabama). Duke held off a fervent Arizona squad that launched a late comeback on Thursday to secure Jon Scheyer’s second trip to the Elite Eight as a head coach. Houston squeezed by Purdue late Friday night on a last-second shot. Texas Tech overcame a double-digit deficit in overtime against Arkansas while Michigan State made the right plays late to seal Tom Izzo’s 11th Elite Eight appearance.
They’ve all played well enough to get to this point and keep their hopes for the 2025 national title alive. But where do all of these teams stand now?
Here is a ranking of all Elite Eight teams.
Did Arizona find Duke’s weakness? It’s possible. Caleb Love tried to carry the Wildcats in the teams’ rematch from November. Despite putting up 35 points, he wasn’t successful, though he also joined a list of aggressive guards giving Duke trouble and trying to stop the program from winning its first national title in a decade (the first of the post-Coach K era). Kansas’ Dajuan Harris Jr. (14 points, 9 assists) did something similar in the Jayhawks’ win over Duke earlier in the season. Auburn’s Tahaad Pettiford had 20 points in the Tigers’ loss at Cameron Indoor Stadium on Dec. 4. North Carolina’s RJ Davis scored 20 points in the Tar Heels’ second loss to Duke this season. Is that an issue? Or, consider this:.
By the time an opposing player enters desperation mode against Cooper Flagg and Co., it’s usually too late. Love was spectacular Thursday night, but his team was also down 15 points with 9:34 to go. At this point in the tournament, the remaining teams in the field might have to come together and make one super team to beat Duke, which has six NBA prospects, including three projected lottery picks. More realistic is paying attention to this part of Duke’s game: Since March 1, the Blue Devils have dropped to 38th in adjusted defensive efficiency, per barttorvik.com.
Up next: vs. Alabama in San Francisco (Saturday, 8:49 p.m. ET, TBS/truTV)
Original seed: No. 1 seed (West)
NCAA tournament results: Defeated No. 16 Norfolk State 95-69; defeated No. 8 UConn 77-75; defeated No. 4 Maryland 87-71
All eyes are on Alex Condon, the 6-foot-11 sophomore averaging 10.9 PPG, 7.7 RPG, 1.4 BPG, to see if his right ankle holds up Saturday — and beyond. The Gators looked like a different team Thursday against Maryland when he reinjured that ankle in the first half. But the injury is also an opportunity for Florida. This team’s three elite guards, Walter Clayton Jr., Will Richard and Alijah Martin, are the foundation. Brilliant guard play has given the Gators an edge throughout the season and gotten them to their second Elite Eight appearance since 2014. But don’t discount the big bodies on the roster: Thomas Haugh (6-foot-9), Rueben Chinyelu (6-foot-10) and Micah Handlogten (7-foot-1). All three became crucial after Condon’s injury. And all three are reinforcements for when Condon isn’t at 100%. That will be invaluable as the Gators enter the final stages of the NCAA tournament.
Up next: vs. Texas Tech in San Francisco (Saturday, 6:09 p.m. ET, TBS/truTV)
Original seed: No. 2 seed (East)
NCAA tournament results: Defeated No. 15 Robert Morris 90-81; defeated No. 7 Saint Mary’s 80-66; defeated No. 6 BYU 113-88
Bear with us a second. On Oct. 22, 2024, the Boston Celtics beat the New York Knicks 132-109. In that game, the Celtics tied the NBA record for 3-pointers with 29 made in 48 minutes — a record that was established by the Milwaukee Bucks in 2020. That night, the defending NBA champions also registered 147 points per 100 possessions, an explosive effort for a franchise with multiple All-Stars. Here’s why this matters when it comes to Alabama.
On Thursday, Alabama stopped BYU, America’s best offense for the past six weeks. In the lopsided victory, the Crimson Tide made 25 3-pointers — in 40 minutes. They also registered 143 points per 100 possessions. The NBA comparison makes it easier to understand how good Alabama can be. This is not just a great offensive team. This is one of the greatest offensive teams in recent college basketball history. Despite surrendering 80 or more points in 14 games since Jan. 1, Alabama has proven that when All-American guard Mark Sears (34 points on Thursday) and his teammates get rolling, few teams at this level can slow them down.
Up next: vs. Duke in Newark (Saturday, 8:49 p.m. ET, TBS/truTV)
Original seed: No. 1 seed (South)
NCAA tournament results: Defeated No. 16 Alabama State 83-63; defeated No. 9 Creighton 82-70; defeated No. 5 Michigan 78-65
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Over a 90-day stretch (Dec. 4 to March 4) Auburn lost just one game. The Tigers simply dominated college basketball. Along the way, Johni Broome challenged Cooper Flagg in the national player of the year race. With a collection of talent surrounding him, a Final Four run seemed inevitable. The Tigers’ 1-3 stretch in the four games leading up to the NCAA tournament attracted skeptics and doubters, and the first two tournament games against Alabama State and Creighton featured less-than-dominant stretches.
On Friday, they were again looking shaky, down by nine points midway through the second half against Michigan. But, here’s the thing: Four of Auburn’s five losses this season came against teams that have made it to the Elite Eight. So, it isn’t that the Tigers stumbled late in the season; they simply lost to good teams — that too on the road.
For the vast majority of the 2024-25 campaign, they’ve been the best team in America. And when it was time to fight for survival — like in the final 13 minutes against Michigan, a game where Tahaad Pettiford, Denver Jones and Broome combined to score 62 points — Auburn responded. Just like it has all season.
