Sports

2025 NCAA Tournament Bracket Picks

Published

2 months ago

March 18, 2025

So there’s real upside to picking these upsets if you believe a high seed is vulnerable. And higher seeds are more vulnerable than they’ve ever been before. Just know that this is the riskiest play you can make. It’s the ultimate high-risk, high-reward play that, in all likelihood, will tank your bracket.In 2022, St. Peter’s beat No. 2 seed Kentucky, then advanced all the way to the Elite Eight, meaning that if you picked the Peacocks, you had a seven-point edge over most of the bracket field that picked them to lose in the first round. St. Peter’s was the lowest seed to ever win three games in NCAA men’s tournament play.The NCAA men’s tournament bracket has been announced. It’s time to make your picks.No. 2 seeds aren’t quite as reliable, but picking against one in the first round is also a highly risky proposition. Only 11 No. 2 seeds have ever lost to No. 15 seeds in the men’s first round, with Princeton stunning Arizona in 2023 as the latest example. Princeton went on to beat Missouri in the second round that year to advance to the Sweet 16, where it lost to Creighton.But mostly, enjoy. Spend as much or as little time as you like with your bracket. Filling one out can be — and often is — a five-minute exercise. Have fun, and good luck.When looking for early upsets, common sense comes into play. Games with teams more closely seeded produce more upsets. The wider the gap, the rarer the upset. The NCAA generally does a good job of seeding teams properly.There are six rounds of NCAA play beyond the First Four, and the stakes double with each round in Bracket Mayhem (1, 2, 4, 8, 16 and 32 points). Picking first-round winners will earn you one point, while correctly picking the NCAA champion is worth 32 points — the equivalent of correctly picking each of the first-round games. Losing Final Four and championship game teams in the first round is a good way to knock yourself out of the running early.

How the NCAA tournament and bracket scoring works

Brackets are for everyone, and just because you’re cramming doesn’t mean that you don’t have a chance. Armed with a few fundamentals, you too can compete with the person who’s organized your bracket contest and watched college hoops since November.

The NCAA bracket is easy to fill out. Read on for different strategies. (Grant Thomas/Yahoo Sports)

Picking early upsets correctly is key to winning your bracket. Even more important is not losing a team that ends up making a deep run.How do you avoid making that mistake? Well, that’s the fun — and the challenge of the bracket. But the first rule is making sure to pick your higher-seed upsets selectively and to know the history of early-round upsets.

Pick upsets, but proceed with caution

Understanding how the tournament and bracket scoring works is the first step to success. The NCAA tournaments start with fields of 68 teams that were announced Sunday evening. Eight of those teams in each tournament — the last four at-large selections and the lowest-seeded automatic bid winners — will play elimination play-ins called the First Four. For bracket purposes, you don’t have to worry about picking those games.

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If you want to look at early upsets in the women’s bracket, starting with No. 12 seeds is usually the way to go. Since 1994, 33 women’s No. 12 seeds have secured first-round upsets over No. 5 seeds, an average of more than one per year. But there were none in 2024.Randomly picking teams based on colors or mascot preference isn’t an optimal strategy. But if mascot madness makes you happy, by all means. Brackets should be fun. But if you want to go in with a sound strategy to take down your bracket contest, we’ve got some tips to consider. And one of our experts has even already predicted the outcome of each first-round matchup to make it easier on you.

Picking high seeds to lose early isn’t the best idea, but…

Only two No. 1 seeds have lost to a No. 16 seed since the men’s tournament expanded to 64 teams in 1985. Both upsets have happened in the last seven years. No. 16 seed UMBC beat No. 1 overall seed Virginia in 2018 in what then stood alone as the biggest seeding upset in tournament history. Then Fairleigh Dickinson upended Zach Edey and Purdue in 2023.Looking deeper, No. 2 seeds lose in the second round to either a No. 7 or 10 seed 1.2 times per tournament. It’s not a bad idea to have at least one No. 2 seed fall short of the Sweet 16.Ten out of 120 No. 13 seeds have posted wins since the field expanded, and there were none last year. And remember, only one team seeded 14-16 has ever won.What used to be deemed impossible is now at least feasible in the modern iteration of college basketball with more parity. But it remains an overwhelming long shot.If you’re entering your brackets into Bracket Mayhem, you’ll have two chances at ,000 — one each for our men’s and women’s contests*. Winner takes all in each bracket, so you’re going to have to beat out a lot of competition. But the price (free) is right.

