Why The Final Four Teams Remain

So often during March Madness, we see countless upsets and "Cinderella" stories of surprise teams making deep runs into the NCAA Tournament. However, this year, the four teams remaining in the men's tournament are all number 1 seeds, which is only the second time this has happened.

The Final Four is set after Duke beat Alabama, Houston shut down Tennessee, Auburn took care of Michigan State, and Florida came back to beat Texas Tech. Duke, Houston, Auburn, and Florida have each proven to be great teams all season, and it’s no surprise they’ve made it to the end.

They weren't perfect in this tournament; of course, they missed shots and faced some deficits, but as the 64 other teams went down, these four remain standing.

So why are these the four teams remaining? Sure, they are talented, athletic, and well-coached, but specifically, these teams remain in the Final Four because of their toughness, resiliency, connectedness, and love.

Any championship run requires a team to overcome adversity, usually involving injuries, and each of these Final Four teams faced challenges.

Auburn was in control of the game against Michigan State thanks to the dominance of Johni Broome, but then, with 10:37 left to go, he headed to the locker room with an elbow injury. It was a concerning situation, but his team remained tough and steadfast, and he returned five minutes later and finished strong with the win.

Florida showed their resilience and connectedness as they were down by 10 points late in the second half against Texas Tech before going on an 18-4 run to win 84-79.

After the game, star guard Walter Clayton Jr. said, "We all kept telling each other to stay together, stay the course. There's a lot of time left on the clock. Keep on playing to the final buzzer. Don't break during adversity."

CJ Moore, writer for TheAthletic.com, described Houston's defense as "Tough, unrelenting and resilient."

On Sunday, it made history by holding 2nd-seeded Tennessee to 15 points in the first half, which (according to TheAthletic.com) was the lowest-scoring first half by a No. 1 or No. 2 seed in NCAA Tournament history.

Despite their elite players and the future NBA stars on their rosters, each of the four remaining teams has demonstrated a connectedness as a team and a love for their teammates.

That's especially true for Duke as Cooper Flagg continues to live up to the hype individually but has shown how much he's willing to be a team player.

Cal head coach Mark Madsen shared this observation about Flagg: "It looks like his teammates love him. That's not always the case. It's not always the case with a player of his caliber. And so for him to be the man, to be getting everyone around him better, and for that locker room, it seems like everybody really loves playing with him. That's impressive."

Only one of these four teams will become the National Champion next Monday. Still, each of them has remained at the top of college basketball and will represent the Final Four thanks to how their toughness, resilience, connectedness, and love remained.

As followers of Jesus, what does it mean for us to remain and for our toughness, resilience, connectedness, and love to remain?

To remain faithful and fruitful and endure until the end, we must remain connected to Jesus.

He tells us in John 15:4-5 (AMP), "Remain in Me, and I [will remain] in you. Just as no branch can bear fruit by itself without remaining in the vine, neither can you [bear fruit, producing evidence of your faith] unless you remain in Me. I am the Vine; you are the branches. The one who remains in Me and I in him bears much fruit, for [otherwise] apart from Me [that is, cut off from vital union with Me] you can do nothing."

Also, we must remain in God's love and demonstrate our love for Him by our obedience.

Jesus says in John 15:9-10 (AMP), "I have loved you just as the Father has loved Me; remain in My love [and do not doubt My love for you]. If you keep My commandments and obey My teaching, you will remain in My love, just as I have kept My Father's commandments and remain in His love."

The Final Four teams have shown their toughness physically and mentally, but as followers of Jesus, our toughness and steadfastness shine through as we trust and serve Him.

1 Corinthians 15:57-58 (ESV) encourages, "But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain."

We know that as we follow Jesus, we will face adversity and trials, but we can remain steadfast and resilient as He helps us overcome whatever comes our way.

We have hope to endure because James 1:12 (ESV) explains, "Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love him."

Today, while celebrating the Final Four remaining teams who proved their toughness, stuck together, and handled adversity well (as their love and resilience kept them going), let's similarly remain connected to Jesus by remaining steadfast, resilient, and in His love.

That way, as we endure, we will remain faithful, fruitful, and still standing (with Him) in the end.

I'm Bryce Johnson, and you can UNPACK that!

PRAYER: Heavenly Father, thank you for equipping me to endure and strengthening me to remain steadfast and resilient as I remain in Your love. Please help me remain connected to Jesus and remain fruitful in Him. I pray I'll be spiritually tough as I trust You to help me overcome my adversity. In Jesus' name, I pray, Amen.