A lot for “March Insanity.”
For the primary time since 2008 and solely the second time ever, the boys’s Remaining 4 will consist of each No. 1 seed from every regional bracket. All eyes will likely be on Auburn, Duke, Florida and Houston because the Remaining 4 suggestions off Saturday. There’s no room on the inn for a males’s faculty basketball Cinderella in San Antonio.
All 4 groups are able to profitable the nationwide championship Monday night time. All 4 groups even have respectable histories. Duke is a five-time nationwide champion however hasn’t received since 2015. Florida received back-to-back titles in 2006 and 2007. Auburn and Houston are on the lookout for their first championships this weekend.
As we put together for the motion, representatives at The Athletic determined to have some enjoyable and select gamers from every Remaining 4 program, previous and current, who would make for an all-time beginning 5. Scott Dochterman, Jason Jones and Damon Sayles teamed up to decide on their groups and add an all-time coach for every program.
Be at liberty to share your beginning 5 within the feedback part.
Auburn Tigers
Dochterman’s beginning 5: C Johni Broome, F Chuck Particular person, F Charles Barkley, G Eddie Johnson, G Bryce Brown
Dochterman’s coach: Bruce Pearl
Auburn’s males’s basketball historical past was a mile broad and an inch deep earlier than Pearl took over 11 years in the past. Now, it’s a flood of greatness.
The problem with this task begins with selecting the 5 finest gamers from this system or its finest lineup. Auburn’s high 5 gamers are completely frontcourt guys, so with this lineup, we’ll attempt to survive just a few journeys up the ground earlier than subbing out.
From the Nineteen Eighties, Particular person is the Tigers’ all-time main scorer, and Barkley led Auburn in rebounding. Each had been second-team All-Individuals. Quick ahead to in the present day, the place the Tigers have Broome, a consensus first-team All-American this 12 months. These three make up my frontcourt, however let’s not overlook Chris Porter, who earned All-America honors in 1999, or the duo of Jabari Smith Jr. and Walker Kessler, who had been second-team All-Individuals in 2022.
So far as guards go, Johnson scored 1,988 factors and compiled 499 assists from 1973-77. Brown is one of the best guard lately with 1,673 factors.
Jones’ beginning 5: G John Mengelt, G Wesley Particular person, F Chuck Particular person, F Charles Barkley, F Chris Porter
Jones’ coach: Bruce Pearl
Mengelt averaged 24.8 factors for his profession and had a 60-point sport towards rival Alabama on Feb. 14, 1970. Wesley Particular person was a big-time scorer, averaging 22.2 factors to steer the SEC in 1993-94. His older brother, Chuck, additionally was a prolific scorer, averaging higher than 20 factors throughout his junior and senior seasons. He “solely” averaged 19.1 factors as a sophomore.
Barkley was the SEC Participant of the 12 months in 1984. He additionally led the convention in rebounding in every of his three seasons with the Tigers.
Charles Barkley (34) was the SEC Participant of the 12 months in 1984. (Ricky Rogers / The Tennessean / USA At this time)
Porter was the Auburn star of the late Nineties. His high-flying sport was simply as well-liked as his signature afro. He was an All-American as a junior, however the Tigers struggled with lofty expectations throughout his senior marketing campaign. He missed the final eight video games over NCAA violations for accepting cash to reportedly hold his mom from being evicted.
Auburn has been a aggressive crew since Pearl took over, and he has them within the Remaining 4, therefore he coaches this crew.
Sayles’ beginning 5: F Charles Barkley, F Chuck Particular person, G John Mengelt, G Eddie Johnson, F Chris Porter
Sayles’ coach: Joel Eaves
Choosing an Auburn coach is a bit of harder than many would assume. Pearl might seem to be the apparent option to some, however the seasoned followers of Auburn basketball will bear in mind Eaves teaching 14 seasons and proudly owning one of the best win share by an Auburn coach (68.1 %). He led the Tigers to their first SEC championship in 1960 and was named SEC Coach of the 12 months the identical season. Auburn renamed its former basketball area after him. Moreover, let’s not overlook Cliff Ellis, the AP Coach of the 12 months in 1999.
As for the gamers, Barkley is straightforward. He was a scoring and rebounding machine within the late Nineteen Eighties. He’s arguably the best to placed on an Auburn uniform, and his Naismith Memorial Basketball Corridor of Fame induction in 2006 helps whoever argues professional in that dialogue. No Auburn participant scored extra factors than Particular person, and few produced SportsCenter-esque highlights like Porter, who sported top-of-the-line afros in sports activities within the late Nineties and early 2000s.
