Tarris Reed Jr. leads the Huskies into the National Championship Game. The 6’11”, 265 pounder from St. Louis finished with 17 points and 11 boards versus Illinois in a 71-62 UConn victory over the Illini Saturday in the first semifinal game of the Final Four. (Photo courtesy of Athlon Sports).
The UConn Huskies and the Michigan Wolverines square off tonight at 7:50 CT/8:50 ET (pretty late) to determine which team will cut down the nets in Indy as the 2025-26 National Champion in NCAA Men’s College Basketball. It’s the superbly talented Wolverines versus the talented, and scrappy underdog Huskies. The Wolverines have the weaponry for sure, but the Huskies have weapons as well, and a stellar national championship pedigree as they have won national championships in 1999, 2004, 2011, 2014, 2023 and 2024. They are 6-0 in National Championship Games. Michigan’s only national championship was in 1989. So while the talent favors Michigan, the ability to close games in the big moments under intense pressure favors the Huskies. Here is White’s World’s Prediction for tonight’s contest.
Final Four record: SU- 2-0, ATS- 2-0, O/U- 1-1.
Overall from SEC Tournament through the Final Four: SU- 11-14, ATS- 10-15, O/U-15-9.
Michigan (36-3) vs. UConn (34-5)
Lucas Oil Stadium, Indy, 70,000
7:50 CT/8:50 ET
TBS/truTV/HBO Max
Ian, Grant, Bill, Tracy, Gene-rules
Michigan by 6 1/2, 145 1/2
Who wins tonight?
I’m going to go with the Al Michaels, “Do you believe in Miracles?” Theory and’ll take the great Dan Hurley and the Huskies to make it 7-0 in National Championship Games. Hurley’s is a character and can sometimes rub some people the wrong way, but I think he’s refreshing and a heckuva coach as his back to back National Championships attest to in ’23 and ’24. Jim Calhoun won three at UConn in ’99, 2004 and 2011, and Kevin Ollie won it all in 2014. Geno Auriemma is an elite coach on the women’s side, the best of all time, though the late Pat Summit of Tennessee, and, lately, South Carolina’s Dawn Staley gave and have given him a run, respectively. Geno’s won 11 national titles. Hard to argue with. Pat won eight, but lost a battle with Alzheimer’s disease at 64 years old, so her career and life were cut too short.
Staley, who Geno got into it with on Friday Night in South Carolina’s 62-48 victory over the Huskies in the Final Four at Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse in Clevelend, as Geno thought Staley’s players were mugging his players, and also thought Staley was working the refs to get away with it, has three and going strong although her team did lose to UCLA in the national title game on Sunday. Geno is now 71 and Staley is 55, and will be 56 in May. So she has more time left than Geno, maybe. But he’s got a lot of energy and may increase that title number next season to 12.
So I’ll take the championship pedigree. Do I believe in miracles? Heck yes I do.
Coach Brad Underwood leads the Illinois to its first Final Four since 2005. (Photo courtesy of Reuters).
The Final Four will tip off Saturday afternoon at 5:09 CT/6:09 ET with the Illinois Fighting Illini squaring off with the somewhat Cinderella UConn Huskies. You could say both teams are Cinderellas, and prolific ones at that. The Fighting Illini had an easy time with Iowa in the South Regional of the Elite Eight Saturday evening, while the Huskies came back from a 19 point first half deficit to shock No.1 seeded Duke in the East Regional Sunday in a dynamic basketball game. More on that below.
That game featuring a pair of overachievers will be followed by, at approximately 7:40 CT/8:40 ET, a pair of Goliaths in college basketball this season, the Michigan Wolverines and the Arizona Wildcats. Michigan easily disposed of Tennessee in the Midwest Regional Final Sunday, while the Wildcats took care of business handily against Purdue in the Western Regional on Saturday Night. There is off the charts NBA talent on these two rosters.
Here are predictions for these two classics on Saturday at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indy.
I told Excedrin “Gameological” Bates last Thursday that I was taking the Tom Cruise/RiskyBusiness approach to the Sweet 16 picks: “Sometimes you gotta say, what the…Heck?” So I took some chances with the picks. Didn’t work out like I wanted, but you just gotta get back up when you’re knocked down and try again as Bear Bryant liked to say.
Final Four Games
Saturday
Game 1
No.3 Illinois (29-8) vs. No. 2 UConn (33-5)
Lucas Oil Stadium, Indianapolis (70,000)
5:09 CT/6:09 ET
TBS/truTV/HBO Max, a lot of options Ian (Bird) Eagle, Bill, Grant, Trace, Gene (Rules)
Pregame, Halftime, Postgame: Ernie, Kenny, Charles, Special K, Bruuuce
TV Timeouts: Samual L. Charles, Spike Lee Joint, Earvin, Jenn, Caitlin
Illini by 2 1/2, 139 1/2
What a comeback by the Huskies on Sunday. Freshman Braylon Mullins, from Greenfield,Indiana, connected on a trifecta from downtown French Lick (35 feet) with .4 seconds lefton the clock to send the Huskies to the Final Four. Mullins is going home to try and win a national championship. I like him and these amazing Huskies to do just that. Meanwhile,Duke keeps scratching their head about their young coach, Jon Scheyer (38 years old), and these five-star freshmen that seem to gag in the clutch. But it’s nothing new. They gagged several times under Mike Krzyzewski as well, though he did win 5 national titles. Still think Wooden was better. UConn under Dan Hurley has already won back to back national titles in 2023 and 2024.
