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BRACKET BREAKDOWN: Dec. 27th

Who’s ready for a new weekly column?

Between now and Selection Sunday, each Friday 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”.

The Current Field

Atlantic Sun (1)
North Alabama (AQ)
America East (1)
UMass Lowell (AQ)
American Athletic Conference (1)
Memphis (AQ)
Atlantic 10 (1)
Dayton (AQ)
ACC (4)
Duke (AQ), Clemson, Pitt, North Carolina
Big 12 (8)
Iowa State, Kansas, Houston, Cincinnati, West Virginia, Arizona State, Texas Tech, Colorado
Big East (3)
Marquette (AQ), UConn, St. John’s
Big Sky (1)
Northern Arizona (AQ)
Big South (1)
High Point (AQ)
Big Ten (11)
Michigan State (AQ), UCLA, Illinois, Michigan, Wisconsin, Maryland, Purdue, Penn State, Oregon, Ohio State, Nebraska
Big West (1)
UC San Diego (AQ)
CAA (1)
Hampton (AQ)
Conference-USA (1)
Liberty (AQ)
Horizon League (1)
Youngstown State (AQ)
Ivy League (1)
Princeton (AQ)
MAAC (1)
Quinnipiac (AQ)
MAC (1)
Kent State (AQ)
MEAC (1)
Norfolk State (AQ)
Missouri Valley (1)
Drake (AQ)
Mountain West (2)
Utah State (AQ), San Diego State
NEC (1)
Central Connecticut (AQ)
OVC (1)
Morehead State (AQ)
Patriot League (1)
Holy Cross (AQ)
SEC (14)
Tennessee (AQ), Auburn, Alabama, Kentucky, Florida, Oklahoma, Texas A&M, Ole Miss, Mississippi State, Arkansas, Georgia, Missouri, Texas, Vanderbilt
Southern (1)
Furman (AQ)
Southland (1)
Nicholls (AQ)
SWAC (1)
Southern (AQ)
Summit (1)
North Dakota State (AQ)
Sun Belt (1)
Arkansas State (AQ)
WCC (2)
Gonzaga (AQ), Saint Mary’s
WAC (1)
Grand Canyon (AQ)

First Four Out

Northwestern, SMU, Indiana, BYU

Top 16 Seeds

1: Auburn, Tennessee, Iowa State, Oregon
2: Alabama, Marquette, Florida, Kentucky
3: Kansas, Duke, UConn, Gonzaga
4: Texas A&M, Mississippi State, Oklahoma, UCLA

Five Things To Know

  • If Auburn winds up as the number one seed in the South Region during the 2025 NCAA Tournament, it will play games during the Sweet 16 and Elite Eight at State Farm Arena in Atlanta. That’s only 109 miles from the Tigers’ campus.
  • Why is Oregon the fourth number one seed in the bracket projection above? The Ducks are tied with UConn for the second-most Quad 1 wins — four — behind Auburn and only have a single loss, which came at home against UCLA on a last second shot. Oregon also owns neutral site wins over both Alabama and Texas A&M, who are both projected to be Top 16 seeds in the bracket above.
  • UConn’s hopes of advancing to the Final Four for the third consecutive season will be greatly enhanced if the Huskies wind up in the East Region for the second consecutive year. Amica Mutual Pavilion in Providence will be the host site for the first and second round games in the East Region while the Prudential Center in Newark will host the Sweet 16 and Elite Eight.
  • 15 of the SEC’s 16 teams are currently ranked in the Top 75 of the NET. That means that as of today, the only SEC road game that won’t count as a Quad 1 opportunity during conference play will be when SEC teams visit South Carolina. The Gamecocks are currently ranked 84th in the NET.
  • How is Colorado in the bracket above over Northwestern, SMU, Indiana, and BYU despite being ranked 77th in the NET? The Buffaloes’ win over UConn in the Maui Invitational is better than any victory than any of the other teams have on their resume. SMU, Indiana, and BYU currently do not own a Quad 1 win. Colorado also currently does not possess any losses in Quad 2, 3, or 4.

Leftovers