Selection Sunday is done and dusted. The brackets are set. All that’s left is the beautiful chaos of March Madness.
As always, 68 teams will take part in the NCAA men’s tournament and compete for a shot at basketball immortality. The single-elimination bracket is made up of 31 teams that automatically qualified through winning a conference tournament, and 37 at-large teams chosen by the selection committee.
The tournament begins with the First Four on March 18–19 and culminated in the NCCA Championship Game on April 7 at the Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas.
NCAA Men’s bracket: seeding and stolen bids
The SEC set a new record for the most teams from a single conference to make the tournament at 14. The previous all-time mark was 11, and all 14 teams were ranked inside the top 41, so the SEC is historically deep this season.
Selection Sunday always brings controversy, and this year it was centered around North Carolina. The Tar Heels earned a place in the First Four despite going 1-12 in Quad-I games.
West Virginia is the team that should feel most aggrieved to lose out to North Carolina. Selection Committee Chair Bubba Cunningham said the Mountaineers losing star Tucker DeVries to a season-ending shoulder injury influenced the decision.
Unsurprisingly, the four No. 1 seeds — Florida, Duke, Auburn, and Houston — are the bookies’ favorites to win the tournament, with the Gators taking the top spot. Alabama, Tennessee, and Michigan State are also viewed as strong title contenders.
East Regional
Top-seed Duke enters the tournament looking to end a nine-year run without a National Championship, an eternity for a program with five titles.
The biggest pre-tournament story is the health of Blue Devils superstar Cooper Flagg. The presumptive No. 1 pick in the NBA draft missed most of the ACC tournament with an ankle injury.
Duke didn’t miss a step without the Wooden Award favorite, though. The team showcased its depth and scoring prowess without relying on Flagg, beating Louisville to claim the ACC Tournament crown. If Flagg is healthy, Duke will be tough to beat.
Elsewhere in the East, Alabama is coming in with the highest-scoring offense in the country. Led by senior guard Mark Sears, the high-flying Tide should be the biggest threat to Duke’s run to the Final Four.
| Team | Record | Overall seed |
|---|---|---|
| 1 — Duke | 31–3 | 2 |
| 2 — Alabama | 25–8 | 6 |
| 3 — Wisconsin | 28–5 | 12 |
| 4 — Arizona | 22–12 | 16 |
| 5 —Oregon | 24–9 | 19 |
| 6 — Brigham Young | 24–9 | 21 |
| 7 —Saint Mary’s | 28–5 | 27 |
| 8 — Mississippi State | 21–12 | 32 |
| 9 — Baylor | 19–14 | 35 |
| 10 — Vanderbilt | 20–12 | 39 |
| 11 — Virginia Commonwealth | 28–6 | 45 |
| 12 — Liberty | 28–6 | 50 |
| 13 — Akron | 28–6 | 53 |
| 14 — Montana | 25–9 | 58 |
| 15 —Robert Morris | 26–8 | 59 |
| 16 — American/Mount St. Mary’s (First Four) | 22–12 / 22–12 | 65/66 |
South Regional
Auburn earned the No. 1 in the entire tournament with a dominant showing across nearly the entire season. Emphasis on nearly. After winning 27 out of 28 regular-season games, the Tigers lost their final two games to close the campaign. They then lost to Tennessee in the SEC Tournament semi-final.
The Tigers are still a force to be reckoned with despite their late-season slump. Johni Broome is the key to Auburn winning its first national title after an outstanding season.
Michigan State has a top-five defense to potentially challenge Auburn, though its struggles from deep have capped the offense. Meanwhile, the No. 4 seed Texas A&M will be buoyed after they were one of the two teams to beat Auburn to close the regular season.
| Team | Record | Overall seed |
|---|---|---|
| 1 — Auburn | 28–5 | 1 |
| 2 — Michigan State | 24–10 | 7 |
| 3 — Iowa State | 24–9 | 10 |
| 4 — Texas A&M | 22–10 | 13 |
| 5 —Michigan | 25–9 | 17 |
| 6 — Mississippi | 22–11 | 24 |
| 7 —Marquette | 23–10 | 26 |
| 8 — Louisville | 27–7 | 29 |
| 9 — Creighton | 24–10 | 33 |
| 10 — New Mexico | 26–7 | 38 |
| 11 — San Diego State/North Carolina (First Four) | 21–9 / 22–13 | 43/46 |
| 12 — UC San Diego | 30–4 | 47 |
| 13 — Yale | 22–7 | 51 |
| 14 — Lipscomb | 25–9 | 55 |
| 15 —Bryant | 23–11 | 62 |
| 16 — Alabama State/Saint Francis (First Four) | 19–15 / 16–17 | 67/68 |
West Regional
Florida (+350) is the slight favorite to cut down the nets, just ahead of Duke (+360), according to BetMGM. The Gators haven’t won a National Championship since back-to-back titles in 2006–07. But they stamped their credentials with a dominant run to the SEC Tournament title.
The West is the region of star coaches. Rick Pinino is leading St. John’s and Bill Self is the top man at Kansas. Also, John Calipari steers Arkansas and Dan Hurley is in charge of UConn, the back-to-back reigning champions.