JuJu Watkins leads USC into the NCAA tournament as a No. 1 seed. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)

[Full NCAA tournament bracket revealed | Printable bracket]Then there’s betting lines, where you can look to BetMGM for first-round point spreads and futures. Keep in mind that point spreads consider which way the public is leaning in addition to expert input.

Where to look for upsets

Whether you’re a die-hard hoops head, a casual or someone who’s never watched a college basketball game, there’s a decent chance you’ve been invited to fill out a bracket. If you’re in one of the latter camps and want to play, don’t be discouraged.Finally, if you’re torn, let the experts be your guide. Analytics guru Ken Pomeroy crunches the advanced data and spits out a ranking system called KenPom for the men’s field. Think of it as a top 25 from the analytics set — and one that extends to the entire 363 NCAA Division-I field.In total, 61 No. 11 seeds have recorded men’s first-round upsets, which works out to a roughly 39.1% win rate. No. 10 seeds aren’t far behind, with 60 total first-round wins. No. 12 seeds have produced 55 first-round winners, No. 13 seeds 33 and No. 14 seeds 23.Per the NCAA, 11-6 upsets are the most common, even more than 10-7s, but just barely. From there, the commonality of upsets corresponds with the gap in seeding from 12-5 and so on all the way to the elusive 16-1 upset. This doesn’t consider 8-9 matchups, which are as close to pick ’ems as it gets. Go with your gut in those games.High-seed upsets are even more rare on the women’s side. No. 16 Harvard beat No. 1 seed Stanford in 1998. That remains the lone first-round upset of an NCAA women’s No. 1 seed since the tournament expanded to 64 teams in 1994. In fact, it’s the only time a team seeded 14-16 has ever recorded a win in the women’s tournament. Per the NCAA, those teams are 1-360 in NCAA tournament play.March is here.* NO PURCHASE NECESSARY; void where prohibited. Open only to legal residents of the 50 U.S., D.C. or CA, 18+. Entry period ends prior to official tournament tip-off on 3/20/25 for Men’s Contest and 3/21/25 for Women’s Contest. See Men’s Official Rules and Women’s Official Rules.

Advanced analytics and betting lines are your friends

JuJu Watkins leads USC into the NCAA tournament as a No. 1 seed. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)

[Click for NCAA women’s printable bracket]Once the eight First Four teams are cut down to four, the true 64-team NCAA fields are set. You can fill out your brackets now, but if you think any of the First Four teams have a chance to make a deep run, it’s best to hold off on that section of your bracket to make sure the teams you’re picking actually advance to the field.

Tournament games start in Round 1, which is split up into 16 games each on Thursday and Friday for the men and Friday and Saturday for the women. Higher seeds will play corresponding lower seeds in the four bracket regions — East, South, Midwest and West — which are split up into 16 teams. The No. 1 seed will play the No. 16 seed; the No. 2 seed will play the No. 15 seed — and so on until the No. 8 and No. 9 seeds face off.

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Longosiwa To Compete At NCAA Track & Field East First Round

Story Links Hempstead, NY – Abraham Longosiwa will represent the Hofstra men’s outdoor track & field team at the NCAA Division I Outdoor Track & Field East First Round this week in Jacksonville, Florida. Longosiwa will be competing in the men’s 10,000m race on the Visit Jax Track at Hodges […]

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Hempstead, NY – Abraham Longosiwa will represent the Hofstra men’s outdoor track & field team at the NCAA Division I Outdoor Track & Field East First Round this week in Jacksonville, Florida. Longosiwa will be competing in the men’s 10,000m race on the Visit Jax Track at Hodges Stadium. The men’s 10,000m semifinal race will get underway at 9:10 p.m. on May 28.

The NCAA Division I Outdoor Track & Field East First Round runs May 28-31 at the University of North Florida. All events will be available to stream live on ESPN+ and live results will also be available. Links to watch on ESPN+ and follow the live results can be found on this page and on the men’s cross country/track schedule page on GoHofstra.com.

Longosiwa punched his ticket to the national championship event with his personal best time of 28:44.13 at the 2025 Raleigh Relays. It will be his third year competing in the men’s 10,000m race at the NCAA East First Round and the program’s 11th NCAA qualification since 2019.

