The beauty of the NCAA Tournament is you can always expect the unexpected. Whether it be Cinderella teams making a run, No. 1 or 2 seeds getting bounced during the first weekend, or games you will talk about a decade from now, this tournament has something for everyone. That’s why it’s one of the best sporting events in the world to watch.
To an extent, the norm has been broken this season with a historic Final Four field on tap. If you love underdogs, this might be a forgettable weekend for you. However, if you love great basketball, storylines and watching future pros do everything they can to bring a title home to their respective school, this is the ideal Final Four for you.
For the first time since 2008, the Final Four will feature all No. 1 seeds. Florida vs. Auburn starts the day in San Antonio next weekend, and the nightcap will see Duke face Houston in a rematch of last year’s Sweet 16 game.
Is this the best Final Four field this century? Is Duke’s 2024 recruiting class the greatest in the modern era? CBS Sports’ Cameron Salerno dives into various topics in the sport he’s buying or selling, starting with previewing a historic Final Four field this weekend in San Antonio.
This year is the best Final Four field this century
Buy: The Final Four is the premier event in college basketball. Cinderella stories are awesome for the sport, and we have had plenty of good ones recently, such as Saint Peter’s, Fairleigh Dickinson, Loyola Chicago, Florida Atlantic, etc. What makes this field unique and the best is the four best teams in college basketball reached the last weekend of the NCAA Tournament. That’s rare because sometimes the four No. 1 seeds aren’t the best teams in the sport. The Final Four is full of star power, storylines and two incredible matchups to get us started. People will always complain about the matchups no matter who’s in the Final Four. So, sit back, watch and enjoy the greatest Final Four this century.
Duke’s 2024 recruiting class the best in the modern era
Buy: If Duke wins the national title this season, there won’t be a debate about the Blue Devils’ 2024 recruiting class being the best in the modern era. Cooper Flagg is, in my opinion, the best college basketball prospect since Anthony Davis in 2012. You can argue that in the last 20 years, Flagg is the second-best draft prospect behind Victor Wembanyama. But what makes this Duke class special is the depth. Khaman Maluach and Kon Knueppel should be early lottery picks, and former five-star Isaiah Evans could be a first-round pick next year if he returns for another season. Duke’s historic 2019 class featuring Zion Williamson, Cam Reddish and RJ Barrett was special, but that group didn’t make it to the Final Four. Duke’s 2019 and 2024 classes are easily the best in the modern era, and the latter will get the nod if the Blue Devils win two more games.
Houston has the best defense in the Final Four
Sell: But it’s close. Houston ranked No. 1 in adjusted defensive efficiency, per KenPom, but where I give Duke the edge is the size and rim protection in the frontcourt. Duke is the tallest team in Division l basketball and that length helped slow down a potent Alabama offense during the Elite Eight. I don’t feel strongly about this take because of how elite Houston is on defense, but I’ll give the slight advantage to Duke heading into the Final Four.
Walter Clayton Jr. is the best guard in college basketball
Buy: It may be recency bias because I witnessed Clayton take over the game against Texas Tech and sat only a few hundred feet away from where he hit one of the most mesmerizing shots I’ve seen from a basketball player at any level. I’ve covered hundreds of basketball games from the high school level to the NBA Playoffs, but the shot that Clayton hit stands alone. I said earlier this season that Purdue’s Braden Smith was the best guard in the country, and he certainly still has a case, but Clayton stated his case after hitting clutch shot after clutch shot en route to Florida getting back to the Final Four.
Walter Clayton Jr.’s cocksure March Madness shot that lifted Florida to the Final Four? Nobody was surprised
Cameron Salerno
Mark Sears is the best player in Alabama basketball history
Buy: Is Sears going to be the highest-drafted player in Alabama history? Almost certainly not. Former star Brandon Miller went No. 3 overall in the 2023 NBA Draft. Sears likely won’t be the first player drafted from his team, assuming star freshman Labaron Philon declares for the 2025 NBA Draft. Six players have been drafted out of Alabama since coach Nate Oats arrived in 2019. Four of those six players went in the first round. Sears is likely a Day 2 pick this summer. The reason he’s the best player in program history is he helped change the narrative that Alabama is only a football school. He helped Alabama reach the Final Four for the first time last spring. Alabama reached the Elite Eight for the second consecutive season after making just one appearance that round in program history. Next step? Getting his jersey hung up in the rafters at Coleman Coliseum.
Rick Barnes will get to a Final Four one day at Tennessee
Sell: Reaching the second weekend of the NCAA Tournament is hard. The likelihood of things going wrong in any round after that (like what happened vs. Houston) increases round by round. Tennessee had been to the Elite Eight once (2010) before before these back-to-back appearances. Dalton Knecht carried the Vols to the Elite Eight a year ago, but this season was a more collective effort to get here. Rick Barnes is one of the most likable coaches in the sport and once led Texas to the Final Four. This season was Tennessee’s best chance to get over the hump, and with so many familiar faces departing the program after this season, there’s no telling when Barnes will be back in this position again.
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