UConn 74, Illinois 70
Give me Braylon Mullins and the Huskies Saturday at Lucas Oil. (Photo courtesy of NCAA.com)
Game 2
No.1 Michigan vs. No.1 Arizona
Lucas Oil
7:49 CT/8:49 ET TBS/truTV/HBO Max
Same crew calling game, doing pregame/halftime/postgame and commercials
Michigan by 1 1/2, 157 1/2
I’ll take the great UAB power forward transfer, Yax Lendeborg, UNC transfer point guard Elliot Cadeau, and the Wolverines to play UConn in the National Championship Game.
Michigan 80, Zona 78
Elliot Cadeau and the Wolverines advance to the National Championship Game (Photo courtesy of College Sports Network).
Yaxel Lendborg leads the extravagant spending Michigan Wolverines into Chicago to face the Crimson Tide. (Photo courtesy of USA Today).
Sixteen teams embark on their respective missions to reach Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis for the Final Four Saturday, April 4th, as the teams lock horns in the Sweet 16, which begins on Thursday. A lot of talent in this final 16 group in what has been a highly enjoyable college basketball season. Here are predictions for the 8 games that commence Thursday Night, with 4 games on tap Thursday. And then on Friday Night, there will be 4 more games on the docket.
Record for 2025
Sweet 16 through National Championship Game- along with 2025 SEC Tourney Predictions, though some of the ATS and Over/Under games were not applicable in the SECT due to misses straight up in some games.
Straight up: 19-10; ATS: 14-14; Over/Under: 14-9.
2026 Predictions from the SEC Tournament and 3 Vanderbilt games-SEC Championship Game and two NCAA games
SU: 8-7; ATS: 7-8; O/U: 11-4
Thursday’s games
All teams No.’s are their seeds in region, not their national ranking.
West Region
No.11 Texas (21-14) vs. No.2 Purdue
SAP Center at San Jose, San Jose, CA., 18,543
6:10 PM CT/7:10 ET
CBS Brian Anderson, Jim Jackson, Allie LaForce
Purdue by 7 1/2, 148 1/2
I’ll take the Boilermakers to advance to the Elite 8.
Purdue 78, Texas 70
South Region
No.9 Iowa (23-12) vs. Nebraska (28-6)
Toyota Center, Houston, 18,104
6:30 PM CT/7:30 ET TBS/truTV
Kevin Harlan, Stan Van Gundy, Robbie Hummel, Lauren Shehadi Nebraska by 1 1/2, 131 1/2
Give me those scrappy Cornhuskers over another scrappy team in the Hawkeyes.
Nebraska 68, Iowa 62
West
No.4 Arkansas (28-8) vs. No.1 Arizona (34-2)
SAP Center, San Jose
8:45 P.M. CT/9:45 ET
CBS
Brian, Jim, Allie
Zona by 7 1/2, 166 1/2
I’m going to take Darius Acuff Jr. and John Calipari to pull off the upset
Arkansas 84, ‘Zona 83
South
No.3 Illinois (26-8) vs. No.2 Houston (30-6)
Toyota Center, Houston
9:05 P.M. CT/10:05 ET
TBS/truTV
Kevin, Stan Van, Robbie, Lauren
Houston by 3 1/2, 140 1/2
I don’t see this Houston team as good as 2025’s National Championship runner-up, but I still like’em a lot. And they’re at home.
Houston 71, Illini 67
Friday‘s games
East Region
No.6 St. John’s (30-6) vs. No.1 Duke (34-2)
Capital One Arena, D.C., 20,356
6:10 P.M. CT/7:10 ET
CBS
Ian, Bill, Grant, Trace Duke by 6 1/2, 141 1/2
This will be a classic, and I’ll take the “maestro,” as Dickie V. calls him. Give me the savvy veteran St. John’s coach, Richard Anthony Pitino. I love St. John’s 6’9″, 245 senior power forward Zuby Ejiofor from Garland, Texas as well.
St. John’s 72, Duke 70
Midwest
No.4 Alabama (25-9) vs. No. Michigan
United Center, Chicago, 20, 917
6:35 P.M. CT/7:35 ET
TBS/truTV
Andrew Catalon, Steve Lappas, Evan Washburn
Michigan by 9 1/2, 174 1/2
Nate Oats isn’t my favorite person right now with all that’s gone on in his program the last three years, but he’s got a very good basketball team. The Crimson Tide sank 19 trifectas against Texas Tech on 30 attempts this past Sunday Night. I really like the way this team is playing right now.
