March Madness 2025: Round of 64 Upset Picks
Mar 20 | 2025
March Madness is here. After a wild regular season that featured plenty of highlight reel moments and eye-popping conference tournaments, the greatest month-long sporting event in the world is here.
As always, March Madness features 67 games between 68 teams, which makes the tournament ripe for upset picks. While this year’s bracket features some juggernauts like Cooper Flagg’s Duke or Johni Broome’s Auburn, there are also plenty of lower-ranked or unheralded teams that could destroy brackets across the country.
With that in mind, here’s a look at our four favorite upset picks for the Round of 64.
All odds are from FanDuel Sportsbook and are subject to change
Upset Picks for the 2025 NCAA Tournament
No. 11 Drake Bulldogs, West Region (+210 to reach Round of 32; +1000 to reach Sweet Sixteen)
The Bulldogs enter the tournament fresh off a Missouri Valley Conference championship and seem poised to be a Cinderella. The Bulldogs are led by star point guard Bennett Stirtz, who is averaging 19.1 points per game to go along with 5.6 assists.
Stirtz previously played at Division II Northwest Missouri State but moved to Drake with his coach Ben McCollum, who took over the program after previous head coach Darian DeVries left for West Virginia.
They slow the game down to a snail’s pace (opponents only average 58.4 points per game against them) and tend not to force shots, which are two characteristics that seemingly every Cinderella has.
They’ll take on No. 5 Missouri in the first round, where Drake is a +6.5 underdog on the spread. The Tigers are a dangerous offensive team with four legit scorers (Mark Mitchell, Tamar Bates, Caleb Grill, and Anthony Robinson), but their defense is a problem. They gave up 90+ points in their last five losses and have struggled against strong guard play.
If Drake were to defeat Missouri in the first round, the Bulldogs would face off against either No. 3 Texas Tech or No. 14 UNC Wilmington. The Red Raiders are the favorite over the Seahawks since they’ll get Darrion Williams and Chance McMillian back from injury to help complement star JT Toppin.
The Red Raiders are a trendy pick to make the Final Four, but they could struggle against a hot Drake team.
No. 12 McNeese State Cowboys, Midwest Region (+250 to reach Round of 32; +700 to reach Sweet Sixteen)
That’s right: McNeese State has shorter odds than Drake to make the Sweet Sixteen despite being a lower seed. That’s due in large part to the Cowboys’ dominance this season in the Southland Conference.
The Cowboys closed the regular season as -500 favorites to win the conference, and they followed that up by beating Northwestern State and Lamar en route to the conference title.
They’re coached by Will Wade, who has 49-8 in his two years at the helm after he was fired from LSU following a probe into his illegal recruiting and bribery.
His teams have always been defined by their defense, and this year’s iteration of the Cowboys is no exception. They allow an average of 64 points per game and rank 24th in the country in field goal percentage. They’re also a strong offensive team that moves the ball, as evidenced by them finishing the year with five players who averaged double-figures.
Providence, we’re coming for you! Let’s dance🕺#BayouBandits | #GeauxPokes pic.twitter.com/51H9kmS6OX
— McNeese Men’s Basketball (@McNeeseMBB) March 16, 2025
They’re taking on No. 5 Clemson, who made it all the way to the Elite Eight last season. The Tigers are returning most of the core from last year’s team and have two strong guards in Chase Hunter and Jaeden Zackery. They also have a mountain of a man at center: 6-foot-11 Viktor Lakhin, but he’s a bit hot and cold.
If the Cowboys advance (they’re +7.5 against Clemson), they’d take on either No. 13 High Point (more on them in a second) or No. 4 Purdue.
The Boilermakers aren’t as good as they were last year when they advanced to the National Championship, but they still have a solid squad. Guard Braden Smith is as good of a point guard as you’ll find in the nation, but the Boilermakers struggled at the end of the season.
Could that impact their play at the start of March Madness?
No. 13 High Point Panthers, Midwest Region (+250 to reach Round of 32; +1000 to reach Sweet Sixteen)
The Panthers (+8.5 against Purdue) are fresh off a Big South tournament win and ready to ruin brackets across the country. They were upset in their conference tournament last season, restocked their roster through the transfer portal, and are now a dangerous double-digit seed.
They’re led by scoring guard D’Maurian Williams, but their biggest X-factor is 7-foot center Juslin Bodo Bodo. A two-time Big South defensive Player of the Year award winner, Bodo Bodo controls the paint in a way that very few players can, and his impact won’t be dissimilar to Zach Edey’s on Purdue last season.
Don’t be surprised if the Panthers take on the Cowboys in a Round of 32 matchup between two double-digit seeds.
No. 12 Liberty Flames, East Region (+230 to reach Round of 32; +1100 to reach Sweet Sixteen)
A longtime mid-major powerhouse, the Flames made the tournament this year on the back of a Conference USA title. They picked up a come-from-behind 81-79 win over Kennesaw State in the tournament semifinal before beating Jacksonville State in the final.
The Flames are led by guards Taelon Peter and Kaden Metheny and have four rotation regulars who shoot 39% or better from 3-point range.
The Flames get No. 5 Oregon in the Round of 64 in what could be a very winnable game. The Ducks have four double-digit scorers but had an up-and-done conference season. The Ducks are deeper but can be vulnerable. If the Flames get hot from deep, they could fly past the Ducks.
If they win, they’d take either No. 4 Arizona or No. 13 Akron. The Wildcats have advanced to the Sweet Sixteen in two of the last three seasons but ended the year outside of the Top 25 after a rough stretch. They can score like no one’s business, but they’re a traffic cone on defense. Liberty could shoot them out of the gym.