The qualifiers from the East and West First Rounds will compete at Hayward Field in Eugene, Oregon, for the 2025 NCAA Division I Outdoor Track & Field Championships on June 11-14.

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Third annual ‘Battle in the Bay’ moves Back Bay water polo rivals from pool to ocean

It’s been a big week for Newport Harbor High junior Connor Ohl. The sharp-shooting boys’ water polo player committed to Stanford earlier this week. He then turned 18 on Thursday, the same day the Sailors hosted the third annual “Battle in the Bay” showcase against rival Corona del Mar in the water next to Marina […]

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It’s been a big week for Newport Harbor High junior Connor Ohl.

The sharp-shooting boys’ water polo player committed to Stanford earlier this week. He then turned 18 on Thursday, the same day the Sailors hosted the third annual “Battle in the Bay” showcase against rival Corona del Mar in the water next to Marina Park on the Balboa Peninsula.

Ohl gave himself a birthday gift.

Corona del Mar's Cooper Kelly (3) finds a gap in the defense as he scores a goal on Thursday.

He was named the KAP7 Player of the Game for the boys’ match, earning a stand-up paddleboard for his efforts.

Newport Harbor swept the two games, winning the girls’ game 17-5 before earning a 15-8 win in the boys’ game.

“We really came together and our crash defense was just amazing,” said Ohl, who led the Sailors with four goals in the boys’ game. “When you play good defense, the offense will come, and that’s what happened today. Our defense complemented our offense.”

Newport Harbor's Kai Kaneko (8) fires in a penalty shot against CdM on Thursday.

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“It’s such a unique spot,” Sailors coach Ross Sinclair said. “It’s unique to play in the Battle of the Bay, and I think this is another added element of celebrating the community and being able to play in the bay. It’s a novelty.”

Members of the Newport Harbor and Corona del Mar girls water polo teams shake hands after the game on Thursday.

Kai Kaneko added three goals for the Sailors boys, while Dash D’Ambrosia, Hudson Parks and Mason Netzer scored twice each. Koosha Mirrafati led CdM with three goals.

“It’s a cool thing for our community to come together and do something that no other programs in the country get to do,” CdM coach Lucas Reynolds said, adding that he was a bit jealous the event wasn’t around when he was a CdM student. “Being able to play in the bay, play so close to home in a really cool environment, I think it’s an awesome opportunity for our kids.”

Newport Harbor senior goalkeeper Lydia Soderberg was the Player of the Game for the girls’ match. Some of her Sailors teammates blew up her inflatable paddleboard and watched the boys’ game while perched on it.

Newport Harbor's Audrey Metcalf (5) fires a shot to the goal against Corona del Mar on Thursday.

Caitlin Stayt and Gabby Alexson led the Sailors with three goals each, while Josie Alaluf had two goals for CdM.

Newport Harbor also benefited from strong play from freshmen, including Lily Tomalas, Vivian Muir, Olivia Bryant and goalkeeper Sutton Lohman. They stepped up, as four Sailors — Madison Mack, Kennedy Fahey, Addison Ting and Caroline Daniels — are currently playing for the U.S. Cadet National Team at the PanAm Aquatics Water Polo Championships in Colombia.

“This is just a really unique experience,” Stayt said. “We love coming out here and being with the community, being with each other.”

CdM's Camyrn Spruill (12) shoots in a goal against Newport Harbor between the boat docks in Marina Park on Thursday.

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New Orleans, La. – All Region honors for the 2025 NCAA Division III Outdoor Track & Field season were announced on Wednesday by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) following the conclusion of the regular season and 15 Mules made the cut.

Top-5 individuals in each event from each region earned All-Region honors, in addition to each of the members of a top-3 ranked relay team. Data is compiled based on Regional TFRI. Only USTFCCCA member programs are eligible for awards.

Colby Men:

Levi Biery – 400m Hurdles, 4×400 relay

Brady Clegg – Steeplechase

Jackson Coelho – 4×400 Relay

Ian Irwin – 100m, 200m

Lexington Lehnert – Pole Vault

Peter Martel – Pole Vault, 4×400 Relay

Ernest Obiorah – Discus

Myles Thornton-Sherman – Decathlon

Ren Zanze – 400m, 4×400 Relay

Colby Women:

Charlotte Brake-Hoffman – 4×100 Relay

Olivia Doherty – 4×400 Relay

Kaitlyn Ewald – 4×400 Relay

Fiona Mejico – 200m, 400m, 400m Hurdles, 4×100 Relay, 4×400 Relay

Simone Waheed – 100m, 200m, 4×100 Relay

Tally Zeller – 4×100 Relay, 4×400 Relay

CLICK HERE for the full release on the USTFCCCA website 5/21

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Emily Rubio competed in the high jump for the Panthers.