Give me Philon, Philon, Philon, Latrell Wrightsell, Houston Mallette and that excellent shooting offense. I also like the way the Crimson Tide is playing defense right now, and I see Aiden Sherrell holding his own underneath against Yaxel Linderborg and Aday Mara. Aiden is high quality and a class act. I’ll go with the massive upset in Chitown. Bama shoots its way into the Elite 8, locks down just enough on defense and keeps it close on the boards.
Crimson Tide 89, Michigan 86
East
No.3 Michigan State (27-7) vs. No.2 UConn (31-5)
Capital One Arena
8:45 P.M. CT/9:45 ET
CBS
Ian, Bill, Grant, Trace
UConn by 1 1/2, 135 1/2
This should be a classic. Give me the great Tom Izzo and his Spartans to advance.
Michigan State 68, UConn 66
Midwest No.5 Tennessee (24-11) vs. No.2 Iowa State (29-7)
United Center
9:10 PM CT/10:10 ET
TBS/truTV
Andrew, Steve, Evan
Iowa State by 4 1/2, 138 1/2
I’m bullish on this Cyclones team. They advance to face the Crimson Tide in the Elite 8.
Labaron Philon, Philon, Philon leads the Crimson Tide into the NCAA Tournament vs. Hofstra Friday in Tampa at 2:15 P.M. CT/3:15 ET on truTV. (Photo courtesy of Alabama)
After months of meditation, acupuncture, white water rafting in Locust Fork with a wet suit, numerous lengthy hikes in Oak Mountain State Park, and overall in-depth thinking in front of my TV and laptop on Saturdays, here is White’s World Sports Confidential’s Bracket for 2026. Good luck with your’s.
Darius Acuff Jr. has been injured recently, but his expected availability for the SEC Tournament will greatly enhance Arkansas’ chances of capturing the SEC Championship. (Photo courtesy of Facebook).
Bridgestone Arena in Nashville will once again host the SEC Basketball Tournament for the 19th consecutive year, and this 66th edition is expected to be a spectacle in college basketball as 16 teams compete for the coveted Southeastern Conference Championship Trophy and procure major momentum for the NCAA Tournament, which starts a week from tomorrow, Tuesday, 3/17, with the First Four games in Dayton. There will be two games next Tuesday, 3/17 and two games next Wednesday, 3/18 in the First Four. Then the rest of the field of 68 will start their NCAA Tournament journey on Thursday and Friday, 3/19 and 3/20, respectively. Joe Lunardi of ESPN has 11 SEC teams in the field for the NCAA’s in his Bracketology. No.4 Florida (nationally), No,15 Alabama, No. 17 Arkansas, No. 22 Vanderbilt, No.25 Tennessee, Kentucky, Georgia, Missouri, Texas A&M, Texas and Auburn, though the Tigers metrics aren’t that swift in the Net Rankings and Ken Pom Rankings, good predictions of getting into the NCAA Tournament. Auburn has work to do in Nashville. A team like Oklahoma is playing pretty good ball right now, so they could make a possible run. That’s four straight days of winning, which is not unprecedented, but quite mentally and physically demanding.
Here are my predictions for the S-E-C Tournament. Teams’ seeds are listed in front of each team’s name.
Wednesday, 3/11, First Round
Bridgestone Arena holds 19,395 at capacity.
11:30 A.M. CT/12:30 ET, SEC Network
No.9 Kentucky 82, No.16 LSU 68
Kentucky by 6 1/2, Over/Under: 151 1/2
2 P.M. CT/3 ET, SEC Network
No.12 Auburn 78, No. 13 Mississippi State 70
Auburn by 7 1/2, 158 1/2
Stephen Pearl and his Tigers get off to a good start.
6 P.M. CT/7 ET, SEC Network
No. 10 Texas 76, No.15 Ole Miss 70
Texas by 5 1/2, 149 1/2
8:30 P.M. CT/9:30 ET, SEC Network
No. 11 Oklahoma 80, South Carolina 73
OU by 6 1/2, 150 1/2
Kentucky, Auburn, Texas and Oklahoma advance to Thursday.
Thursday, 3/12, Second Round
***These lines will be published when posted, as will the forthcoming games after that.***
11:30 A.M. CT/12:30 ET, SEC Network
Kentucky 78, No.8 Missouri 77
KY by 3 1/2, 148 1/2
Wildcats pull off what should be an upset and advance to quarters on Friday.
2 P.M. CT/3 ET, SEC Network
No.5 Tennessee 74, Auburn 70
Tennessee by 5 1/2, 149 1/2
Tennessee survives and advances and the Tigers will sweat it out on Selection Sunday.
6 P.M. CT/7 ET, SEC Network
No.7 Georgia 84, Texas 81
Dawgs are solid. Texas is too. Should be an excellent game.
8:30 P.M. CT/9:30 East, SEC Network
Oklahoma 78, No. 6 Texas A&M 76
A&M by 2 1/2, 161 1/2
The Sooners advance and A&M will have some anxiety on Selection Sunday as well.
