Duke and Florida became the first two schools to advance to the 2025 Final Four with their Elite 8 wins on Saturday.
Duke smothered Alabama on the perimeter defensively while having a balanced scoring attack in their 85-65 win over Alabama. Cooper Flagg had 16 points, nine rebounds and three assists, while Ken Knueppel had 21 points, five rebounds and five assists.Â
Walter Clayton Jr. scored 13 of his 30 points in the final 5:24 as Florida made a late comeback to defeat Texas Tech 84-79. The Gators’ win came at Chase Center in San Francisco with Clayton’s play drawing comparisons to Stephen Curry.
“[Comparing him to Curry] is kind of a lot to put on a young man,” said head coach Todd Golden. “But I’d say the one thing where Walt 100 percent is similar to Steph is their shot-making and their ability to get it off whenever they want.
“Just like the Warriors want Steph to be able to find a way to get open and get those shots in those moments, we want Walt taking the shots for us down the stretch. There’s a reason why he was an AP first-team All-American. He is, in my humble opinion, the best guard in America.”
