This is March.
Between now and Selection Sunday, each day I’ll give a “BRACKET BREAKDOWN” with my 68 projected teams for the 2025 NCAA Tournament along with my Top 16 seeds as well as emerging trends.
The team who is currently in first place in their respective conference will be listed as that league’s “automatic qualifier” while the team that’s clinched an automatic qualifier will have a * next to its name.
The Current Field
Atlantic Sun (1)
Lipscomb (AQ) *clinched AQ
America East (1)
Bryant (AQ)
American Athletic Conference (1)
Memphis (AQ)
Atlantic 10 (1)
VCU (AQ)
ACC (3)
Duke (AQ), Clemson, Louisville
Big 12 (8)
Houston (AQ), Kansas, Iowa State, Arizona, Baylor, West Virginia, Texas Tech, BYU
Big East (5)
St. John’s (AQ), Marquette, UConn, Creighton, Xavier
Big Sky (1)
Northern Colorado (AQ)
Big South (1)
High Point (AQ) *clinched AQ
Big Ten (10)
Michigan State (AQ), UCLA, Illinois, Purdue, Michigan, Wisconsin, Maryland, Oregon, Indiana, Ohio State
Big West (1)
UC San Diego (AQ)
CAA (1)
UNCW (AQ) *clinched AQ
Conference-USA (1)
Liberty (AQ)
Horizon League (1)
Robert Morris (AQ) *clinched AQ
Ivy League (1)
Yale (AQ)
MAAC (1)
Quinnipiac (AQ)
MAC (1)
Akron (AQ)
MEAC (1)
Norfolk State (AQ)
Missouri Valley (1)
Drake (AQ) *clinched AQ
Mountain West (3)
New Mexico (AQ), Utah State, San Diego State
NEC (1)
St. Francis PA (AQ) *clinched AQ
OVC (1)
SIU Edwardsville (AQ) *clinched AQ
Patriot League (1)
American (AQ)
SEC (13)
Auburn (AQ), Tennessee, Alabama, Kentucky, Florida, Texas A&M, Ole Miss, Mississippi State, Vanderbilt, Georgia, Missouri, Arkansas, Oklahoma
Southern (1)
Wofford (AQ) *clinched AQ
Southland (1)
McNeese (AQ)
SWAC (1)
Southern (AQ)
Summit (1)
Omaha (AQ) *clinched AQ
Sun Belt (1)
Troy (AQ) *clinched AQ
WCC (2)
Gonzaga (AQ) *clinched AQ, Saint Mary’s
WAC (1)
Utah Valley (AQ)
Last Four In
Oklahoma, Xavier, San Diego State, Ohio State
First Four Out
Boise State, North Carolina, Texas, Colorado State
Top 16 Seeds
1: Auburn, Duke, Houston, Florida
2: Tennessee, Alabama, Michigan State, Texas A&M
3: Texas Tech, Wisconsin, Iowa State, St. John’s
4: Purdue, Kentucky, Oregon, Maryland
Five Things To Know
- Michigan State will have 15 Quad 1 wins if it wins the Big Ten Tournament. The Spartans are still very much in play to be a number one seed in the NCAA Tournament if Florida, Alabama, or Tennessee does not win the SEC Tournament.
- Xavier’s quarterfinal game against Marquette on Thursday in the Big East Tournament at MSG feels like a “win and in” game for the Musketeers.
- Oregon will have a worse seed in the Big Ten Tournament — eight — than it’s going to have in the NCAA Tournament.
- The loser of Thursday’s Mountain West Tournament game between San Diego State and Boise State is going to be sweating heavily on Selection Sunday.
- The Atlantic 10 will be a one-bid league for the second time in the past three seasons.
