The men’s college basketball national championship stage is now set for Monday night. The Florida Gators got past Auburn, and the Houston Cougars made a run late to shock Duke at the Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas in the national semifinal games Saturday night.
National semifinal #1- Florida 79, Auburn 73: The Gators outscored the Tigers 41-27 in the second half in advancing to their first championship game since 2007. Walter Clayton Jr. scored a game-high 34 points, while Alijah Martin put in 17. Thomas Haugh also got into double figures with 12 points and seven rebounds. Chad Baker-Mazara led Auburn with 18 points, and Johni Broome had 15 points and seven rebounds. The Tigers (32-6) were seeking their first appearance in the title game in what was their second Final Four appearance. The Gators (35-4) will go for their third championship. They won it all in back to back seasons in 2006 and 2007.
National semifinal #2- Houston 70, Duke 67: The Cougars made an improbable 11-1 run in the final 1:14 to stun the Blue Devils. Duke freshman phenom Cooper Flagg (Newport, Maine) had 19 points in the second half alone to help build a 14 point lead, and they led 67-61 with 33.7 seconds left before the Cougars rattled off the final nine points. J’Wan Roberts hit two free throws with 19 seconds to go to push Houston ahead for good. Flagg finished with a game-high 27 points, to go along with seven rebounds, four assists, three blocked shots, and three steals. Kon Knueppel contributed 16 points. The Blue Devils end their season with a record of 35-4 in their 18th appearance in the Final Four, where they were seeking their sixth title and their first since 2015. L.J. Cryer led Houston with 26 points, Emanuel Sharp put in 16, and Roberts finished with 11 points. The Cougars (35-4) in their seventh Final Four will be attempting to win their first championship. They have been there twice previously, finishing as runners-up in 1983 and 1984.
The national championship game is scheduled for an 8:50 p.m. tip-off on Monday night in San Antonio.