Audrey MacLean and Emily Rubio of the Middlebury women’s track and field team competed in the second day of the NCAA Championship in Geneva, Ohio. MacLean ran in the 3,000-meter steeplechase final and claimed second to tally All-American laurels for the second-consecutive season.

HIGHLIGHTS

Rubio claimed 20th in the high jump, clearing a height of 1.60 meters.

In the steeple, MacLean paced the pack throughout the entire race. The Panther held off a late charge by Hamilton’s Keira Rogan to earn runner-up honors with a time of 10:23.59.

NOTES

MacLean’s silver placing bests her sixth-place finish (10:36.28) from the 2024 championships in South Carolina.

With her finish, the sophomore has now earned four All-American honors across cross country and track and field.

MacLean hits the track once more for the Panthers on Saturday, competing in the 5,000. The timed final begins at 4:25 p.m.

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Growing up, my mother always looked fondly back at her time at SFA in Nacogdoches. One of the things that she enjoyed doing was bowling.

It might have been just a class, but she still talks about it. I was interested to hear that SFA will no longer compete in the sport at an NCAA level.

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Though it is sad to see those sports go, there are so many still at the school. When I heard there were still 14 different NCAA varsity programs at SFA, I was amazed.

SFA will still honor all the existing scholarships to any student-athletes who wish to finish their degree at the university. If they want to transfer to another school to continue playing a specific sport, they will have the full backing of the SFA sports program to help them with a transfer.

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Michael McBroom, Athletics Director, is hoping this move will bolster the success of the other men’s and women’s sports.

“Decisions like these are never easy, but they are made in the best interest of the athletic program and the university as a whole,” said McBroom. “Over the past year, we have made significant progress in reducing annual athletics expenditures, especially in our travel costs. Unfortunately, those efforts have not been enough. In order for SFA Athletics to deliver the best possible championship experience for all of our student-athletes in the face of very real economic and facility challenges, we made the difficult decision to reduce the number of sports we sponsor.”

He went on to say they will continue to say this will put SFA in a better position moving forward, and that they are committed to improving their facilities and funding into the next era of SFA Athletics.

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Track and Field Qualifies 16 for NCAA First Round

Story Links Schedule of Events Live Results PISCATAWAY, N.J. – Rutgers track and field qualified 16 Scarlet Knights for the 2025 NCAA East First Round in Jacksonville, Florida from Wednesday, May 28 through Saturday, May 31. The Scarlet Knights […]

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PISCATAWAY, N.J. – Rutgers track and field qualified 16 Scarlet Knights for the 2025 NCAA East First Round in Jacksonville, Florida from Wednesday, May 28 through Saturday, May 31.

The Scarlet Knights are coming off a solid showing at the 2025 Big Ten Championships that included eight podium finishes with three bronze medals. The trio of Brian O’Sullivan (pole vault), Donavan Anderson (triple jump) and Chloe Timberg (pole vault) finished third in their respective events and will represent Rutgers at the NCAA First Round.

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Wednesday, May 28
2:30 p.m.                 Javelin                             Steve Coponi
5:30 p.m.                 Pole Vault                        Nico Morales, Brian O’Sullivan, Kevin O’Sullivan
6 p.m.                       110M Hurdles                Chris Serrao
8:20 p.m.                 400M Hurdles                Bryce Tucker

Thursday, May 29
2:30 p.m.                 Javelin                             Alianna Eucker
4:30 p.m.                 Long Jump                      Paige Floriea
5:30 p.m.                 Pole Vault                        Emma Keating, Suzy Lacombe, Chloe Timberg
7:25 p.m.                 400M                               Charlee Crawford

Friday, May 30
2:30 p.m.                 Triple Jump                     Donavan Anderson
3:30 p.m.                 High Jump                      Malachi Yehudah

Saturday, May, 31
2:30 p.m.                 Triple Jump                     Faith Bethea
3:30 p.m.                 High Jump                      Jenovia Logan