Kentucky, Tennessee, Georgia and Oklahoma advance to Friday’s quarterfinals.
Friday, 3/13, Quarterfinals
12 P.M. CT/ 1 ET, ESPN
No.1 Florida 81, Kentucky 78
Gators by 11 1/2, 160 1/2
Hard to defeat a team three times in one season, but I’ll take the Gators to just “get by,” as Jerry sang.
2:30 P.M. CT/3:30 ET, ESPN
No.4 Vanderbilt 69, Tennessee 67
Tennessee by 1 1/2, 146 1/2
This will be more of a slugfest with the Dores just prevailing.
6 P.M. CT/7 ET, SEC Network
No.2 Alabama 82, Georgia 80
Crimson Tide by 11 1/2, 163 1/2
Georgia handled the Tide in Athens last Tuesday, but the Crimson Tide edges them out in Bridgestone.
8:30 P.M. CT/ 9:30 ET, SEC Network
No.3 Arkansas 84, Oklahoma 68
Hogs by 7 1/2, 168 1/2
Hogs advance with superb point guard Darius Acuff Jr. most likely in the lineup.
Florida, Vanderbilt, Alabama and Arkansas advance to the Semis.
Saturday, 3/14, Semifinals
12 P.M. CT/ 1 ET, ESPN
Florida 85, Vanderbilt 83
Gators by 8 1/2, 160 1/2
Gators just prevail in a hard fought NCAA Tournament-like contest.
2:30 P.M. CT/3:30 ET, ESPN
Arkansas 94, Alabama 92
Arkansas over Ole Miss by 8 /12, 158 1/2
The Hogs get by in a blockbuster.
Championship Sunday, 3/15
Arkansas vs. Florida
I picked the Gators to win the SEC and NCAA Tournaments respectively last season, and Walter Clayton Jr. as my MVP in both the SEC Tournament and Final Four, and both Florida and Clayton Jr. delivered. Clayton Jr. is now with the Memphis Grizzlies of the Association as he was the 18th pick in the first round by the Washington Wizards in the 2025 NBA Draft, then was traded to Utah, and, ultimately, traded to Memphis. It’s a serious business in the pros, though college has become more like that model. Hoping that commission that met at the White House last week can make some positive changes in that regard.
Clayton Jr. is averaging 7 points per game and 3 assists for the Grizzlies. Pretty decent first season. He was a machine in the SEC and NCAA Tournaments in 2025 carrying his team on his shoulders to both the SEC and National Championships.
But I actually think Florida is better this year. They’ve got skyscrapers all over the post and their guards are terrific. Give me 6’9″, 215 pound power forward Thomas Haugh ( 17.5 ppg, 6.3 rebounds, 2.1 assists) and the Gators, but in a tight contest. Florida has 5 or 6 NBA prospective NBA players in their rotation, but Arkansas has their share too. I expect the Hogs to give the Gators everything they want.
Florida 95, Arkansas 94
MVP: Haugh
Give me Thomas Haugh and the Gators to capture the 66th Edition of the S-E-C Championship Tournament. (Photo courtesy of GatorCountry.com).
Alabama left fielder Kade Snell hit .374 this season with 10 homers and 50 Ribeyes. (Photo courtesy of Alabama Athletics).
The No.8 nationally ranked Auburn Tigers (D1.com Baseball rankings, the standard bearer), and the No.23 Alabama Crimson Tide are setting their sights on a deep run in June in the NCAA Tournament, and that quest begins right here in Hoover, Alabama at the Hoover Metropolitan Stadium as the SEC Baseball Tournament has commenced. Yesterday, the 9th seeded Crimson Tide downed No. 16 seed Missouri, 4-1. Twelve seed Oklahoma defeated No.13 seeded Kentucky, 4-1, and No. 10 seed Florida blasted No. 15 South Carolina, 11-3. Today, 14th seeded Texas A&M is having its way with 11 seed Mississippi State, 9-0, as the teams are in the top of the 8th. Should be a stellar tourney the next four days with several of these teams having a shot to win this tournament, and, also, excel at the NCAA’s. Here are predictions for this showcase of SEC Baseball.
Today
No.9 seed Alabama vs. No.8 Tennesssee (#21 nationally ranked)
Records
Bama (41-15), UT (41-15)
1 P.M. CT, SEC Network
I’m going to take Bama’s magic here to outlast the Vols.
I’ll take ‘dem Dawgs, but it’ll be a good contest just like the one before it.
Georgia 6, Oklahoma 5
No.10 Florida (#15 national) vs. No.7 Ole Miss (#17)
Florida (38-19), Ole Miss (37-18)
8 P.M. CT, SEC Network
I’ll take the Gators in another tight one. These teams today are evenly matched.
Florida 5, Ole Miss 4
Thursday
The tournament got a little behind due to the threat of inclement weather as the A&M-State game was pushed back to this morning. Weather looks great going forward.
