2025 March Madness Bracket Reactions: Our Expert Picks & Predictions for NCAA Tournament
With the 2025 NCAA Tournament bracket set, one of the most exciting sporting events on Earth is just days away from tipping off. There are 68 teams to choose from, and only one will be crowned the champ, but who will you have as the last team standing in your March Madness bracket?
Sleepers, upsets, and Final Four picks are the heart and soul of March Madness predictions, so why wait when you can make your picks right away and try to pull off the first-ever perfect bracket?
🏀 2025 March Madness bracket: Our NCAA Tournament expert picks
Here's a look at my instant reaction March Madness bracket with picks and predictions for every game in the NCAA Tournament.
👉 Want to bet on the NCAA Tournament? Check out the latest March Madness odds and Final Four odds.
🔮 Best March Madness first-round upsets, Cinderellas & bracket picks
This year's NCAA Tournament field is full of familiar names, with so many "blue bloods" earning bids ... even if some didn't appear to be deserving. The selection committee also didn't put too much value in the high-major tournaments with Auburn still earning the No. 1 overall seed over Duke despite being knocked out in the SEC tournament semifinal.
There are also plenty of mid-majors that could make some serious noise this season with so much parity in college basketball behind the Tigers and Blue Devils. So, gear up for what should be one of the best March Madness tournaments in recent memory.
❌ First No. 1 seed to lose: Florida
It had been pretty clear for over a month that Auburn, Duke, and Houston would all earn No. 1 seeds, with several other programs duking it out for the final top seed. Florida earned it with a strong finish to the season and an SEC tournament title run by defeating Tennessee in the championship game.
However, the Gators have a heck of a draw in the West region. Not only is Todd Golden's team in the same region as Rick Pitino's Big East champion St. John's team, but there's also No. 3 Texas Tech and No. 5 Maryland. All three of those programs are top 12 on KenPom.
Not to mention, defending champion UConn (No. 8), potential Cinderella Drake (No. 11), AAC champ Memphis (No. 5), "blue blood" Kansas (No. 7), and John Calipari's Arkansas squad (No. 10) are also in the region. Florida has the toughest route to the Final Four of the No. 1 seeds.
🚨 Best first-round upset pick: No. 11 Drake over No. 6 Missouri
There's a rich history of No. 11 seeds making major Cinderella runs in March Madness and Drake could be that team this year. First-year head coach Ben McCollum came over from Division II power Northwest Missouri State and the Bulldogs have thrived with the players he brought with him - Bennett Stirtz in particular could be a star in March.
With Drake set to play Missouri, Dennis Gates' team could be in trouble with its less than stellar defense. But Drake isn't the only mid-major position for an upset: I also have my eyes set on No. 12 seed UC San Diego against No. 5 seed Michigan, No. 12 seed McNeese against No. 5 seed Clemson, and No. 10 seed New Mexico against No. 7 seed Marquette.
👠 Best Cinderella pick to reach Sweet 16: No. 12 McNeese
While I love Drake for an upset win in the first round, it'll likely need to play a strong Texas Tech team in the second round, which scares me away from backing the Bulldogs to reach the Sweet 16. Of my favorite double-digit seeds this year, McNeese looks like it may have the best path to a Sweet 16 (though if UC San Diego beats Michigan, I think it can beat Texas A&M/Yale, too).
Former LSU head coach Will Wade has turned the Cowboys into a mid-major power with a suffocating defense - 19th in the country in defensive rating - and capable scorers in Javohn Garcia, Sincere Parker, and DJ Richards. McNeese has the ability to take down Clemson and then Purdue/High Point in the second round.
Plus, student manager Amir Khan is a viral sensation. And who doesn't love a Cinderella with a great story?
👀 Best matchup in first round: No. 7 Kansas vs. No. 10 Arkansas
Right off the bat, No. 11 seed Drake vs. No. 6 seed Missouri looks like a big-time matchup with the Bulldogs being a potential Cinderella and the teams' contrasting styles. However, if you want the best matchup when it comes to narratives, how can it not be Bill Self leading No. 7 seed Kansas against Calipari's No. 10 seed Arkansas? Two of the active head coaches with NCAA Tournament titles going toe-to-toe amid disappointing years? Sign me up.
