National Anthem Performance Before NCAA Tournament Final Four Draws Attention

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Cole Sullivan | Last updated Apr 5, 2025 6:34 PM ET

The anticipation for the Men’s NCAA Tournament Final Four is building as Saturday night’s matchups approach. The first game features the No. 1 seed from the South Region, the Auburn Tigers, against the No. 1 seed from the West Region, the Florida Gators.

The two teams previously faced off on Feb. 8, with Florida securing a 90-81 victory on the road. Now, at a neutral site in San Antonio's Alamodome, they will meet again with a trip to the national championship on the line.

The second matchup will feature the other two No. 1 seeds, as the Duke Blue Devils face the Houston Cougars in a game that highlights one of the most prominent freshmen in college basketball history, Cooper Flagg, who is looking to lead the Blue Devils to their first title since 2015.

To set the stage, four student-athletes—one from each of the Final Four teams—performed the national anthem, each adding their unique touch to “The Star-Spangled Banner.”

Check it out:

Today's National Anthem is performed by student-athletes representing each school in the #MFinalFour! #MarchMadness pic.twitter.com/CMAq6DnP3t
— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessMBB) April 5, 2025

College basketball fans reacted to the performance:

"They did a great job," A fan said.

"Let’s go, America," Someone else added.

"They did a fantastic job," Another fan posted.

One more fan commented, "Great job How long did they have to prepare??"

This marks just the second time in NCAA Tournament history that the Final Four features all four No. 1 seeds. The last time this happened was in 2008, and coincidentally, it was also held in San Antonio.

These four teams have been the top contenders throughout the season, consistently proving their dominance in the tournament. Auburn, Duke, and Florida are all led by Wooden Award finalists, while Houston boasts the No. 1 ranked defense in the country.

The winners of these two matchups will set the stage for what could be an instant classic on Monday night, when the national championship game is scheduled to take place.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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