No.6 Auburn (No.8 Nationally) vs. Texas A&M
Auburn (38-17) A&M (29-25)
11 A.M. CT, SEC Network
I’ll take the Tigers to advance. They’re a strong team and like them in a semi-home game just like the Crimson Tide.
Auburn 8, A&M 6
Give me Auburn right fielder Ike Irish, who hit .354 with 16 deep ones and 52 Ribbies and a .683 slugging percentage, to lead the Tigers to victory. (Photo courtesy of Sports Illustrated).
Quarterfinals
No. 1 Texas (#2 Nationally, 42-11) vs. Alabama
3 P. M. CT, SEC Net
I’ll take the Crimson Tide to pull off the upset.
Bama 5, Texas 4
No. 4 Vanderbilt (#9 nationally, 39-16) vs. Georgia
6:30 P.M. CT, SEC Network
Give me the Commodores. They’re a hot team.
Vanderbilt 8, Georgia 5
Friday, Quarterfinals
Florida vs. No.2 Arkansas (#5 national, 43-12)
3 P.M. CT, SEC Network
The Hogs are tough.
Arkansas 7, Florida 3
No.3 LSU (#1 Nationally, 42-13) vs. Auburn
6:30 P.M. CT, SEC Network
I’m going to take the Auburn Tigers in an upset.
Auburn 9, LSU 8 (11 innings)
Saturday, Semifinals
Alabama vs. Vanderbilt
12 P.M., SEC Network
The Commodores starting pitching can be questionable at times, but first year hitting coach Jayson King, who was head coach at Dayton for 7 years before Tim Corbin hired him after the 2024 season, has the Dores knocking the cover off the ball. The bullpen and the defense are solid as ever. It’ll be a hard fought contest.
Vanderbilt 6, Alabama 5
Auburn vs. Arkansas
3:30 P.M. CT, SEC Network
Arkansas is outstanding..
Hogs 5, Tigers 3
Sunday, SEC Championship Game
Vanderbilt vs. Arkansas
Expecting some fireworks with the bats. Give me first baseman Riley Nelson, hitting .370 in conference play, and the Commodores to take home the SEC Championship Trophy back to Nashville, Tennessee. Should be a classic.
Vanderbilt 8, Arkansas 7
MVP of Tournament
Riley Nelson
The Commodores’ terrific first baseman, Nelson, leads them to an SEC Championship. (Photo courtesy of 247 Sports).
Can the 39 year old Todd Golden do what the 37 year old Jon Scheyer couldn’t do: Defeat Houston. (Photo courtesy of USA Today).
The No.1 seeded Florida Gators (West) outlasted the No.1 seeded Auburn Tigers (South) behind 34 points from the great Walter Clayton Jr. in what my cousin Camper O’Neal and I said was a Kobe Bryant-Steph Curry performance for the ages. The Tigers looked to have control at halftime, but had no answers for Clayton Jr. in the second half though they gave it a good effort. Johni Broome was shut down in the second half. Still, the Tigers made it their second Final Four under Pearly, the other being in 2019, and look to have a bright future unless transfer attrition gets them, which it does to a lot of teams. Pearly is 65 now, and the job takes a massive amount of energy, so I know Tiger fans are hopeful he can get his next team over the top and capture it all. Auburn looked like the best team in the country in mid February, but lost some momentum when Florida came to visit and defeated them at Neville Arena. Then, the Crimson Tide upset the Tigers at home the last game of the regular season, and they lost in the semis of the SEC tourney to Tennessee and could never completely get that winning edge back. Still, a great showing by the Tigers and a lot to be proud of if you’re an Auburn Tiger fan. Same with the Crimson Tide. They had a tough matchup with Duke in the Elite Eight and just didn’t have enough size for the Blue Devils. Still, a Final Four appearance (2024) and an Elite Eight in back to back years is a lot to be proud of. Nate Oats is 50 years old and has a lot of good years left. The Tide did lose Grant Nelson, Mark Sears, Chris Young and Clifford Omoruyi, as they ran out of eligibility, and Mouhamed Dioubate transferred, so there is some reloading to do, which Coach Oats is good at.
But it’s the Gators and the Houston Cougars playing for the National Championship tonight at the Alamodome in San Antonio. The game tips off at 7:50 CT, and CBS will televise. The Cougars made an improbable comeback against Duke on Saturday Night after trailing throughout the entire game by double digits much of the time and by 8 with a minute left in the game. When Houston finished off the comeback behind 26 points by marksman guard L.J. Cryer, a clutch three by Emmanuel Sharp and two critical free throws by big man J’Wan Roberts, who was a 61% free throw shooter when he stepped to the line with 19 seconds with Houston trailing 67-66. Roberts calmly drained both shots, and Cooper Flagg, showing his youth and inexperience in big moments as a true freshman, missed a turn around jumper that the Cougars rebounded and Cryer was fouled Cryer, a 92% free throw shooter, sank both shots to clinch the game for the Cougars, 70-67. When the game ended, Beth looked at me and said, “What a gag job.” I agree. The young team of all star freshmen and their young 37 year old third year coach, who has never been a head coach before Duke, couldn’t get the job done in the clutch in a game they were expected to win. Heck, everybody had already started saying this was the greatest team of all time? Come on, Man. Not even close and they proved it. Meanwhile, the Cougars showed their experience and mental toughness under 69 year old veteran coach Kelvin Sampson.