Another perfect narrative game is NBA prospect Jeremiah Fears leading No. 9 seed Oklahoma against Dan Hurley's No. 8 seed UConn, which is looking to pull off an improbable three-peat. In terms of pure basketball, No. 5 seed Memphis vs. No. 12 seed Colorado State is a showdown of two conference tournament champs with elite scoring guards (PJ Haggerty and Nique Clifford).
4️⃣ March Madness Final Four picks
In a college basketball season defined by two dominant teams (Auburn, Duke) and parity throughout the country, this year's Final Four won't be easy to project. The SEC alone could realistically end up with multiple Final Four teams, and don't count out Pitino's resurgence in the Big East or Tom Izzo living up to his Mr. March monicker with his Michigan State squad.
⭐ South Region: No. 1 Auburn
Although Auburn has struggled more as of late than at any other point this season, the Tigers played an all-time tough schedule and are battle tested to make a Final Four run. It doesn't hurt that Bruce Pearl also has a Wooden Award odds contender in Johni Broome who can dominate the paint.
The Tigers are the No. 2 team in adjusted offensive efficiency and several players capable of getting hot and putting on a show in Chad Baker-Mazara, Miles Kelly, Tahaad Pettiford, and Denver Jones.
📊 Best odds to reach Final Four: +105 via FanDuel ($10 to win $10.50)
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⭐ East Region: No. 1 Duke
This is the most talented team in the country, and Cooper Flagg avoided serious injury in the ACC tournament and is expected to return for the first round of March Madness. Even without Flagg, who's so talented that the NBA draft odds center around him, the Blue Devils managed to win the ACC tournament.
How many teams can boast that they have three likely lottery picks with Kon Knueppel and Khaman Maluach joining Flagg as top prospects? Plus, Isaiah Evans is up there as the most talented sixth men in the country, and veterans Tyrese Proctor and Sion James give this team major veteran leadership. Duke is built to win the title.
📊 Best odds to reach Final Four: -120 via FanDuel ($10 to win $8.33)
⭐ Midwest Region: No. 1 Houston
Houston has pretty clearly been the third-best team in the country this season, and Kelvin Sampson's team is full of veterans that have played major minutes in March before. The Cougars are one of just three teams to rank top 10 in both adjusted offensive and defensive efficiency (Duke and Florida are the others).
Having a reliable outside threat in LJ Cryer, an inside scorer in J'Wan Roberts, and a defensive star in Joseph Tugler, Houston can run through a Midwest region that is full of flawed teams like Tennessee, Kentucky, and Purdue.
📊 Best odds to reach Final Four: +155 via FanDuel ($10 to win $15.50)
⭐ West Region: No. 2 St. John's
The West is the toughest and most wide-open region in the tournament. Florida, St. John's, Texas Tech, and Maryland all have Final Four types of rosters while Kansas, UConn, and Drake could all make noise if the stars align. But I'm trusting Pitino, the best coach in the sport for my money.
The Red Storm have the No. 1 defense in adjusted efficiency, which helps hide the team's shooting issues, and they've played their best basketball as of late with a Big East regular season title and tournament title. On top of it all, Pitino has a scorer in RJ Luis Jr. who is capable of taking over games.
📊 Best odds to reach Final Four: +600 via FanDuel ($10 to win $60)
🏆 NCAA Tournament national championship prediction
Picking a team other than Auburn or Duke to win the title is bold. These two teams are having remarkable years and feature the two best players in the country, but I'm ultimately landing on the Blue Devils to take home the title after they proved how strong they are without Flagg.
Flagg is likely to be just the fourth freshman to ever win the Wooden Award, and Jon Scheyer led Duke to a conference title without him. There's an argument he's the best offensive and defensive player in the country, and Duke persevered with him on the bench to win the conference title.
It proved just how deep this roster is with Knueppel showing why he might the best second option in the country. Injecting Flagg back into this lineup is going to spark the Blue Devils to their first NCAA Tournament title in the post-Mike Krzyzewski era in Durham.
📊 Best odds to win NCAA Tournament: +360 via BetMGM ($10 to win $36)
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✨ Get involved with March Madness
- March Madness bracket: How to fill out March Madness bracket
- Survivor pool: What is a March Madness survivor pool?
- Calcutta auction: What is a March Madness Calcutta auction?
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