The first four rounds of the men’s NCAA Tournament have been a disappointment. Frankly, it is amazing more years don’t play out like this. It is absurd how lucky we’ve been over the years, how much we’ve taken for granted watching buzzer-beater after buzzer-beater, upset after upset.
But the dance isn’t over yet. There is still hope for the Final Four.
The four teams (Duke, Florida, Auburn, Houston) that form the second group of 1-seeds to all reach the Final Four in the same tournament have produced the rare matchups of heavyweights on the final weekend of the season. The top four teams in the nation are also listed as such on KenPom.com, which ranks each team among the top 10 in the nation on both ends of the floor.
Two of the teams are led by coaches under 40. The other two are led by senior citizens. Two of the schools have never won the national title. The other two have gone at least a decade since cutting down the final net.
