2025 NCAA Tournament March Madness basketball court at the First Four in Dayton. Mar 17, 2025; Dayton, OH; “March Madness” logo during the First Four Practice at UD Arena. Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images
ArticlesCollege BasketballFeaturedOriginalsBy Michael Grant on

So, you’ve decided to watch the 2025 NCAA Tournament.

Congratulations!

Despite Steve Alford’s complaining and some older coaches quitting, college basketball is maximum fun these days. Cooper Flagg is the sport’s most exciting player since Zion Williamson and Ja Morant shared the title in 2018-19. The SEC is shockingly better at basketball than football (a record 14 bids). Two-time defending championship Connecticut hasn’t looked the same since Dan Hurley declared himself “the best coach in the f—ing sport.” And the guy who really might be the best coach, Rick Pitino, has St. John’s ready to party like it’s 1985.

The transfer portal and name, image, and likeness have not ruined the sport. Instead, they have made college basketball a more entertaining product. Stars like Alabama’s Mark Sears and Auburn’s Johni Broome stuck around rather than enter the NBA Draft. Formerly struggling programs have added veteran help, such as Louisville, whose stunning comeback season would not have happened without the transfer portal. And while conference realignment annoyed traditionalists, it did lead to fascinating in-league matchups.

Plus, along the way, we had:

What you should know about the No. 1 seeds:

South Region

Auburn (28-5)

Coach: Bruce Pearl

Most recent One Shining Moment: 2019 Final Four

Big Man on Campus: Johni Broome (18.9 points, 10.6 rebounds, 4.0 assists)

Auburn earned its No. 1 overall seed. The Tigers were the best team in the nation’s toughest conference. The one minor quibble: they lost three of their last four games. Is that a cause for panic? Probably not. Those losses were to ranked teams, and one was a 93-91 overtime setback to Alabama. The rigors of SEC play should have them ready and focused, and it might be a good thing to reset against unfamiliar opponents— at least for a little while. Auburn could have a rematch against Texas A&M in the Sweet 16 in Atlanta.

Welcome to Bruce Pearl’s best shot at winning a Division I national championship. He has a D2 ring from his time at Southern Indiana (1995). He has the SEC Player of the Year Johni Broome, and a roster with six players averaging at least 9.3 points.

East Region

Duke (31-3)

Coach: Jon Scheyer

Most recent One Shining Moment: 2015 National Championship

Big Man on Campus: Cooper Flagg (18.9 points, 7.5 rebounds, 2.2 blocks)

Duke proved it is more than Cooper Flagg by winning the ACC tournament. With Flagg (ankle injury) sitting out the last two games, the Blue Devils beat North Carolina and Louisville. Flagg should be back for the NCAA Tournament, and assuming he’s healthy, they can beat anybody in the field. Duke is the only team in the nation in the top five of the Ken Pomeroy Ratings for offensive (3rd) and deficiency (4th) efficiency. It is also the highest-rated team overall. Flagg is a big reason for that. He was the league’s Player of the Year, Rookie of the Year, and finished second in Defensive Player of the Year.

Duke also has another excellent freshman in Kon Knueppel (18 points vs. Louisville) and an impact transfer in Sion James (15 vs. Louisville), who played at Tulane last season. Jon Scheyer has done a great job but anything short of a Final Four appearance will be disappointing.

West Region

Florida (30-4)

Coach: Todd Golden

Most recent One Shining Moment: 2007 National Championship

Big Man on Campus: Walter Clayton Jr. (17.4 points, 4.0 assists)

For a portion of the season, the big story was Florida being involved in a Title IX investigation. However, in January, Todd Golden was cleared by Florida’s Title IX office saying it found “no evidence” he violated Title IX. Questions about what exactly happened linger, and this topic is likely to be brought up by the national media this week. It will be interesting to see how and if Golden responds. He’ll undoubtedly want the focus on basketball and how the Gators have a legitimate shot at an NCAA title for the first time since winning back-to-back championships under Billy Donovan.

Florida is the second-highest-ranked team in the Pomeroy Ratings. It hasn’t lost a game in March, with victories over Texas A&M, Alabama (twice), and Tennessee. The Gators have been impressive down the stretch.

Midwest Region

Houston (30-4)

Coach: Kelvin Sampson

Most recent One Shining Moment: 1984 NCAA runner-up

Big Man on Campus: L.J. Cryer (15.2 points)

No coach in America maxes out on talent quite like Kelvin Sampson. Sampson might be the best coach without a national championship. Could this be the year for a long-awaited breakthrough for the 69-year-old? He guided the Cougars to the 2021 Final Four and has won at least 30 games for four straight seasons.

After starting 4-3 with losses to Auburn, Alabama, and San Diego State, Houston has won 26 of 27. The only defeat was to Texas Tech in overtime. The Cougar’s backcourt trio of LJ Cryer, Emanuel Sharp, and Milos Uzan is exceptional, but it took a moment for the unit to jell. Uzan fouled out in three losses. Their path to the Final Four seems manageable. The toughest test might be a potential regional matchup vs. Tennessee.

Five things we love about this tournament

A potential John Calipari vs. Rick Pitino match-up – A long time ago in a galaxy not so far away, Calipari and Pitino battled each other for supremacy in the commonwealth of Kentucky. Calipari won the 2012 National Championship at Kentucky. Pitino won the 2013 National Championship for Louisville. A lot has changed since then. It would be great to see them match wits and witticisms if Arkansas and St. John’s advance to the second round.

A potential nepo baby match-up – It’s going to take a couple of upsets, but if No. 10 New Mexico beats No. 7 Marquette and No. 15 Bryant stuns No. 2 Michigan State, that would set up Richard Pitino vs. Phil Martelli Jr. in the second round. Eat your hearts out Maya Hawke and Jack Quaid.

Maryland’s unofficial nickname – The fan who came up with the “Crab Five” deserves free crab cakes for life. It’s hilarious and wonderful. Of course, it had turned into a marketing opportunity. Hopefully, that fan is being properly compensated.

The cardiac Michigan Wolverines – Are they good or just lucky? Michigan has won nine games by one score this season. First-year coach Dusty May worked miracles at FAU now he’s doing the same in Ann Arbor. 

First-time participants – Always great to see new blood such as UC San Diego, SIUE, Omaha, and High Point. The San Diego Tritons are a fun story since this was their first season eligible for the tournament. They are 30-4 and have won 15 in a row.

Most likely No. 12 seed to beat a No. 5

McNeese State coach Will Wade is a Clemson graduate. It would be quite funny to see him topple his alma mater. Wade has been working in exile since being fired from LSU following an NCAA scandal. If he can pull off this upset, it would help his argument that he deserves to return to a major conference program. FWIW, McNeese State played then-No. 2 Alabama tough in November, losing only 72-64.

The all-tournament name team

Solo Ball, G, Connecticut

Supreme Cook, F, Oregon

Kai Yu, F, Liberty

Phat Phat Brooks, G, Michigan

Steele Venters, G, Gonzaga

Final Four picks

Michigan State, Duke, St. John’s, Tennessee

The championship game

Duke over Michigan State

Enjoy the games!

About Michael Grant

Born in Jamaica. Grew up in New York City. Lives in Louisville, Ky. Sports writer. Not related to Ulysses S. Grant.

View all posts by Michael Grant