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Two tickets to the end of the Big Dance in San Antonio for the 2025 Final Four will be punched on Saturday and nets will be cut down as the action heads to the West Regional and the East Regional of the NCAA Tournament bracket.
The March Madness festivities get started out in San Francisco with the West Regional Final between No. 1 seed Florida and No. 3 seed Texas Tech. The Red Raiders earned their spot in with a triumphant second half comeback against Arkansas that ended in overtime, while the top-seed Gators pulled away in the second half for a 16-point win against Maryland. Then the college basketball world will pivot its attention to Newark, where the East Regional final features the the top two seeds and two of the top three offensive teams in the entire country with Duke and Arkansas.
Both teams hit or eclipsed 100 points in regulation during Thursday’s regional semifinal, and the Crimson Tide setting a new NCAA Tournament record with 25 made 3-pointers in the 113-88 win against BYU. Duke hit the century mark on the nose as it held off a furious last push by Arizona, holding on for 100-93 win after leading by as many as 19 in the second half.
In total we are dealing with a night of worthy competitors when it comes to awarding spots in the game’s most prestigious event. All four of these teams have been among the best in the country over the last two months and now they get to decide, on the court, who gets to remain in the race for a national championship.
Games this big deserve the full coverage, and that means best bets and expert picks. We’ve included both a best bet and the full collection of picks from our expert panel below, getting you set for a great evening of college basketball.
Odds via SportsLine | All times Eastern
West Regional: (1) Florida vs. (3) Texas Tech
6:09 p.m. on TBS | March Madness Live: Texas Tech’s resiliency is to be commended, storming back from a 16-point deficit to beat Arkansas. But in looking forward we should consider why the Red Raiders found themselves in a deep hole early against the Razorbacks and whether a similar comeback would be possible against Florida. The Gators have a deeper and healthier rotation than Arkansas, and what they might give up in terms of NBA-focused talent they make up for with much more consistent performance when they’ve faced real game pressure all through the season. The availability of Chance McMillan is going to give some the hesitancy to jump in with a pick early but I think the Gators keep rolling. Pick: Florida -6.5
Matt NorlanderJerry PalmChip PattersonKyle BooneDavid CobbCameron SalernoATS
TTU +6.5TTU +6.5 FLA -6.5TTU +6.5 FLA -6.5 TTU +6.5 Straight Up
TTUFLAFLAFLAFLAFLA
East Regional: (1) Duke vs. (2) Alabama
8:49 p.m. on TBS | March Madness Live: So far in this NCAA Tournament, Duke has scored 93 points in a 70 possession game, 89 points in a 59 possession game and 100 points in a 71 possession game. Now we put this offensive juggernaut against an Alabama team that regularly exceeds 75 possessions and could be pushing the pace if they are trailing the same way Arizona did on Thursday night in the Sweet 16. The relentlessness and danger presented by Alabama’s deep ball should have Duke wanting to keep its foot on the gas, and since the Blue Devils have the best free-throw percentage of anyone left in this tournament I like their chances to tack on some extra points late if or when the Crimson Tide start to foul to stop the clock. Pick: Duke Team Total Over 90.5
Matt NorlanderJerry PalmChip PattersonKyle BooneDavid CobbCameron SalernoATS
BAMA +6.5BAMA +6.5 DUKE -6.5DUKE -6.5 DUKE -6.5 BAMA +6.5 Straight Up
BAMADUKEDUKE DUKE DUKE DUKE
