March Madness grades: Duke earns ‘A-‘ before Final Four, Tennessee salvages a ‘D’ in Elite Eight report card

The four No. 1 seeds in the NCAA Tournament escaped the second weekend of the Big Dance and are heading to the Final Four to cap one of the chalkiest NCAA Tournaments ever. It’s the first time since 2008 and just the second time since the field expanded to 64 teams in 1985 that all four No. 1 seeds are still standing at this juncture.

But who among them is playing the best as the collective attention of college basketball turns to San Antonio? Each is obviously in the midst of a storybook season that has already produced championships. Of the four, Auburn is the only one that didn’t win both a regular season and conference tournament title.

All the Tigers did was win arguably the toughest league in college basketball history outright before faltering in the SEC Tournament semifinals against a Tennessee team that made the Elite Eight. While there’s no doubting the bona fides and ability of those left standing, the Elite Eight offered plenty of telling glimpses as to where each of these teams are.

Here is the full grading rundown for each team that played in the Elite Eight, including the four who are marching on to what could be an all-time great Final Four.

No. 1 seed Auburn

Result: 70-64 win vs. No. 2 seed Michigan State

Auburn’s win over Michigan State was all about Johni Broome and defense. Broome showed why he is considered a challenger to Cooper Flagg in the national player of the year race, as he battled through injury to produce 25 points and 14 rebounds. The veteran big man also helped anchor a stifling defensive effort that locked up Michigan State’s deep group of guards. The Spartans never drew within six over the final 17 minutes, and that was largely because Auburn made everything tough. This squad officially rediscovered its mojo on the second weekend of the Big Dance and will be riding high into San Antonio. Grade: A-

No. 1 seed Duke

Result: 85-65 win vs. No. 2 seed Alabama

Duke’s duo of freshman stars Cooper Flagg and Kon Knueppel combined to shoot just 4 of 13 from the floor in the second half, but the Blue Devils outscored the Crimson Tide by 11 anyway en route to an 85-65 win. It was the impact of a third freshman, Khaman Maluach, that made the difference. The 7-foot-2 center anchored an incredible defensive effort for the Blue Devils, who limited the high-flying Crimson Tide to just 35.4% shooting. This wasn’t Duke’s best offensive game, but it still steamrolled a No. 2 seed that had just scored 113 points in the Sweet 16. Grade: A-

Result: 69-50 win vs. No. 2 seed Tennessee

A common sentiment entering Houston’s Elite Eight showdown against Tennessee was that the No. 2 seed Cougars were pitted against a mirror image of themselves in the Volunteers. Against the backdrop, Houston forcefully put to rest any debate over who is college basketball’s top group of defensive grinders. No. 2 seed Tennessee didn’t hit its first 3-pointer until 39 seconds remained in the first half, as coach Kelvin Sampson’s squad squeezed the life from the Volunteers. The dominant defensive effort from Houston suggests the Cougars will be ready to go head-to-head with Duke in a blockbuster Final Four matchup on Saturday. Grade: A

Result: 84-79 loss vs. No. 1 seed Duke

Texas Tech was the better team during its 84-79 loss to Florida until it mattered most. The Red Raiders out-toughed one of the nation’s best offensive rebounding teams with a 23-8 edge in second-chance points. They also limited the high-octane Gators in transition while amassing a 22-5 advantage in points off turnovers. Despite all those wins, this one turned into a painful loss when the Red Raiders let Walter Clayton Jr. get hot in the final minutes. A potentially legendary performance from bruising forward Darrion Williams will go down as a painful “what if?” moment for Texas Tech. Grade: B+

No. 1 seed Florida

Result: 84-79 win vs. No. 3 seed Texas Tech

Florida waited until the 11th hour to hit the gas in a dramatic win over Texas Tech. The Gators were cold from 3-point range, getting outworked on the glass and looking a bit shellshocked until Walter Clayton Jr. and Thomas Haugh saved the day late. This team has now been pushed to the brink twice in the NCAA Tournament but has found a way to prevail both times thanks to Clayton’s clutch outside shooting. While that obviously counts for a lot when assessing this team, the Gators have some things to clean up heading into the Final Four. Grade: B

No. 2 seed Michigan State

Result: 70-64 loss vs. No. 1 seed Auburn

Michigan State weathered a 17-0 run from Auburn in the first half, regained its footing and stayed within striking distance during the second half of its loss. However, the Spartans’ four guards finished 11 of 44 from the field and 3 of 17 from 3-point range. All three of those makes came from Jaden Akins in the final 2:16 with the game virtually out of reach. Poor outside shooting was an issue for the Spartans all season, but Michigan State was often able to overcome it. But there was no overcoming a dud performance of this magnitude on the Elite Eight stage. Grade: C

No. 2 seed Alabama

Result: 85-65 loss vs. No. 1 seed Duke

Alabama remained within striking distance with under eight minutes remaining until Duke used a 13-0 run to pull away for an easy win. With a couple of more made 3-pointers in the second half, the Crimson Tide could have injected some real drama into this one. But a 2 for 12 shooting performance from All-American guard Mark Sears was tough to overcome. The Crimson Tide did enough defensively to give themselves a fighting chance, at least for 75% of the game. But this was a rare instance of a high-scoring Alabama team getting locked up by an opponent with superior talent. Grade: C-

No. 2 seed Tennessee

Result: 69-50 loss vs. No. 1 seed Houston

The first half was worthy of an ‘F,’ but the Volunteers salvaged some dignity by cutting a 22-point deficit to 10 in the second half of their loss to Houston. In the end, this was an example of Tennessee getting chased off the floor by a better version of itself, as the Cougars imposed their will defensively. This team’s lack of a post-up threat left it to chuck contested 3-pointers against Houston’s ruthless defense, and the results were ugly. Tennessee ran into a big red wall, and though it eventually got off the mat, the rally came too late for a program still seeking its first-ever Final Four appearance. Grade: D