Here’s today’s installment of “The Breakfast Buffet”, a daily column that can be found here every single morning getting you caught up to date on everything that’s happened from the day/night before and everything that’s going to happen in the next 24 hours.
Things To Sample
The door is wide open for Auburn to get back to the Final Four
Bruce Pearl may never get a better chance to return to college basketball’s most hallowed showcase than today’s opportunity against Michigan State in Atlanta. The Tigers are playing just 108 miles from their campus. They also have one of the two best players in college basketball — Johni Broome (18.5 points, 10.8 rebounds) — on their roster. To get to the Final Four, you need to be lucky, but you also can’t be unlucky. Things are very aligned for Pearl — who led Auburn to its first Final Four in program history in 2019 — to get back to the final weekend of the college basketball season. Tip off is at 5:05 PM ET on CBS.
Florida had a comeback for the ages
This one will last a lifetime for Texas Tech fans. The Red Raiders led the Gators by nine points with 3:14 to play, but that lead evaporated as Florida outscored Texas Tech 18-4 down the stretch to come away with a five-point victory. One big difference in the game? The Gators were 25-27 from the free throw line while the Red Raiders were just 7-13 from the stripe. It’s the first Final Four appearance for Florida since 2014.
Duke’s defense was elite against Alabama
Two days after the Crimson Tide scored 113 points in a 25-point win over BYU, Alabama was neutralized by the Blue Devils’ ferocious defense. Duke’s positional size completely stymied Nate Oats’ squad, holding the Crimson Tide to 65 points in a 20-point win. It’s the Blue Devils’ first appearance in the Final Four since 2022 and Alabama’s lowest scoring output since Jan. 14th.
On The Side
- Jon Scheyer has now been to the Final Four with Duke as a player (2010), assistant coach (2015), and head coach (2025).
- Think Milos Uzan has made a jump for Houston? The Oklahoma transfer is averaging 15.0 points and 5.7 assists in the 2025 NCAA Tournament while shooting an impressive 9-13 from three-point range during three games in March Madness.
- Tennessee’s Zakai Zeigler has 28 assists and just seven turnovers in the 2025 NCAA Tournament.
- Rick Barnes has won 11 NCAA Tournament games at Tennessee. Texas — who parted ways with Barnes after the 2014-15 season — has only won a total of five games in March Madness since Barnes’ departure from Austin.
- Only once before in history — in 2008 — have all four number one seeds advanced to the Final Four. Where was the Final Four played that season? San Antonio.