Mengelt was the second Auburn basketball participant inducted into the Alabama Sports activities Corridor of Fame. (Eaves technically was the primary, however he additionally excelled at soccer and baseball earlier than discovering his lane as a coach.) Johnson might need been extra well-known as soon as he discovered his approach into the NBA, however his résumé will all the time have “four-time All-SEC participant” on it, and that may’t be denied.
Duke Blue Devils
Dochterman’s beginning 5: F/C Christian Laettner, G Jay Williams, F Shane Battier, G JJ Redick, F Grant Hill
Dochterman’s coach: Mike Krzyzewski
It’s nearly futile to choose 5 Duke gamers when there are eight Naismith Trophy winners (quickly to be 9, almost definitely) from 1986 onward. However contemplating NCAA Match success and regular-season data, 4 undisputed nationwide gamers of the 12 months stand out: Laettner, Battier, Williams and Redick.
Laettner has each potential honor, together with the label of most disliked participant of all time, however he hit two NCAA match buzzer-beaters, and he was good from the ground in one of the best sport in NCAA match historical past towards Kentucky. That one got here right down to his shot from the highest of the important thing.
March 28, 1992: The Christian Laettner Shot.
Elite 8, Philadelphia, Duke 104 Kentucky 103 OT.pic.twitter.com/erA13TrsZI
— This Day In Sports activities Clips (@TDISportsClips) March 29, 2025
Redick was a consensus participant of the 12 months, a two-time first-team All-American and the ACC’s all-time scoring chief. Williams scored 2,079 factors and was a first-team All-American for 2 seasons. Battier received the 2001 Remaining 4’s most excellent participant award and was named three-time nationwide defensive participant of the 12 months.
All of them have their jerseys retired. However that remaining spot was exhausting.
Hill, for me, edges Bobby Hurley, Elton Model, Danny Ferry, Johnny Dawkins, Zion Williamson and Cooper Flagg. Then there’s Luol Deng, Jahlil Okafor, Kyle Singler, Tyus Jones, Brandon Ingram, Artwork Heyman … you get the concept. Duke’s second and third groups are higher than almost each crew’s beginning lineup.
The coach is a no brainer.
Jones’ beginning 5: G Jay Williams, G JJ Redick, F Grant Hill, F Carlos Boozer, C Christian Laettner
Jones’ coach: Mike Krzyzewski
Duke is among the most polarizing applications within the nation. Loads of individuals haven’t gotten over Laettner stepping on Kentucky’s Aminu Timberlake’s chest within the 1992 East Regional remaining. Nonetheless, Laettner’s record of accolades is lengthy, together with Remaining 4 most excellent participant in 1991 and nationwide participant of the 12 months in 1992.
Redick additionally has a adorned faculty profession, together with a nationwide participant of the 12 months award. Hill’s arrival helped Duke bounce again from their embarrassing loss to UNLV within the 1990 nationwide championship sport to beat UNLV within the semifinal spherical the next 12 months.
Going with Boozer over Battier is not any knock on Battier. Quite, I favor a extra conventional energy ahead. Oddly sufficient, Battier was a stretch 4 at occasions for the Miami Warmth.
There are about 10 variations of a Duke beginning 5 that might nonetheless be nice. It’s additionally skewed towards the one-and-done period, as my beginning 5 all spent a number of seasons on campus. Kyrie Irving has had a Corridor of Fame profession, however he solely performed in 11 video games earlier than declaring for the 2011 NBA Draft. Williamson, Ingram and Jayson Tatum had been stars of their one season on campus, however it’s onerous to place them forward of the legacy of those that spent extra time there. It was onerous to go away off Model, who was among the many stars who performed a number of seasons.
As for the coach, was there any query? Perhaps Jon Scheyer can earn his identify into the dialog after this weekend.
Sayles’ beginning 5: F/C Christian Laettner, G JJ Redick, F Grant Hill, G Johnny Dawkins, F Shane Battier
Sayles’ coach: Mike Krzyzewski
The simple half: Coach Okay is the coach. Finish of story.
The onerous half: Duke has sufficient expertise to make three separate beginning fives — possibly even 4 — which you could be snug with. I feel Laettner, Reddick and Hill are the simpler selections. It’s the opposite two that I’m debating over.
