March Madness 2025: NCAA Tournament men's bracket upset picks, players to watch and title contenders
With the NCAA men’s basketball tournament revealing its 68-team bracket on Sunday, NBC News is here to break down the teams and players to know, from the top seeds to the potential Cinderella stories.
Five months after more than 300 college basketball teams began the season with championship dreams, the number of contenders is now down to 68.
With the NCAA men’s basketball tournament revealing its 68-team bracket Sunday, NBC News is here to break down the teams and players to know, from the top seeds to the potential Cinderella stories.
The men’s championship will take place April 7 in San Antonio’s Alamodome. Connecticut, which won consecutive championships in 2023 and 2024, begins its title defense as a No. 8 seed.
Greif: Florida. The West Region is the tournament’s most difficult on paper with the top-seeded Gators surrounded by St. John’s, Texas Tech and Maryland, all of which are ranked in the nation’s top 12 by Ken Pomeroy, whose rankings are something of a Bible in the sport.
By winning the brutal SEC Tournament — it was by far the nation’s best conference this season and produced 14 NCAA teams — the Gators have shown they can prevail in a loaded field, but they appear to have been given the most difficult top draw.
Rating: 5