So it’s Florida and Houston playing for it all. Awesome matchup against a prolific offensive team in Florida versus a prolific defensive team in Houston. Who will prevail? Here’s my prediction.
White’s World’s Record from the SEC Tournament till now
SU: 18-10; ATS: 13-14; O/U: 13-9
Tonight
Florida (35-4) vs. Houston (35-4)
Alamodome, San Antonio, 73,086
7:50 CT
CBS
Ian, Bill, Grant, Trace, Gene-Rules
Gators by 1 1/2 O/U: 140 1/2
Florida is the one seed out of the West and Houston is the one seed out of the Midwest. It’s in San Antonio, so the Cougars have a pretty strong home court advantage. The Cougars are a tough out, but I’m going to put my trust in Clayton Jr. and the Gators.
Florida 70, Houston 68
Final Four Most Valuable Player
Walter Clayton Jr.
Clayton Jr. gets it done again. (Photo courtesy of Gators Wire).
Khaman Maluach and Cooper Flagg carry Duke’s fortunes in the Final Four. (Photo courtesy of Duke Athletics).
Auburn versus Florida and Duke versus Houston makes for a tremendous Final Four at the Alamodome in San Antonio on Saturday. Can the Auburn Tigers knock off Florida and make it to their first National Championship Game, or will the Gators continue their stellar play in 2024-25 and play for a chance to cut down the nets on Monday Night.
The Duke Blue Devils have been an unstoppable force in the last two months and throughout the tournament. Not only do the Blue Devils play prolific offense, as always, their defense, led by 7’2″, 250 pound center Khaman Maluach, is superb. They wore out a very good offensive team in the Alabama Crimson Tide last Saturday Night in Newark. Copper Flagg and Kon Knueppel are pretty phenomenal players, also. But the Houston Cougars are no slouch, either. They have the No.1 scoring defense in the country, they rebound at an extremely high level, and they can fill it up many times, too.
Will be a couple of classics in San Antonio. Here are predictions for these two contests.
White’s World’s Records from the SEC Tourney through the Elite Eight
SU: 17-9; ATS: 11-14; O/U: 12-8
Saturday
First Semifinal
No.1 Florida (34-4, West Region) vs. No.1 Auburn (32-5, South)
Alamodome, 73,086
5:09 P.M. CT
CBS
Ian, Bill, Grant, Trace, Gene Steratore-Rules
Gators by 2 1/2, O/U: 159 1/2
I like a really fine game between these two contentious, highly talented rivals from the SEC. I’ll take stellar marksman Walter Clayton Jr., 6’9″ 215 power forward Thomas Haugh, and the Gators, barely.
Florida 78, Auburn 75
Second Semifinal
No.1 Houston (34-4, Midwest) vs. No.1 Duke (35-3, East)
Alamodome
7:49 P.M. CT
CBS
Ian, Bill, Grant, Tracy, Gene
Duke by 5 1/2, O/U, 135 1/2
I’m looking at an intensely hard fought, heavyweight championship fight, an Ali-Fraziuh matchup, with Duke just getting by a terrific Houston team to make it to the National Championship Game and set their sights on their 6th national championship versus a very good Florida Gators team.
Duke 64, Houston 62
Thirty-seven year old John Scheyer takes his alma mater to the national championship game in his third season after taking over from Mike Krzyzewski. (Photo courtesy of USA Today).
Bruce goes for his second Final Four at Auburn after leading his team there in 2019 only to lose a heartbreaker to Virginia where a missed double dribble call kept the Tigers from playing in the National Championship Game. (Photo courtesy of WSFA-Montgomery).
Alabama and Auburn continued their stellar play Thursday and Friday Night respectively as both teams inched closer to the Alamodome and San Antonio for the Final Four, which would be the second Final Four for both teams and both coaches as Bruce Pearl took his team there in 2019 and barely missed out on a shot at the national championship due to a missed double dribble call on Virginia’s Ty Jerome with seconds winding down in regulation in the semifinals. After Jerome double dribbled with 7 seconds left, he took dribbled down the floor and tossed it to Kyle Guy in the left corner and Guy shot a potential game tying three which he missed. However the Tigers were called for a foul on Guy’s shot, which was also controversial. Guy sank all three free throws and Virginia won the game in overtime and went on to capture the national championship the following Monday over Texas Tech. Tough one for Bruce and the 2019 Tigers. However, they have another shot in 2025. Nate Oats’ Crimson Tide made it to the Final Four last year only to fall to unstoppable UConn in the semis. UConn went on to win it all and win back to back national titles in 2023 and 2024.
