With Selection Sunday now behind us, 68 NCAA teams stand the chance to shoot for the stars in the 2025 March Madness season.
As usual, 32 of the teams on the field received automatic qualification for winning their respective conference tournaments, and the remaining 36 are at-large bids, hand-picked by the NCAA Selection Committee based on the teams’ performance through the season.
NCAA Men’s bracket: seeding and stolen bids
In true March Madness spirit, mayhem ensued following the announcement of five stolen bids: Duquesne, North Carolina, New Mexico, Oregon, and UAB. Teams that were expected to be on the field, like Indiana State riding on an exceptional season, will sit this one out amid controversy and upset.
Selection Committee Chair Charles McClelland sites the process as “very difficult…we’re all just scratching our heads” and “hotly debated”, which reflects in the seemingly unbalanced regional seeding.
The “splitting of hairs” yielded the toughest bracket corner to the East Regional, where UConn emerge as the #1 overall seed. Poised well to defend the title, the Connecticut Huskies are sitting among a handful of betting favorites for the Championship win.
Betting analysts have their eyes on Houston, Tennessee, and Purdue as other strong title contenders, but the latter two will be facing teams in a heavy bracket-busting mood.
East Regional
UConn are the #1 overall seed and the tournament’s reigning champions aiming to become the first repeat victor since Florida’s 2006-2007 run, but face the toughest contenders in the entire bracket.
With champions of four major conferences as the top four seeds, buzzer-beaters Yale, and San Diego’s Cinderella Final Four in 2023, the East Regional is looking like one that paves the most challenging path.
| Team | Record | Overall seed | |
|---|---|---|---|
| UConn | 31–3 | 1 | |
| Iowa State | 27–7 | 8 | |
| Illinois | 26–8 | 12 | |
| Auburn | 27–7 | 15 | |
| San Diego State | 24–10 | 18 | |
| BYU | 23–10 | 17 | |
| Washington State | 24–9 | 26 | |
| Florida Atlantic | 25–8 | 31 | |
| Northwestern | 21–11 | 36 | |
| Drake | 28–6 | 40 | |
| Duquesne | 24–11 | 46 | |
| UAB | 23–11 | 50 | |
| Yale | 22–9 | 52 | |
| Morehead State | 26–8 | 57 | |
| South Dakota State | 22–12 | 61 | |
| Stetson | 22–12 | 64 |
South Regional
South Regional’s #1 seed Houston are the betting favorite to land as title contenders in the Final Four. Coming in with 30 victories and the Big 12 season title, the Cougars are looking at matchups with big-name top seeds Duke, Kentucky, and Marquette.
Worth noting that Marquette’s star guard Tyler Kolek sat out six games for the Golden Eagles, including the Big East Tournament, after a grade 2 oblique strain.
Nebraska is another team to keep your eyes on. The Cornhuskers may just be the most motivated team to win the first game — they remain the only powerhouse conference school without a tournament win.
| Team | Record | Overall seed | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Houston | 30–4 | 2 | |
| Marquette | 25–9 | 7 | |
| Kentucky | 23–9 | 11 | |
| Duke | 24–8 | 13 | |
| Wisconsin | 22–13 | 19 | |
| Texas Tech | 23–10 | 23 | |
| Florida | 24–11 | 25 | |
| Nebraska | 23–10 | 29 | |
| Texas A&M | 20–14 | 34 | |
| Boise State/Colorado (First Four) | 21–11 / 25–10 | 38/39 | |
| NC State | 22–13 | 45 | |
| James Madison | 31–3 | 48 | |
| Vermont | 28–6 | 51 | |
| Oakland | 23–11 | 55 | |
| Western Kentucky | 22–11 | 60 | |
| Longwood | 23–13 | 63 |
West Regional
Rebounding from their 2023 absence, North Carolina is the West Regional top seed for 2024, edging out Arizona by a thin margin. The Tar Heels come with a solid 27-7 track record, and a point to prove, but the Wildcats and Baylor Bears all have their eyes on the Final Four.
