{"id":8860,"date":"2025-03-18T11:22:13","date_gmt":"2025-03-18T11:22:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/news\/?p=8860"},"modified":"2025-03-18T12:01:42","modified_gmt":"2025-03-18T12:01:42","slug":"march-madness-tournament-preview","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/news\/march-madness-tournament-preview","title":{"rendered":"March Madness 2025 Preview: Who Will Win the Tournament?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>The Madness is here. Hailed &#8220;the best tournament in sports,&#8221; the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/en-us\/basketball\/league\/ncaab-d-i-7630\">NCAA D1<\/a> Men&#8217;s Basketball Tournament never fails to bring drama and excitement. Tomorrow, the First Four will tip off with <a href=\"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/en-us\/basketball\/match\/ncaab-d-i-7630\/alabama-state-st.-francis-(pa)-1574-18515-7630#id=4398254\">Alabama State facing St. Francis<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/en-us\/basketball\/match\/ncaab-d-i-7630\/north-carolina-san-diego-state-1560-1653-7630#id=4398257\">San Diego State against North Carolina<\/a>. On Wednesday, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/en-us\/basketball\/match\/ncaab-d-i-7630\/american-university-mount-st.-mary's-1602-6769-7630#id=4398255\">American will face Mount St. Mary&#8217;s<\/a> and<a href=\"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/en-us\/basketball\/match\/ncaab-d-i-7630\/texas-xavier-1407-1554-7630#id=4398256\"> Texas will play Xavier<\/a>. This round will determine the full <a href=\"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/en-us\/basketball\/league\/ncaab-d-i-7630\/brackets\">bracket<\/a> before the Round of 64 begins on Thursday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>As the teams play for their chance to compete in the Big Dance, fans around the country are filling out their brackets and predicting a champion of this year&#8217;s competition. Whether you&#8217;re doing a bracket yourself and don&#8217;t know where to start or you want to learn more about this year&#8217;s field, it&#8217;s all covered here in this preview.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-rank-math-toc-block\" id=\"rank-math-toc\"><h2>Table of Contents<\/h2><nav><ul><li><a href=\"#the-one-seeds\">The One Seeds<\/a><ul><li><a href=\"#auburn\">Auburn<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#duke\">Duke<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#h\">Houston<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#florida\">Florida<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><li><a href=\"#the\">The Rest of the Field<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#m\">Potential Upsets<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#my-picks\">My Picks<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" src=\"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/ncaa-1024x683.jpg\" alt=\"NCAA logo\" class=\"wp-image-2547\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"> (Photo by Christian Petersen\/Getty Images)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"the-one-seeds\">The One Seeds<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>As the best four teams in the tournament, the one seeds always set the stage for what&#8217;s to come and are important for understanding the bracket. This year&#8217;s one seeds are <a href=\"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/en-us\/basketball\/team\/auburn-1508\">Auburn<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/en-us\/basketball\/team\/duke-1523\">Duke<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/en-us\/basketball\/team\/houston-1643\">Houston<\/a>, and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/en-us\/basketball\/team\/florida-1683\">Florida<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"auburn\">Auburn<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>The top-seeded Tigers enter the tournament as one of the favorites to win it all. Their offense is the best of the best led by Player of the Year candidate <a href=\"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/en-us\/basketball\/player\/johni-broome-89710\">Johni Broome<\/a>. Their defense is aggressive as well and can match up physically with any team in the country. They won a stacked SEC with other championship-caliber teams such as Florida, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/en-us\/basketball\/team\/alabama-1404\">Alabama<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/en-us\/basketball\/team\/tennessee-1694\">Tennessee<\/a>, and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/en-us\/basketball\/team\/kentucky-1682\">Kentucky<\/a>. Needless to say, nobody wants to face Auburn in the tournament this year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"duke\">Duke<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>This Blue Devils team can also be argued as the best team in the country. Led by superstar freshman <a href=\"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/en-us\/basketball\/player\/cooper-flagg-188544\">Cooper Flagg<\/a>, Duke went 31-3 this year and won the ACC tournament despite Flagg sitting out due to injury. They are one of the most dominant teams in college basketball and have proven they have what it takes to win without Flagg, but they need him healthy throughout this tournament.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" src=\"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/GettyImages-2205259872-1024x683.jpg\" alt=\"CHARLOTTE, NORTH CAROLINA - MARCH 13: Cooper Flagg #2 of the Duke Blue Devils plays against the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets during the quarterfinal round of the ACC men's basketball tournament at Spectrum Center on March 13, 2025 in Charlotte, North Carolina.\" class=\"wp-image-8866\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"> (Photo by Jacob Kupferman\/Getty Images)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h\">Houston<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Winners of the Big 12, the Cougars&#8217; defense puts them at the top, with an elite ability to limit the scoring on the other end. They have reached the Sweet 16 the past four years and likely could have made the Final Four last year if not for <a href=\"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/en-us\/basketball\/player\/jamal-shead-89579\">Jamal Shead<\/a>&#8216;s knee injury. This year, they look better than ever with their defense paired with aggressive and physical offense, and if they can make it far, it will feel like home games in San Antonio.