This is March.
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)
Lipscomb (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)
Big Ten (10)
Michigan State (AQ), UCLA, Illinois, Purdue, Michigan, Wisconsin, Maryland, Oregon, Ohio State, Indiana
Big West (1)
UC San Diego (AQ)
CAA (1)
Towson (AQ)
Conference-USA (1)
Liberty (AQ)
Horizon League (1)
Robert Morris (AQ)
Ivy League (1)
Yale (AQ)
MAAC (1)
Quinnipiac (AQ)
MAC (1)
Akron (AQ)
MEAC (1)
Norfolk State (AQ)
Missouri Valley (1)
Drake (AQ)
Mountain West (4)
New Mexico (AQ), Utah State, San Diego State, Boise State
NEC (1)
Central Connecticut (AQ)
OVC (1)
SEMO (AQ)
Patriot League (1)
American (AQ)
SEC (12)
Auburn (AQ), Tennessee, Alabama, Kentucky, Florida, Texas A&M, Ole Miss, Mississippi State, Vanderbilt, Georgia, Missouri, Arkansas
Southern (1)
Chattanooga (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
Texas, Oklahoma, Nebraska, North Carolina
Top 16 Seeds
1: Auburn, Duke, Houston, Florida
2: Tennessee, Alabama, Michigan State, Wisconsin
3: Texas Tech, Texas A&M, Purdue, St. John’s
4: Iowa State, Kentucky, Michigan, Oregon
Five Things To Know
- Houston is in position to be a number one seed in three straight NCAA Tournaments.
- Starting with Saturday’s trip to Marquette, all of St. John’s remaining games should be Quad 1 opportunities. Don’t discount the Red Storm from playing their way to a two seed on Selection Sunday.
- Kansas has never been lower than a four seed in the NCAA Tournament under Bill Self. That will change on March 16th.
- An under-the-radar storyline for Kentucky this month? Mark Pope has yet to win a game in the NCAA Tournament as a head coach.
- One big thing to remember when you’re studying the bubble over the next nine days: Five different teams last season — UAB (AAC), NC State (ACC), Duquesne (Atlantic 10), New Mexico (Mountain West), and Oregon (Pac-12) — stole bids during Championship Week.