Now both Alabama and Auburn face major tests as they home in on advancing to the arena all 352 schools in Division I aspired to be at in November; the Alamodome in San Antonio sire of the 2025 Final Four, which commences next Saturday, April, 5th on CBS with game times to be determined. Most likely a 5:09 P.M. CT tip and a 7:49 P.M. CT tip.
Here are previews and predictions for the Elite Eight games today and Sunday.
White’s World’s 2024 Sweet 16 through Championship Records
SU: 11-4; ATS: 11-4
This Postseason, 2025: Sweet 16 record:
SU: 7-1; ATS: 5-3; O/U: 6-2
Overall 2025 record including the SEC Tournament
SU: 15-7; ATS: 12-9; O/U: 9-7
Today’s Games
West Regional Final
No.3 seed Texas Tech (28-8) vs. No. 1 Florida (33-4)
Chase Center, SF, CA. 18,064
5:09 P.M. Central Time
TBS/truTV
Kevin Harlan, Dan Bonner, Stan Van Gundy, Lauren Shehadi, Gene Steratore-Rules
Gators by 6 1/2, O/U, 157 1/2
I like the Gators to show the country once again what a prolific team they have led by their stellar guards, Walter Clayton Jr., Alijah Martin and Will Richard, and big men Alex Condon, Reuben Chinyelu and Thomas Hough.
Florida 83, Texas Tech 75
East Regional Final
No. 2 Alabama (28-8) vs. No.1 Duke (34-3)
Prudential Center, Newark, 16,755
7:49 P.M. CT
TBS/truTV
Brian Anderson, Jim Jackson, Allie LaForce, Gene (rules analyst throughout).
Duke by 7 1/2; O/U 174 1/2
Nate Oats had a premonition for his backcourt on Thursday at the Prudential Center in Newark telling Mark Sears, Labaron Philon, Chris Youngblood and Aiden Holloway before the game that, “We’re going to rain threes.” Coach Oats was a prophet. The Tide drained trifectas to the tune of 25-of-51, 49%, the most made threes in NCAA Tournament history surpassing Loyola Marymount’s 21 in 1990 against Michigan. Mark and Aiden were knocking down threes from Yankee Stadium; Mark to the tune of 34 points on 10-of-16 from triple, and Aiden to the tune of 23 on 6-of-13 from deep downtown. Youngblood added 19 on 5-of-11 from three. Mercy, what a performance by those guys. Now the Tide faces the vaunted Blue Devils and player of the year candidate, along with Auburn’s Johni Broome, and soon to be first overall pick in the NBA draft (most likely) Cooper Flagg. Can the 2025 version of the Crimson Tide repeat and make it back to the Final Four? I like them to do that.
Alabama 94, Duke 92
Mark and the Crimson Tide pull off the upset in Newark and head to San Antonio. (Photo courtesy of AL.com).
Sunday’s Games
Midwest Regional Final
No.2 Tennessee (30-7) vs. No.1 Houston (33-4)
Lucas Oil Stadium, Indy, 35,000
1:20 P.M. CT
CBS
Andrew Catalon, Steve Lappas, Evan Washburn, Gene
Houston by 3 1/2; O/U: 124 1/2
Looking for a hard fought, hard-nosed game, with stellar point guard Zakai Zeigler and the Vols outlasting the Cougars.
Tennessee 62, Houston 61
South Region
No.1 Auburn (31-5) vs. No.2 Michigan State (30-6)
State Farm Arena, ATL, 17,044
4:09 P.M. CT
CBS
Ian, Bill, Grant, Trace, Gene
Auburn by 4 1/2; O/U: 147 1/2
The Tigers had a sluggish start in the first half last night versus Michigan, but rallied in the second half with a 20-2 run to defeat the Wolverines, 78-65. Johni Broome finished with 22 points and 16 boards, a huge night. Tahaad Pettiford and Denver Jones added 20. Jones was 4-of-7 from triple, while Pettiford was 2-of-7. Auburn was 8-of-28 from three on the night. But they out-rebounded the Wolverines 48-33, held the Wolverines to 21-of-59 from the field, 36%, and 5-of-17 from trifecta, 29%. The Tigers were also 14 of 18 from the stripe, 78%. They really amped it up in the second half. In Michigan State, Auburn plays a similar hard hat, lunch pale team that plays terrific defense, hits the boards and can be prolific from three when they’re on. But I’ll take Johni and the Tigers to punch their ticket to San Antonio.
Auburn 75, Michigan State 72
Johni and Auburn want to keep on playing. I like them to do just that with a victory over Michigan State. (Photo courtesy of WHNT-Huntsville).
Miles Kelly will try to shoot the Auburn Tigers to the Elite 8. (Photo courtesy of Auburn University).
