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BRACKET BREAKDOWN: January 17th

This is ONLY January.

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)
Queens (AQ)
America East (1)
Bryant (AQ)
American Athletic Conference (1)
Memphis (AQ)
Atlantic 10 (1)
George Mason (AQ)
ACC (5)
Duke (AQ), Clemson, Pitt, North Carolina, Louisville
Big 12 (8)
Iowa State (AQ), Kansas, Houston, Arizona, Baylor, West Virginia, UCF, Texas Tech
Big East (4)
Marquette (AQ), UConn, St. John’s, Creighton
Big Sky (1)
Northern Colorado (AQ)
Big South (1)
UNC Asheville (AQ)
Big Ten (10)
Michigan State (AQ), UCLA, Illinois, Michigan, Wisconsin, Maryland, Purdue, Oregon, Ohio State, Nebraska
Big West (1)
UC Irvine (AQ)
CAA (1)
William & Mary (AQ)
Conference-USA (1)
New Mexico State (AQ)
Horizon League (1)
Cleveland State (AQ)
Ivy League (1)
Princeton (AQ)
MAAC (1)
Marist (AQ)
MAC (1)
Miami (OH) (AQ)
MEAC (1)
Howard (AQ)
Missouri Valley (1)
Bradley (AQ)
Mountain West (3)
Utah State (AQ), San Diego State, New Mexico
NEC (1)
LIU (AQ)
OVC (1)
Morehead State (AQ)
Patriot League (1)
Colgate (AQ)
SEC (12)
Auburn (AQ), Tennessee, Alabama, Kentucky, Florida, Oklahoma, Texas A&M, Ole Miss, Mississippi State, Texas, Georgia, Missouri
Southern (1)
Samford (AQ)
Southland (1)
McNeese (AQ)
SWAC (1)
Southern (AQ)
Summit (1)
Omaha (AQ)
Sun Belt (1)
South Alabama (AQ)
WCC (2)
Saint Mary’s (AQ), Gonzaga
WAC (1)
Utah Valley (AQ)

First Four Out

Iowa, Vanderbilt, Arizona State, Penn State

Top 16 Seeds

1: Auburn, Duke, Iowa State, Tennessee
2: Alabama, Marquette, Florida, Kentucky
3: Kansas, Illinois, Oregon, Michigan State
4: Michigan, Houston, Texas A&M, Purdue

Five Things To Know

  • 11 of the Top 16 seeds in the bracket projection above are from the Big Ten and the SEC.
  • Tennessee has never been a number one seed in the NCAA Tournament.
  • Houston can get its first Quad 1 win of the season on Saturday when it plays UCF in Orlando.
  • Oregon’s eight Quad 1 wins are the second-most in the country only behind Auburn, who has nine. Kentucky is third with six.
  • Dayton’s current struggles are going to be massive for teams that are on the bubble in March. Why? The winner of the Atlantic 10 Tournament will not be a bid stealer in 2025, unlike a year ago when Duquesne kept a team that was on the bubble out of the NCAA Tournament.

Leftovers