March is marching on. Florida and Duke scanned their tickets to the Final Four, and the two remaining spots will be decided today. Half of the women’s Elite Eight was set on Saturday — did you see what Paige Bueckers did? — and by the end of Monday night, the women will have their Ultimate Quartet as well. What did we ever do to deserve such hoopy goodness?

The Hoops HQ team was all over Saturday’s men's Elite Eight games. Florida pulled off another late comeback, spearheaded by Walter Clayton Jr., to reach their first Final Four since Billy Donovan took them there in 2014. The Duke-Alabama game turned out to be a dud, but not before the Blue Devils put on a masterful defensive display. The fact that Duke could overwhelm a great team like Alabama while only getting 16 points from Cooper Flagg tells us everything we need to know about this team. Duke will clearly be the betting favorite in San Antonio.

Our coverage today also includes an obituary on Texas Tech as the Red Raiders seek to pick up the pieces and move forward to the 2025-26 season. The only good thing about losing before you get to the Final Four is you can plunge right into the transfer portal like everyone else. Eden Laase and Hayley McGoldrick have the latest from the women’s tournament as well.

And now that Kevin Willard is finally taking the Villanova job, we can turn our lonely eyes to Maryland, which has to fill its coaching vacancy without an athletic director.

Be sure to check out my picks against the spread for today’s Elite Eight games, as well as Justin Perri’s Daily Best Bets. The next time you receive one of our decorous emails — tomorrow morning — we will have ourselves a men’s Final Four.

Enjoy the games, and thanks as always for your support of Hoops HQ. —Seth

 Chomp, Chomp: Epic Late Comeback Sends Florida to Final Four

By Scott Howard-Cooper

Thomas Haugh, Florida’s 6-foot-9 sophomore forward, made a three-pointer from the left side, then another from the right side, just before 6-foot-2 senior guard Walter Clayton Jr. added his own for the Gators.

Texas Tech coach Grant McCasland, his lead and his patience gone, searched for any response.

Walking away from his bench and down one of the Chase Center sidelines, McCasland turned and looked over the scorer’s table into the seats. He threw his arms in the air, urging or pleading or demanding — or all of the above — for noise and support from Texas Tech fans.

And then Clayton hit another three. 

Duke Punches Ticket to the Final Four with Dominant Win Over Alabama

By Alex Squadron

Cooper Flagg walked toward the sideline and embraced coach Jon Scheyer. Players on the bench waited eagerly to rush the court. As the final seconds ticked off the clock, Tyrese Proctor tossed the ball high into the air and let out a triumphant roar. 

Duke may have its sights set on more, but it deserves a celebration after the performance it put on against Alabama. Two days ago, the Tide hit an NCAA Tournament record 25 three-pointers and scored 113 points in their Sweet Sixteen victory over BYU. Last night, Duke held that offense to just 35.4 percent shooting from the field and 25.0 percent from three.

With a dominant 85-65 victory, Duke is off to the Final Four. The Blue Devils will carry a 15-game winning streak to San Antonio, where…