The Red Storm, who won their first Big East Tournament title in 25 years, are positioned as the top threat to Florida thanks to a top-three defense. Pitino is already the only coach to win a National Championship at two different schools, so he has a chance to extend his record.
| Team | Record | Overall seed |
|---|---|---|
| 1 — Florida | 30–4 | 4 |
| 2 — St. John’s | 30–4 | 8 |
| 3 — Texas Tech | 25–8 | 9 |
| 4 — Maryland | 25–8 | 15 |
| 5 — Memphis | 29–5 | 20 |
| 6 — Missouri | 22–11 | 23 |
| 7 —Kansas | 21–12 | 28 |
| 8 — Connecticut | 23–10 | 31 |
| 9 — Oklahoma | 20–13 | 36 |
| 10 — Arkansas | 20–13 | 37 |
| 11 — Drake | 30–3 | 44 |
| 12 — Colorado State | 25–9 | 48 |
| 13 — Grand Canyon | 26–7 | 54 |
| 14 — North Carolina Wilmington | 27–7 | 57 |
| 15 — Omaha | 22–11 | 61 |
| 16 — Norfolk State | 19–10 | 63 |
Midwest Regional
Houston boasts a No. 1 seed for a third straight season and is riding a 13-game winning streak. The team will be hoping to finally get over the hump after two straight Sweet 16 exits.
The Cougars don’t quite have the elite offense of the other top seeds Duke, Florida, and Auburn, but they’ve taken a big leap this season. Houston’s top three scores — L.J. Cryer, Emanuel Sharp, and Milos Uzan — are all shooting over 42% from beyond the arc.
Kelvin Sampson’s squad will certainly have its challengers, though. Tennessee might be volatile, but at its peak, the team is a genuine title threat. Gonzaga might be the No. 8 seed, but KenPom has it as the ninth-best outfit. Meanwhile, Purdue is a year removed from a national title game appearance.
The experts’ take: 2025 March Madness betting predictions
As the March Madness action unfolds, we’re undoubtedly in for some dunking delights. If you’re a punter looking to back your favorites, NCAA betting can be daunting to get into, but lends well to data-driven predictions.
Predictions are guided by hard benchmarks, like record, strength of schedule, NET, and player performance, but analysts factor in recent form, post-season momentum, non-conference performance, and injuries as well.
To make informed decisions when wagering on the NCAA tournament, our betting experts recommend familiarizing with the available markets, in-play line movement, and state-based NCAA restrictions at trusted March Madness sportsbooks.
To help you get started, the sports betting analysts and sports commentators below take a deep dive into the metrics, bringing you their Final Four and outright predictions for this year’s tournament.
| Betting analyst | Source | Final Four picks | Championship |
|---|---|---|---|
| Blake Toppmeyer | USA TODAY | Houston, Florida, Duke, Iowa State | Houston over Florida |
| Dick Vitale | ESPN | Michigan State, Florida, Duke, Houston | Duke over Florida |
| Gary Parrish | CBS Sports | Auburn, Florida, Duke, Houston | Auburn over Houston |
| Jay Bilas | ESPN | Auburn, Florida, Duke, Houston | Florida over Duke |
| Jerry Balm | CBS Sports | Michigan State, Florida, Duke, Houston | Florida over Houston |
| Jeff Borzello | ESPN | Florida, Auburn, Duke, Houston | Florida over Duke |
| John Fanta | FOX Sports | Michigan State, Florida, Duke, Houston | Florida over Houston |
| Kerry Miller | Bleacher Report | Auburn, Texas Tech, Duke, Houston | Duke over Auburn |
| Kyle Boone | CBS Sports | Auburn, Texas Tech, Duke, Houston | Duke over Auburn |
| Michael Cohen | FOX Sports | Florida, Michigan State, Florida, Duke, Houston | Duke over Florida |
| Nicole Auerbach | NBC Sports | Michigan State, Duke, Houston, Florida | Duke over Michigan State |
| Pat Forde | Sports Illustrated | Michigan State, Florida, Duke, Houston | Florida over Houston |
You may also like
How do you know if a sportsbook is good for betting on basketball? It's not just about whether or not they have the sport available you know.
Not all NCAA basketball mascots are created equal. From cuddly and adorable, to pure nightmare fuel, there’s certainly a mascot to fit every taste. Dog lover? We’ve got you covered. Bird enthusiast? Check. Into 6-foot tall amorphous blobs with sneakers? Surprisingly, we can accommodate you as well. It’s a group as diverse as any. And perhaps these mascots might just help you make your picks if you decide to try your hand at online sports betting on one of the best betting sites.
Sports have the incredible power to unite people from different backgrounds and cultures, forging a bond that goes beyond geographic boundaries. In this study, we delve into the fascinating world of sports fandom and explore the extraordinary levels of dedication displayed by fans. From traveling across state lines to support their favorite teams, to collecting memorabilia and even naming children after sports icons, these statistics reveal the deep-rooted passion that fans possess.
