NEWARK, N.J. (WNCN) — The top two seeds in the East Region of the 2025 NCAA Tournament will go at it Saturday night to determine who will advance to the Final Four.
No. 1 Duke (34-3) face No. 2 Alabama (28-8) in an Elite 8 game at the Prudential Center in Newark, NJ. Tipoff was originally scheduled for 8:49 p.m. but was pushed back to 8:59 p.m. due to the preceding game.
The Blue Devils faced their toughest competition of the tournament so far in the Sweet 16 Thursday night when they defeated No. 4 Arizona 100-93. Cooper Flagg scored 30 points, pulled down six rebounds and dished out seven assists, while fellow freshman Kon Knueppel added 20 points, four rebounds and three assists.
Earlier that same night, the Crimson Tide blew out No. 6 BYU in their Sweet 16 game. In the 113-88 win, Mark Sears scored 34 points, most of it from behind the three-point arc. Sears was 10 for 16 from three-point land, accounting for a big chunk of Alabama’s NCAA Tournament record 25 made three-pointers.
The winner of Saturday night’s game will earn a berth next weekend’s Final Four in San Antonio.