All Four No. 1 Seeds Advance to Historic Final Four After Auburn’s Thrilling Victory

ATLANTA – The basketball gods have spoken, and their message is clear: 2025 will be remembered as the Year of the Favorite. For just the second time in NCAA Tournament history and first since 2008, all four No. 1 seeds have punched their tickets to the Final Four after Auburn’s heart-stopping 72-68 victory over Michigan State on Sunday night.

The Road to San Antonio
This year’s tournament has defied March Madness conventions:

• Auburn survived a 40-minute war against Tom Izzo’s Spartans, with center Johni Broome delivering a career-high 24 points and 14 rebounds
• Houston demolished Tennessee 89-67 behind Jamal Shead’s 10-assist masterclass
• Florida outlasted Texas Tech 81-77 in overtime despite losing starting guard Walter Clayton Jr. to foul trouble
• Duke methodically dispatched Alabama 76-65 as freshman Cooper Flagg lived up to his hype with 22 points

By the Numbers: Historic Dominance
The statistical story of this unprecedented run:
✔️ Combined margin of victory: +98 (23.5 avg)
✔️ 47-1 record against non-Top 25 opponents
✔️ 8 future NBA first-round picks among the four rosters
✔️ First all-No. 1 Final Four since 2008 (also in San Antonio)

Coaching Royalty Collides
The semifinals feature a who’s who of basketball minds:

Bruce Pearl (Auburn) vs. Todd Golden (Florida) in SEC grudge match

Jon Scheyer (Duke) vs. Kelvin Sampson (Houston) in battle of systems

San Antonio’s Redemption Arc
The Alamodome now hosts:
→ A rematch of 2019’s epic Auburn-Florida SEC Tournament final
→ Houston’s chance to avenge 2023’s Sweet 16 loss to Duke
→ Potential for first all-SEC national championship since 2006

What This Means for the Game
Analysts are divided on the implications:
✓ Traditionalists praise the triumph of sustained excellence
✓ Romantics mourn the death of Cinderella stories
✓ TV execs rejoice at guaranteed blockbuster matchups

Quotable
“People call it boring—I call it basketball perfection,” said ESPN’s Jay Bilas. “These four teams have been machines all season. The best part? They’re all built completely differently.”