Former guidelines for the men’s finals: Auburn against Florida and Duke vs. Houston

The men’s final Four are set – and for the first time since 2008 it is all No. 1 seeds.

The Florida Gators and Auburn Tigers will open the semi -finals on Saturday at 6:09 p.m. ET, followed by the Houston Cougars and Duke Blue Devils at 8.49 p.m. ET (both on CBS).

With every chalk on the San Antonio River Walk, who does our College basketball experts on April 7th in the national championship?

Like every team, they break the NCAA tournament National semi -finals and its keys to progress for the title game and also the winners. (Note: You agree on a matchup, but not on the other.)

Jump to: Auburn against Florida | Duke vs. Houston

Final four preview

To know what to know about Florida

The No. 1 factor, which helped Florida, to reach the Final Four: No team in America was able to turn games in their favor with devastating runs like the Gator.

With 3:14 by nine points to play against the Texas Tech, they ended the game with an 18: 4 run that resembled the one we saw several times this season. It was only in this tournament that they scored 47: 33 in Maryland in the second half of their sweet 16 profit and had 53 points against Norfolk State in less than 17 minutes in the opening round.

You also started the same knockout strokes against other elite teams. In the SEC tournament championship, Florida was combined with Tennessee at 4:30 p.m. at 4:30 p.m. to play in the first half. Eight minutes later, the Gators had a lead of 12 points.

Florida is the equivalent of a Homer grille in the ninth inn. The gators is never over because they can take control of games, even if they seem unreachable.

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Walter Clayton Jr.s’s 3 Series drive Florida to the final Four

Florida’s Walter Clayton Jr. meets a few Clutch 3 hands late to send the Gator to the Final Four.

Florida’s key to Auburn: Walter Clayton Jr.’s Brillanz.

The last four are all about stars. The teams that have players who shine among the lightest lights are the teams that ultimately reduce the networks and win national championships. There is a reason why we mention Anthony Davis, Carmelo Anthony, Kemba Walker, Mateen Cleaves and Jay Williams when we talk about the largest NCAA tournament runs. Star Power rules. And in addition to Cooper Flag, Florida, could have the greatest star of everyone in Clayton Jr. His mere will and talent could be the decisive factors whether the Gator win the title. – Myron Medcalf

What should know about Auburn

The No. 1 factor that contributed to the Final Four to achieve Auburn to achieve the final: Tighten defensively.

When Auburn had the fights down in the season and lost three out of four games, the Tigers basically fell apart defensively. They allowed at least 1.13 points per ball possession in all three defeats, committed too many fouls and fought for the defense of the edge. Since the NCAA tournament, however, she has typed a lot more like the team that started the season of 27: 2. The Bruce Pearl team has done a lot better to limit the simple chances and only reach Creighton one point per property.

Denver Jones is one of the country’s elite perimeter defenders, the Tiger defend the 3-point sheet incredibly well and Johni Broome and Dylan Cardwell protect the color. However, the limitation of fouls will be the key.

Auburn’s key to Florida: Johni Broome.

Broome took an unpleasant fall in the second half of the elite eight victory against Michigan State and immediately went to the changing room, with Chaney Johnson offering encouraging words and giving an update on the way. It looked like his night – and maybe more – was over. But Broome came out of the changing room after only five minutes of game campaign and checked it back and then quickly bury a 3 pointer to give Auburn a boost.

He seemed to be healthy enough to perform at a high level this Saturday, but it has to be 100 percent to compete with Florida’s depths and talented front court. – Jeff Borzello

Florida against Auburn prediction

Jeff Borzello: Florida Siege, 82-79
Joe Lunardi: Florida Siege, 85-80
Myron Medcalf: Florida Siege, 88-84

Florida led the first meeting between these teams by up to 21 points before winning 90: 81 on the street. The Gators made 13 3 against the Tigers Sec best 3-point defense, and Floridas Walter Clayton Jr. consolidated his case as the best guard in the country. Florida has not slowed down since then, and Clayton, who was late in this NCAA tournament one of the appearances of the late game. Can Denver Jones Claytone Limit a clean look?

The gators have the size and depth inside to make life difficult to make life difficult, and can win in several ways than the tigers can. – Jeff Borzello

To know what to know about Houston

The No. 1 factor, the Houston contributed to reaching the Final Four: 3-point shooting.