One in all my earliest reminiscences of Duke is watching Dawkins lead an offense that ran like a well-oiled machine. Earlier than he was the pinnacle coach at Stanford and UCF, he was a Naismith participant of the 12 months and Duke’s No. 2 all-time scorer with 2,556 factors.
So many gamers who may very well be my fifth starter: Williams, Boozer, Hurley, Okafor, Model, Tatum, Irving, Williamson, Flagg, Shelden Williams, Danny Ferry … I can go on. With this crew, give me Battier and his versatility. He was a consensus faculty participant of the 12 months in 2001, however I’m a fan of his being a three-time NABC Defensive Participant of the 12 months.
Florida Gators
Dochterman’s beginning 5: G Walter Clayton Jr., F Al Horford, C Joakim Noah, F Corey Brewer, G Kenny Boynton
Dochterman’s coach: Billy Donovan
It’s unreal {that a} program qualifying for its sixth Remaining 4 and boasting consecutive NCAA titles in 2006 and 2007 didn’t have a first-team All-American till this 12 months. Clayton turned Florida’s first and positively deserves a spot on this record, averaging 18.1 factors per sport. However loads of gamers who didn’t obtain first-team honors are simply as worthy.
Noah set the NCAA Match single-season document with 29 blocked pictures in 2006, when he was voted the Remaining 4’s most excellent participant. The subsequent 12 months, Brewer collected the identical award within the Gators’ second NCAA championship run. Horford had 18 factors and 12 rebounds within the 2007 title sport. Horford, Brewer and Noah had been three of the primary 10 picks of the 2007 NBA Draft.
(2007) Joakim Noah, Al Horford, and Corey Brewer at Florida. 🐊 pic.twitter.com/q2dR7A4KUX
— Timeless Sports activities (@timelesssports_) November 27, 2018
The Gators have a mixture of different high-level performers over time, like SEC participant of the 12 months Scottie Wilbekin, all-time main scorer Ronnie Williams and Neal Stroll, the one Gator whose jersey is retired. However the final spot goes to protect Boynton, who scored 2,083 factors and directed Florida to 3 Elite Eights and two SEC titles.
Jones’ beginning 5: G Vernon Maxwell, G Walter Clayton Jr., F Corey Brewer, F Al Horford, C Joakim Noah
Jones’ coach: Billy Donovan
There wasn’t a better frontcourt to choose than the trio of Brewer, Horford and Noah, who received back-to-back championships and had been all chosen within the high 10 of the 2007 draft. Abruptly, Florida wasn’t only a soccer faculty, because the Gators dominated faculty basketball for 2 seasons.
Maxwell left faculty as Florida’s all-time chief in factors (2,450) and steals (206) and led the crew to its first NCAA Match look in 1987. Clayton’s standout season main the Gators to this 12 months’s Remaining 4 places him within the beginning 5. A championship would put him in the identical firm because the famed frontcourt and Donovan, my decide for all-time coach.
Sayles’ beginning 5: F Corey Brewer, C Joaquin Noah, F Al Horford, G Walter Clayton Jr., C Neal Stroll
Sayles’ coach: Billy Donovan
Contemplate this my large lineup. I couldn’t go away Stroll off this record. Of all the nice gamers to placed on a Florida uniform, he’s the one one to have his jersey retired. Stroll wore No. 41 from 1967-69.
It was a simple resolution to incorporate the three 2007 draft picks. Horford (No. 3 decide), Brewer (No. 7) and Noah (No. 9) had been a lot enjoyable to look at throughout their back-to-back nationwide title run. Clayton would like to commerce championship tales with them beginning subsequent week. As the one consensus first-team All-American from Florida, Clayton has established himself as a Mount Rushmore-type participant for this system. A championship can put him in a brand new stratosphere.
Udonis Haslem, Maxwell, Williams, Boynton, amongst others, deserve recognition, however I’m snug with this beginning 5. As for the coach, it’s onerous to argue towards what Donovan did. He received 72 % of his video games in 19 years in Gainesville, Fla., together with 16 consecutive 20-win seasons. Along with 68 mixed wins in the course of the 2006 and 2007 seasons, Donovan additionally led the Gators to a 36-3 document and a visit to the Remaining 4 in 2014.