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"florida\">Florida<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>The Gators boast both one of the best offenses and defenses in college basketball. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/en-us\/basketball\/player\/alex-condon-148747\">Alex Condon<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/en-us\/basketball\/player\/alijah-martin-128434\">Alijah Martin<\/a> lead the squad on the defensive end, while point guard <a href=\"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/en-us\/basketball\/player\/walter-clayton-jr.-148736\">Walter Clayton Jr.<\/a> steers the offense. With a deep backcourt, Florida will be a popular pick to win it all.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"the\">The Rest of the Field<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Don&#8217;t just rely on the one seeds. Only one time since the field expanded to 64 teams in 1985 did the Final Four consist of all one seeds (in 2008). The question is, who else in the tournament has what it takes to win it all? With coach Tom Izzo at the helm, 2-seed <a href=\"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/en-us\/basketball\/team\/michigan-state-1557\">Michigan State<\/a> can never be counted out. 2-seed <a href=\"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/en-us\/basketball\/team\/tennessee-1694\">Tennessee<\/a> and 3-seed <a href=\"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/en-us\/basketball\/team\/texas-tech-1622\">Texas Tech<\/a> have what it takes to go all the way as well. Don&#8217;t count out 5-seed <a href=\"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/en-us\/basketball\/team\/clemson-1592\">Clemson<\/a> or 6-seed <a href=\"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/en-us\/basketball\/team\/illinois-1437\">Illinois<\/a> either.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>It&#8217;s also important to include Big Ten champion 5-seed <a href=\"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/en-us\/basketball\/team\/michigan-1387\">Michigan<\/a>, who took down 3-seed <a href=\"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/en-us\/basketball\/team\/wisconsin-1442\">Wisconsin<\/a> (another great team led by <a href=\"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/en-us\/basketball\/player\/john-tonje-109090\">John Tonje<\/a>) in the conference championship. Keep an eye on them, led by the dynamic big-man duo of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/en-us\/basketball\/player\/vladislav-goldin-89349\">Vlad Goldin<\/a> and potential lottery pick <a href=\"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/en-us\/basketball\/player\/danny-wolf-146949\">Danny Wolf<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I&#8217;d stay away from 4-seeds <a href=\"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/en-us\/basketball\/team\/purdue-1660\">Purdue<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/en-us\/basketball\/team\/maryland-1676\">Maryland<\/a>, and don&#8217;t buy too much into the hype around Rick Pitino&#8217;s 2-seed <a href=\"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/en-us\/basketball\/team\/st.-john's-1448\">St. John&#8217;s<\/a>, although they are admittedly one of the most exciting teams in the field.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"m\">Potential Upsets<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Every year, there are lower-seeded teams that shock the world with &#8220;Cinderella runs&#8221; by making it further in the tournament than expected. Here are some of my potential upset picks and teams that can make a run this year:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>12-seed <a href=\"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/en-us\/basketball\/team\/colorado-state-1640\">Colorado State<\/a> (faces 5-seed <a href=\"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/en-us\/basketball\/team\/memphis-1642\">Memphis<\/a> in Round of 64)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>13-seed <a href=\"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/en-us\/basketball\/team\/grand-canyon-15367\">Grand Canyon<\/a> (faces 4-seed Maryland)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>11-seed <a href=\"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/en-us\/basketball\/team\/drake-1626\">Drake<\/a> (faces 6-seed <a href=\"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/en-us\/basketball\/team\/missouri-1553\">Missouri<\/a>)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>13-seed <a href=\"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/en-us\/basketball\/team\/akron-1665\">Akron<\/a> (faces 4-seed <a href=\"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/en-us\/basketball\/team\/arizona-1436\">Arizona<\/a>)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"my-picks\">My Picks<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>I&#8217;m running multiple brackets this year, but my principal bracket is as follows: I have a Final Four of Auburn, Texas Tech, Duke, and Tennessee, with Duke defeating Auburn for the national championship. Duke is too good this year, and with a healthy Cooper Flagg throughout the tournament, I think they have what it takes to win the whole thing. Obviously, my predictions are subjective. Absolutely anything can happen as the field is nearly impossible to predict. To know what will really happen, we will just have to watch the madness unfold.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The Madness is here. Hailed &#8220;the best tournament in sports,&#8221; the NCAA D1 Men&#8217;s Basketball Tournament never fails to bring drama and excitement. Tomorrow, the First Four will tip off with Alabama State facing St. Francis and San Diego State against North Carolina. On Wednesday, American will face Mount St. Mary&#8217;s and Texas will play &hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":36,"featured_media":8866,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1914,148],"tags":[3266,151,614,1909,150,1933,1934,1070],"class_list":["post-8860","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-ncaa","category-basketball","tag-auburn","tag-duke","tag-florida-gators","tag-houston-cougars","tag-march-madness","tag-ncaa-basketball","tag-ncaa-division-i","tag-ncaa-tournament"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8860","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/36"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=8860"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8860\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/8866"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=8860"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=8860"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=8860"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}