It’s time to fill out your bracket for the 2025 NCAA Tournament. For those of you looking for some help on who to take in each game, or just for some possible upsets, here is a look at who I have coming out of each region. I have also listed my Final Four predictions as well to help you win your bracket contests and pools. Be sure to check out my completed bracket for my picks in every game.
Download or print your own blank bracket to fill out.
I have Auburn coming out of the South Region. I actually like the fact that they have lost three of their last four games heading into the NCAA Tournament after rolling through the regular season. They won the SEC Tournament last year and promptly got upset by Yale in the first round. Now instead of feeling fat and happy, the Tigers will be playing with a chip on their shoulder. The one hurdle is a possible Round of 32 matchup with Louisville in Lexington, which would obviously be a nice home-court advantage for the Cardinals.
My favorite long shot to make a run in this region is UC-San Diego. I have the Tritons upsetting Michigan and then upsetting Texas A&M as well. Speaking of Texas A&M, the Aggies are very vulnerable in their first game and could get upset by Yale, which would make the path for UC-San Diego even easier.
In the bottom half of this region I have chalk making it to the Sweet 16, though I wouldn’t be surprised if Iowa State or Michigan State got upset. Iowa State is without Gilbert, while Sparty will have a tough Round of 32 game against either Marquette or New Mexico. I have Sparty prevailing to the Elite 8 before falling to Auburn, which is far and away the best team in this bracket.
I have Duke coming out of the East Region. They won the ACC Tournament even without Cooper Flagg, and that experience will do them wonders moving forward in the NCAA Tournament when Flagg returns in time to beat the teams they need him to beat. I think they could get to the Sweet 16 without him pretty easily as Mississippi State and Baylor are two of the most overrated teams in the tournament, and they’ll get to face one of them in the Round of 32.
I have Oregon getting to the Sweet 16 to face Duke. I love Dana Altman as he always has his teams peaking for the NCAA Tournament. One of the best games of the tournament will be BYU vs. Wisconsin in the Round of 32, and I think Wisconsin is the safer pick as BYU could easily get upset by VCU.
I have St. Mary’s pulling off the upset over Alabama as the Gaels are one of the most under-seeded teams in the NCAA Tournament. Alabama looks to be the most vulnerable of all the top 8 seeds in the tournament and I just don’t trust them enough on the defensive end. That’s why I’m picking the Crimson Tide to get upset early. I have Wisconsin beating St. Mary’s to advance to the Elite 8 before getting knocked off by Duke.
I struggled the most picking a team to come out of the West Region. It features three teams that I wanted to pick to make Final 4 runs in Florida, Texas Tech and St. John’s. I’m devastated that they all wound up in the same bracket. In the end, I took St. John’s to make it out of this region due to ranking No. 1 in the country in defensive efficiency, and their style is very tough to prepare for in a tournament format.
A big reason I did not pick Florida to make it to the Final 4 is because the Gators have two very tough matchups to get there against UConn and Maryland. I am very high on both of those teams as well, and I think this is a tougher draw for Florida than it is getting credit for.
I think Drake and Colorado State could also make some noise in this region as they are my favorite double-digit seeds to advance alongside Arkansas. That will be a highly-anticipated matchup between Rick Pitino and John Calipari in the Round of 32. The reason I took St. John’s over Texas Tech is because the Red Raiders are dealing with injuries to two of their three best players, and there’s no guarantee they’ll both be healthy by the Sweet 16.
I think the Midwest Region is the easiest of the four regions. I really think the bottom half of the region will be a cake walk for Tennessee. If Houston survives Gonzaga, I expect the Cougars to make it all the way to the Elite 8 where they will take down the Volunteers and advance to the Final Four.
Houston only lost once in the Big 12 all season. This is the best offensive team that Kelvin Sampson has ever had at Houston largely due to the emergence of Uzan. The Cougars are 10th in adjusted offense and 2nd in adjusted defense. This is the year the Cougars finally make the Final 4 with a legit chance to win it all, especially since the Final 4 will be played in their home state of Texas.
My favorite upset in this region is the winner of the Xavier/Texas play-in game making a run to the Sweet 16. Kentucky hasn’t been able to stay healthy and is without two of its top four scorers, though there’s a chance Butler returns. He won’t be anywhere near 100%, and I think the Wildcats are the most vulnerable No. 3 seed in the tournament. I also have High Point upsetting Purdue.
I was very close to picking all four No. 1 seeds, but all four No. 1 seeds haven’t advanced to the Final 4 since 2007. This just feels like a year where all four No. 1 seeds are head and shoulders better than the competition. That being said, I’m high on Texas Tech and St. John’s as far as the next two best teams that could make a Final 4 run. And the fact that they’re in the same region as Florida has me taking a slight upset pick with St. John’s.
Obviously the Big East fared well the last two years with UConn winning it all, and I think St. John’s has what it takes to not only win the region, but also beat Auburn to get to the championship game. That’s where their run ends against the best overall team in the country in the Duke Blue Devils, who have zero weaknesses ranking 3rd in adjusted offense and 4th in adjusted defense. As long as Flagg is healthy, the Blue Devils will win it all.