The simple answer would be d – and we will come to the defensive unit of the Cougar’s elite. However, the biggest difference between this year’s team and the earlier iterations of Kelvin Sampson’s program is the ability of the Cougars to consistently shoot out of the scope. They lead the country on 3-point shooting and make almost 40% of their shots behind the arch, with three starters shooting 42% or better.

Houston made an average of nine per game 3s per game in the NCAA tournament, and Tennessee in the Elite eight with Dagger 3 after Dagger 3 after the game in the late game could commemorate them. The Cougars met five Treys on Sunday in the last 5:30 a.m. and raned every chance of a comeback for volunteers.

Houston’s key against Duke: Defense> Crime.

The last showdown against Duke on Saturday will have the most efficient offensive in the Kenpom era (since 1996-97) against the best defense of the nation. Can the Cougars slow the Blue Devils? Duke played over the table teams all season and beat the opponents in different ways, be it through Cooper Flag, 3-point shooting or used his superior size to end the edge around the edge.

Houston has to madize the game, make sure that it mainly stays in a half environment, and then try to rely on his experience and physicality in order to get Duke’s young stars out of her rhythm. Will the best defense be better than the best offensive? Houston has to hope that this is the case. – Jeff Borzello

What about Duke is to know

The No. 1 factor, which helped Duke to reach the Final Four: Duke is simply more talented than any other team.

Cooper Flagg and other NBA views, Khaman Maluach and Kon Knueppel, earn most of the loan, but the fleet of talent in the squad has improved everything that trainer Jon Scheyer did with it.

It has made practices more competitive. It made it possible for the team to overcome adversity (see: win of the ACC tournament title with flag). And it means that in the last stage of the season the players would be a top 30 recruit in the high school for many other teams starter from the bank-Caleb Foster, Isaiah Evans was selected at the beginning of the second round of the NBA drafts of this summer. Mason Gillis helped Purdue to reach the National Title game a previous year, and Patrick Ngongba II. How many teams do players of this family tree bring from the bank?

From top to bottom, there is simply no team in the area that can put together a comparable collection of elite players.

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Bilas explains how Duke Alabama’s offense ruled out

Jay Bilas and Jay Williams break up the emphatic victory of Duke against Alabama in the elite.

Duke’s key against Houston: The ability of the Blue Devils to protect the edge and to defend the color.

This Duke team has one of the top defensive units in the recent program history. Against a squad of Alabama, which made 25 3 points in Sweet 16, the Blue Devils forced the purple flood in unpleasant, out of balance. Alabama plays in America at the fastest pace, but Duke converted this pace into chaos and restricts Alabama’s options around the edge.

The Blue Devils are enforceable with their central defense, regardless of whether it is Khaman Maluach, the shots change and block, Cooper Flag protects the players for 90 feet or others who challenge the opponents on the scope and then feed them to the big men of the Blue Devils. Alabama was exceeded in two digits on Saturday, partly because Duke offers the opposing teams no place to feel comfortable in the post. – Myron Medcalf

Predict houston against duke

Jeff Borzello: Duke Wins, 70-68
Myron Medcalf: Duke Wins, 74-70

This will be an incredible contrast of Elite offensive against Elite defense, which contains one of the youngest teams in the country to one of the oldest teams. The problem for the Cougars is that the Blue Devils also have an elite defense that fits their historically good crime.

Duke can change everything and can do good shooters from the 3-point line with Khaman Maluach in color to protect the edge. Houston will try to disturb Duke, but the crime of the Blue Devils has been unimpressed by pretty much everything that is about everything all season. This continues in San Antonio. – Jeff Borzello

Joe Lunardi: Houston Siege, 75-70

Duke Freshmen Cooper Flagg, Kon Knueppel, Khaman Maluach and Patrick Ngongba II. A front place as well as every college trainer. They are also 18, 19, 18 and 19 years old. Houston is countered with J’Wan Roberts (23, 170 career games), Ja’Vier Francis (22, 128 games), Terrance Arcenaux (22, 83 games) and Joseph Tugler (20, 66 games). It is a big difference in experience and basketball maturity.

In general, I would still choose talent about experience, but it is not that the Houston boys are not invented. The Cougars won 159 games in the J’Wan Roberts-Kelvin Sampson era. These are their second final four together. With 17 wins in a row, the Cougars can also claim the longest current winning streak of the nation. They have only lost once since November and lost only once in the regulation all season.

This is a fabulous Matchup in every respect, but I take over the experienced veterans over the most talented newcomers in the tournament. – Joe Lunardi