Houston Cougars
Dochterman’s beginning 5: F Elvin Hayes, C Hakeem Olajuwon, G Clyde Drexler, G Otis Birdsong, G Jamal Shead
Dochterman’s coach: Man V. Lewis
Houston might need one of the best historical past of any program with out a nationwide championship. It began with Hayes, who nonetheless holds program data for scoring and rebounding for a single sport, season and profession. His 358 factors in 13 NCAA Match video games rank second to Duke’s Christian Laettner, who performed in 10 extra NCAA video games. Hayes joined Don Chaney as the primary two African-American gamers in Cougars historical past, and so they mixed to steer Houston to an 81-12 document and two Remaining Fours.
Birdsong, a consensus All-American, was the Southwest Convention’s participant of the 12 months in 1977. Within the early Nineteen Eighties, All-Individuals Drexler, Olajuwon and Michael Younger paced the high-flying Phi Slama Jama. That Houston crew (sans Drexler in 1984) went to 3 straight Remaining Fours and almost received the 1983 title.
In recent times, Kelvin Sampson’s groups have included All-Individuals Marcus Sasser and L.J. Cryer this 12 months, and in 2024, Shead was named the Huge 12 Male Athlete of the 12 months. Maybe the hardest debate is at coach, between Lewis and Sampson. However that’s for an additional day.
Jones’ beginning 5: G Clyde Drexler, G Otis Birdsong, G/F Louis Dunbar, F Elvin Hayes, C Hakeem Olajuwon
Jones’ coach: Man V. Lewis
Houston doesn’t have a nationwide championship, however this system has a number of memorable groups. The Phi Slama Jama groups misplaced within the NCAA Match finals in 1983 and 1984. This system was additionally a part of the “Recreation of the Century” that ended UCLA’s profitable streak at 47 video games in 1968. That sport featured Hayes as Houston’s finest participant towards UCLA’s Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. Placing greater than 52,000 within the Astrodome for the primary faculty sport aired in primetime wasn’t only a testomony to UCLA’s dominance; it additionally confirmed the elite standing of Hayes and the Cougars.
Drexler and Olajuwon had been members of “Texas’ tallest fraternity,” as Phi Slama Jama placed on a present each time it stepped on the court docket. The 2 All-Individuals lastly introduced Houston a championship as teammates in 1995 — an NBA title with the Rockets.
The Phi Slama Jama period of @UHCougarMBK noticed the Cougars advance to 3 straight Remaining Fours in 1982, 1983 and 1984 with future Naismith Corridor of Famers Hakeem Olajuwon and Clyde Drexler main the best way. 🐾#MFinalFour pic.twitter.com/tBdzzbxKJ3
— NCAA Males’s Remaining 4 (@MFinalFour) April 2, 2025
Birdsong was a dominant scorer within the Seventies. Many know Dunbar as “Candy Lou” of the Harlem Globetrotters, however in faculty, he was a 6-foot-9 playmaker earlier than somebody like Magic Johnson turned a family identify. Dunbar averaged 22.3 factors, 7.7 rebounds, and 4.1 assists for his profession with the Cougars.
The coach was a simple selection. Lewis coached all 5 gamers.
Sayles’ beginning 5: F Elvin Hayes, C Hakeem Olajuwon, G Clyde Drexler, G Otis Birdsong, G Rob Williams
Sayles’ coach: Man V. Lewis
“Phi Slama Jama” nonetheless brings worry to varsity applications. These Houston groups of the previous had energy, pace and athleticism. Olajuwon and Drexler had been All-Individuals.
They had been a dynamic duo of the Nineteen Eighties. The Cougars had one other dominant duo within the ’60s in Hayes and Chaney, two gamers who broke the colour barrier for the college’s basketball crew and starred within the 1968 “Recreation of the Century” towards Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and the UCLA Bruins. Hayes was an outstanding participant, arguably one of the best to placed on a Houston uniform.
Birdsong was a consensus All-American in 1977 and a strolling bucket. He averaged 30.3 factors as a senior. Birdsong, Hayes, Olajuwon and Drexler all have their jerseys retired. However nearly as good as Chaney was, I needed to go along with Williams. Williams was the Southwest Convention Participant of the 12 months in 1981.
Selecting Lewis because the coach is smart — however Kelvin Sampson is constructing his résumé. A nationwide championship can be a serious increase.
(Prime picture: Scott Wachter / Imagn Photographs)