New Mexico Lobos are a team to watch in this bracket, clinching the tournament berth by winning the Mountain West (thus earning an automatic qualifier). Dubbed as bid-stealers this year, they’re coming in hot and fresh off a momentous victory.
| Team | Record | Overall seed | |
|---|---|---|---|
| North Carolina | 27–7 | 4 | |
| Arizona | 25–8 | 6 | |
| Baylor | 23–10 | 9 | |
| Alabama | 21–11 | 16 | |
| Saint Mary’s | 26–7 | 20 | |
| Clemson | 21–11 | 22 | |
| Dayton | 24–7 | 28 | |
| Mississippi State | 21–13 | 32 | |
| Michigan State | 19–14 | 33 | |
| Nevada | 26–7 | 37 | |
| New Mexico | 26–9 | 42 | |
| Grand Canyon | 27–7 | 47 | |
| Charleston | 25–9 | 54 | |
| Colgate | 25–9 | 58 | |
| Long Beach State | 21–14 | 59 | |
| Howard/Wagner (First Four) | 18–17 / 17–16 | 67/68 |
Midwest Regional
Big 10 champions Purdue were in the running for #1 overall, but enter the tournament leading the Midwest Regional as the #3 seed.
Seeking redemption after last year’s upset to #16 Farleigh Dickinson, the Boilermakers are looking to square up against potential bracket busters and a motivated Tennessee squad, who have their best shot at the Final Four since 2010.
| Team | Record | Overall seed | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Purdue | 29–4 | 3 | |
| Tennessee | 24–8 | 5 | |
| Creighton | 23–9 | 10 | |
| Kansas | 22–10 | 14 | |
| Gonzaga | 25–7 | 21 | |
| South Carolina | 26–7 | 24 | |
| Texas | 20–12 | 27 | |
| Utah State | 27–6 | 30 | |
| TCU | 21–12 | 35 | |
| Virginia/Colorado State (First Four) | 23–11 / 25–11 | 41/44 | |
| Oregon | 23–11 | 43 | |
| McNeese | 30–3 | 49 | |
| Samford | 29–5 | 53 | |
| Akron | 24–10 | 56 | |
| Saint Peter’s | 19–13 | 62 | |
| Montana State/Grambling State (First Four) | 23–11 / 21–14 | 65/66 |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dan Wolken | USA Today | UConn, Saint Mary’s, Houston, Creighton | UConn over Houston |
| Dalen Cuff | ESPN | UConn, Kentucky, Tennessee, North Carolina | UConn |
| Dick Vitale | ESPN | UConn, Kentucky, Tennessee, Baylor | Kentucky |
| Eddie Timanus | USA Today | UConn, North Carolina, Houston, Purdue | UConn over Purdue |
| Gary Parrish | CBS Sports | UConn, Baylor, Houston, Purdue | Purdue over UConn |
| Jay Bilas | ESPN | UConn, Houston, Purdue, Arizona | UConn over Purdue |
| Jerry Palm | CBS Sports | UConn, Houston, Arizona, Purdue | Purdue over Arizona |
| Jordan Cornette | NBC Sports | North Carolina, Auburn, Houston, Tennessee | North Carolina over Tennessee |
| Josh Pastner | NBC Sports | Iowa State, North Carolina, Houston, Purdue | Houston over Iowa State |
| Kerry Miller | Bleacher Report | UConn, North Carolina, Tennessee, Kentucky | UConn over Tennessee |
| Kyle Boone | CBS Sports | UConn, Arizona, Duke, Purdue | UConn over Purdue |
| Meghan McKeown | NBC Sports | Connecticut, Arizona, Houston, Purdue | Purdue over Connecticut |
| Michael Holley | NBC Sports | Connecticut, North Carolina, Houston, Tennessee | Connecticut over Houston |
| Pat Forde | Sports Illustrated | UConn, Houston, Baylor, Creighton | UConn over Houston |
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