Up next: vs. Michigan State in Atlanta (Sunday, 5:05 p.m. ET, CBS)
Original seed: No. 2 seed (Midwest)
NCAA tournament results: Defeated No. 15 Wofford 77-62; defeated No. 7 UCLA 67-58; defeated No. 3 Kentucky 78-65
If you sift through a coaching career that spans nearly four decades, you’ll find a common thread with Rick Barnes: He has always cherished defensive excellence. During the 1992-93 season, his Providence team held opponents to 64.8 points per game, a top-25 mark. Four years later, he had another top-25 scoring defense at Clemson. Since 1997, Barnes’ teams have finished top-50 in adjusted defensive efficiency on KenPom 19 times. Even though he has produced NBA talents such as Kevin Durant, LaMarcus Aldridge, Grant Williams and Dalton Knecht, defense has always been the foundation of his coaching philosophy.
And Zakai Zeigler might be the greatest defensive player he has coached. The Vols know they can put Zeigler on any opposing perimeter player and he’ll dramatically limit that scoring option. He’s arguably the best on-ball defender in the country. This season, he has also been a lot more: Zeigler has become one of the best two-way players, averaging 15.0 PPG and 9.3 APG through three NCAA tournament games. The Vols are in the Elite Eight for a second straight year, in part because the leader of this team is also the perfect player for Barnes’ system.
Up next: vs. Houston in Indianapolis (Sunday, 2:20 p.m. ET, CBS)
Original seed: No. 1 seed (Midwest)
NCAA tournament results: Defeated No. 16 SIU Edwardsville 78-40; defeated No. 8 Gonzaga 81-76; defeated No. 4 Purdue 62-60
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There’s never a good time for an injury, but Kelvin Sampson has seen his share of them recently that affected his teams in the NCAA tournament. Last year, Jamal Shead, the Big 12 player of the year, injured his ankle in the first half of Houston’s three-point loss to Duke in the Sweet 16. A year earlier, Marcus Sasser, an AP first team All-American, suffered a groin injury before the 2023 NCAA tournament. Both were key to their teams and, when they went down, irreplaceable.
The difference with this year’s group is that it does have multiple options. They came in handy late Friday night, when Purdue hit a late 3-pointer to tie the game. That’s when Milos Uzan stepped up to score in the final seconds — and give Sampson his first trip to the Elite Eight since the 2021-22 season. It’s a good thing Houston had Uzan: the team’s go-to scorer, AP All-American third team selection L.J. Cryer, finished 2-for-13 (1-for-5 from 3) against the Boilermakers. Previous Houston Cougars teams might not have survived that kind of shooting night from their offensive catalyst. But Uzan (22 points) and Emanuel Sharp (17 points) stepped up. This year, Sampson doesn’t need luck. Because he has depth.
Up next: vs. Tennessee in Indianapolis (Sunday, 2:20 p.m. ET, CBS)
Original seed: No. 2 seed (South)
NCAA tournament results: Defeated No. 15 Bryant 87-62; defeated No. 10 New Mexico 71-63; defeated No. 6 Ole Miss 73-70
When asked this week what makes this season’s Spartans special, Tom Izzo hesitated to compare them to previous squads. “I think if I say that I have a special bond with [this team] more than others, [Mateen Cleaves] will [be mad at me] and [Draymond Green] will be hunting me down. You’ve got to watch that when you’ve been in the same place a lot of years,” he said. At the same time, he noted one of this team’s strengths is its lack of egos. This isn’t a group with a multitude of five-star prospects. Xavier Booker, who has been injured the past two games, is the highest rated recruit on the roster (16th in the 2023 recruiting class, per ESPN).
Jase Richardson has emerged as a potential first-round draft pick, but this team doesn’t have a Draymond Green or a Mateen Cleaves or a Jaren Jackson Jr. And the players know it. They know they have to play together to win. Which is why they’re always willing to share the ball for the best play. Their collective effort has also led to a top-five defense (they’ve surrendered more than 70 points just twice since Feb. 11). And in league play, they were ninth in 2-point field goal percentage and 14th in 3-point field goal percentage. But there is no category to measure how a selfless team comes together to win games — and in Michigan State’s case, get to the Elite Eight for an 11th time under Izzo.
Up next: vs. Auburn in Atlanta (Sunday, 5:05 p.m. ET, CBS)
Original seed: No. 3 seed (West)
NCAA tournament results: Defeated No. 14 UNC Wilmington 82-72; defeated No. 11 Drake 77-64; defeated No. 10 Arkansas 85-85 OT
Under Chris Beard and then Mark Adams, Texas Tech was known as one of the most stubborn defensive assemblies in America. From 2017 to 2022, the Red Raiders finished top-10 in adjusted defensive efficiency four times. Grant McCasland has molded the program into one of America’s best offensive units in just his second season in Lubbock, Texas. In their 82-81 win over Houston on Feb. 1 — the last time Houston lost a game, by the way — the Red Raiders made 40% of their 3-point attempts and registered 115 points per 100 possessions against the best defensive team in the nation.
In Thursday’s come-from-behind win against Arkansas in overtime, JT Toppin — an All-American second-team selection and one of three Texas Tech players who scored 20 points or more — and his teammates demonstrated the power of having a top-five offense. Down 16 points with 10:23 to play in regulation, they outscored the Razorbacks 27-11 to force overtime.
But don’t ignore how Texas Tech ended up in that situation. McCasland’s squad has had a sub-100 defense since March 1, which could cost this team Saturday against high-powered Florida.
Up next: vs. Florida in San Francisco (Saturday, 6:09 p.m. ET, TBS/truTV)
