SAN ANTONIO – With the 2025 NCAA Men’s Final Four officially kicking off on Saturday evening, all four teams—Auburn, Duke, Florida, and Houston—held open practices on Friday for fans and the media at the Alamodome.
The biggest change for many teams playing could be the depth perception that the players must adjust to when looking at the basket and finding their range.
Cooper Flagg became the fourth freshman to win the AP men’s basketball national player of the year award. Here’s the future No. 1 NBA pick getting up shots in the Alamodome in real time.@KsatSportsNow pic.twitter.com/aKsGpM8bjM
— Mary Rominger (@KSATMaryRom) April 4, 2025
One player who has felt right at home during his first few days in the Alamo City is Auburn’s Chad Baker-Mazara, who grew up in the Dominican Republic.
After Baker-Mazara heard the media ask him questions in Spanish about the food and the climate, he said it made him feel right at home.
“I mean, it feels good. The whole time I’ve been here, I kinda feel like a little bit like home,” Baker-Mazara said. “Walking around hearing people yell stuff in Spanish and stuff like that, it’s been pretty nice and the tacos here are really good.”
Baker-Mazara and his Auburn Tigers will face off against Florida at 5:09 p.m. on Saturday, April 5, followed by Houston facing Duke at 7:49 p.m.
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