2025 March Madness Projections
Mar 05 | 2025
March is here, so the NCAA Tournament is here too! The 68-team tournament spans most of March and April and crowns one team as the top team in college basketball.
Along with being each and every college basketball team’s mision, it’s a bettor’s paradise with 67 high-stakes matchups that feature plenty of buzzer-beaters, upsets, and maaaadd moments. This is as if the Super Bowl was drawn out over a month.
With conference tournament season right around the corner, here’s a look at what to expect ahead of March Madness 2025.
Odds for each team to win the tournament are from FanDuel and are subject to change.
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Teams to Know
Auburn Tigers (+320)
The Tigers have spent most of the season at — or near — the No. 1 spot in the country so they enter March as the favorite to win the NCAA Tournament. Auburn secured a share of the regular season SEC championship with a big win over Kentucky on Sunday — and are led by Johni Broome. Broome is averaging nearly 20 points per game and is the favorite to win the Wooden Award, which is given to the top college basketball player in the nation.
The Tigers have only lost one conference game this year in a historically good SEC — oddsmakers don’t seem to think that’s a fluke.
Duke Blue Devils (+350)
The Blue Devils are right behind the Tigers and are led by Cooper Flagg, who has the second-best odds to win the Wooden Award. The talented freshman is averaging 19.3 points per game with 7.6 rebounds. Flagg’s the betting favorite to go No. 1 in the 2025 NBA Draft.
He’s flanked by another talented freshman in Kon Knueppel along with Tyrese Proctor — a veteran guard.
Flagg sustained an eye injury over the weekend in a blowout win over Florida State. But it doesn’t seem like it will impact his availability for the ACC and NCAA Tournaments.
The Blue Devils have cruised through conference play, and are one of the country’s most dangerous teams.
Houston Cougars (+850)
It’s clear that it’s the Tigers, Blue Devils and then everyone else. The Cougars lead off the “everyone else” category.
Over the weekend, the Cougars clinched a Big 12 season championship with a win over Cincinnati, making Houston the first team to win the regular-season championship in its first two years in a major conference since Idaho did so in the 1920s.
The Cougars are one of the oldest teams in the country, as they’re led by seniors L.J. Cryer and J’Wan Roberts along with juniors Emanuel Sharp and Milos Uzan.
This iteration of the Cougars lost in the Sweet Sixteen in the past two seasons — they’ll have their work cut out for them this year.
Florida Gators (+950)
Another SEC team in the top five, the Gators have had an up-and-down season but seem to be rounding into form as the NCAA Tournament approaches.
The Gators have three guards — Walter Clayton Jr., Alijah Martin, and Will Richard — who average 13+ points per game. They’re the only SEC team to have defeated Auburn so far this season.
Although Clayton is a dangerous and dynamic guard, some Gators games have lost their focus this season. They’ll likely be a top-three seed in the SEC Championship, which could help their chances of being a top seed in the NCAA Tournament.
Tennessee Volunteers (+1300)
Stop us if you’ve heard this before: the Volunteers are yet another SEC team that’s a favorite to win the NCAA Tournament.
One of the nation’s best defensive teams, the Volunteers are coming off a buzzer-beater win over Alabama in a matchup of top-10 teams.
Tennessee’s made six straight NCAA Tournaments under coach Rick Barnes and seems to be a lock to make their seventh. The only question is whether Barnes’ Volunteers team can get past Houston or Florida to steal a No. 1 seed.
Barnes’ team boasts a balanced roster with four platers average 10+ points per game — Chaz Lanier, Zakai Zeigler, Jordan Gainey, and Igor Milicic Jr. — and have returned most of the roster that made it to the Elite Eight last season.
This team isn’t without its caveats (a 30-point loss to Florida on their resume and two losses to Kentucky), but they can get to the bucket and they can defend — two things that can help nab a win in March.
Where is the 2025 NCAA Tournament?
2025 Final Four
When: Saturday, April 5 (Final Four); Monday, April 7 (National Championship)
Where: Alamodome (San Antonio, Texas)
Teams: TBD
This year’s NCAA Tournament will conclude at the spectacular Alamodome in the heart of Texas.
The 64,000-seat stadium is located in downtown San Antonio and is the home of the San Antonio Brahmas and UTSA Roadrunners.
It first hosted the Final Four in 1998 (Kentucky won) before hosting again in 2004 (UConn), 2008 (Kansas), and 2018 (Villanova). It’s also hosted the Women’s Final Four three times.
The rest of the tournament sites are as follows:
2025 NCAA Tournament Sites
First Four (March 18 and 19)
- University of Dayton: Dayton, Ohio
First and Second Rounds (March 20 and 22)
- Amica Mutual Pavilion: Providence, Rhode Island
- Rupp Arena: Lexington, Kentucky
- Intrust Bank Arena: Wichita, Kansas
- Ball Arena: Denver, Colorado
First and Sound Rounds (March 21 and 23)
- Rocket Arena: Cleveland, Ohio
- Fiserv Forum: Milwaukee, Wisconsin
- Lenovo Center: Raleigh, North Carolina
- Climate Pledge Arena: Seattle, Washington
Regional Semi-Finals and Finals (Sweet Sixteen and Elite Eight)
East Regional (March 27 and 29)
- Prudential Center: Newark, New Jersey
West Regional (March 27 and 29)
- Chase Center: San Francisco, California
South Regional (March 28 and 30)
- State Farm Arena: Atlanta, Georgia
Midwest Regional
- Lucas Oil Stadium: Indianapolis, Indiana
- University of Dayton: Dayton, Ohio
First and Second Rounds (March 20 and 22)
- Amica Mutual Pavilion: Providence, Rhode Island
- Rupp Arena: Lexington, Kentucky
- Intrust Bank Arena: Wichita, Kansas
- Ball Arena: Denver, Colorado
First and Sound Rounds (March 21 and 23)
- Rocket Arena: Cleveland, Ohio
- Fiserv Forum: Milwaukee, Wisconsin
- Lenovo Center: Raleigh, North Carolina
- Climate Pledge Arena: Seattle, Washington
Regional Semi-Finals and Finals (Sweet Sixteen and Elite Eight)
East Regional (March 27 and 29)
- Prudential Center: Newark, New Jersey
West Regional (March 27 and 29)
- Chase Center: San Francisco, California
South Regional (March 28 and 30)
- State Farm Arena: Atlanta, Georgia
Midwest Regional
- Lucas Oil Stadium: Indianapolis, Indiana