The Sweet 16 commences Thursday featuring 7 SEC teams that are competing, including the Alabama Crimson Tide and the Auburn Tigers, which is tremendous for both the conference and the state. The 2nd seeded Crimson Tide (East Region) kicks off the spectacle Thursday as they square off with the 6th seeded BYU Cougars. The South Region’s No.1 seed, the Auburn Tigers, face the 5th seeded Michigan Wolverines on Friday. Brownie and EHS ’80 will have later nights watching their team. I’ll be joining them in that pursuit. I’m not an Auburn fan per se, but very interested in the Tigers and Tide always. Pretty excellent teams to be interested in.
Here’s a breakdown of the games along with White’s World’s Sports Confidential’s predictions on which teams will emerge from this round and matriculate to the coveted Elite 8, and move one step closer to the Alamodome in San Antonio for the Final Four Saturday, April 5th.
Record so far
SEC Tournament: SU-8-6, ATS: 2-6, O/U: 3-5.
Picked Florida to win it all, which they did, and Walter Clayton Jr. to win the MVP of the tournament, which he did. Used numbers for the games I had teams competing in. Bracket struggling so far, but there’s still hope.
Thursday’s games
East Region
No.2 Alabama (27-8) vs. No.6 BYU (26-9)
Prudential Center, Newark, NJ., 16,755
6:09 PM CT
CBS Brian Anderson, Jim Jackson, Allie LaForce
Bama by 5 1/2, Over/Under 175 1/2
I like Mark Sears, Grant Nelson, Mouhamed Dioubate, Chris Youngblood and the emerged rim protector and
offensive weapon 6’11”, 250 center Clifford Omoruyi to lead the Tide to victory and enable them to advance to
Saturday and the Elite 8.
Alabama 92, BYU 86
West Region
No.4 Maryland (27-8) vs. No.1 Florida (32-4)
Chase Center, San Francisco, 18,064
6:39 PM CT TBS/truTV
Kevin Harlan, Dan Bonner, Stan Van Gundy, Lauren Shehadi Gators by 6 1/2, O/U, 156 1/2
It’s too bad the Crimson Tide and the Gators are on at roughly the same time. You either can jump, unless
you’re exclusively a Bama fan or Gators fan, or get Youtube TV on your computer and watch Florida or
Alabama that way when they run over each other on their respective broadcasts.
Gators 82, Terps 75
East Region
No.4 Arizona (24-12) vs. No.1 Duke (33-3)
Prudential Center, Newark
8:39 PM CT
CBS
Same announcers as above in East.
Duke by 9 1/2, O/U, 153 1/2
Duke is a juggernaut right now and looks unstoppable. They can be stopped, but it’ll take a heroic effort.
Cooper Flagg, Kon Kneuppel and company are going to be tough to knock off. It can be done with a physical,
hard-working effort, but it’ll be a major task.
Duke 80, ‘Zona 70
West
No.10 Arkansas (22-13) vs. No.3 Texas Tech (27-8)
Chase Center, SF
9:09 PM CT
TBS/truTV
Texas Tech by 5 1/2, O/U 148 1/2
Give me Cal and the Hogs in the upset.
Hogs 72, Red Raiders 70
Friday
South Region
No. 6 Ole Miss (24-11) vs. No.2 Michigan State (29-6)
State Farm Arena, Atlanta, 16,888
6:09 PM CT
CBS
Ian, Bill, Grant, Trace Mich. State by 3 1/2, O/U, 143 1/2
This is a tough one because I think the Rebels have a real shot here. However, I’ve got Tom Izzo and his
Spartans advancing to the Elite 8, so I’ll take them in a slugfest.
Michigan State 70, Ole Miss 68
Midwest
No.3 Kentucky (24-11) vs. No.2 Tennessee (29-7)
Lucas Oil Stadium, Indy, 67,000, maybe not that many allowed in game.
6:39 PM CT
TBS/truTV
Tennessee by 4 1/2, O/U, 144 1/2
The Vols lost not once, but twice to the Wildcats, 78-73 at home, and 75-64 on the road. They’re a better
team now. It’s hard to beat a team three times as the old basketball adage goes, so I like the Vols to move on
to the Elite 8. The Vols’ defense, which is prolific, should be the difference.
Tennessee 73, Kentucky 70
South
No.6 Michigan (27-9) vs. No.1 Auburn (30-5)
State Farm Arena
8:39 PM CT
CBS
Tigers by 8 1/2, O/U, 154 1/2
I like Johni Broome, Miles Kelly, Denver Jones, Chad Baker-Mazzara and the star studded company to get the
job done for the Auburn Tigers. Willie and Hamilton will be chanting, “It’s Great to Be..” loudly Friday
Night/Saturday morning? at Otey’s.
Auburn 78, Michigan 75
Midwest No. 4 Purdue (24-11) vs. No.1 Houston (32-4)
Lucas Oil
9:09 PM CT
TBS/truTV
Houston by 7 1/2, O/U, 132 1/2
The Cougars are one team that can definitely hang with Duke. There are some others, but Houston really
sticks out to me as one of those teams. They are highly athletic, they can score and are elite defenders and
