March Madness 2025 bracket: NCAA Tournament picks, predictions from unbiased college basketball model

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When it comes to filling out your 2025 NCAA Tournament bracket picks, it is important to consider which dominant teams could be ousted in the first round. This was the case two years ago for the Purdue Boilermakers, who were a favorite to make a deep tournament run but were upset in their first game by Fairleigh Dickinson. Last year, there was another early NCAA Tournament upset when No. 3 seed Kentucky was booted in the first round by No. 14 Oakland, which was making its fourth NCAA Tournament appearance. Auburn, Duke, Houston and Florida make up the No. 1 seeds in the NCAA Tournament 2025, but there is no guarantee they make it out of the Round of 32.

Should you pick one of these top seeds to be upset in the first round with your 2025 March Madness Cinderella picks? Before filling out your NCAA Tournament bracket 2025, be sure to see the 2025 March Madness bracket picks from the proven computer model at SportsLine.

SportsLine’s proven projection model has simulated every game in the tournament 10,000 times. It has absolutely crushed its March Madness picks recently, beating over 91% of all CBS Sports brackets in four of the past six tournaments. It was all over UConn’s championship run a year ago and nailed 13 teams in the Sweet 16. It also nailed Alabama’s Cinderella run to the Final Four as a 4-seed.

It knows how to spot an upset as well. The same model has produced brackets that have nailed 24 first-round upsets by double-digit seeds since its inception in 2016.

There’s no reason to rely on luck when there’s proven technology to help you dominate your 2025 March Madness picks. Now, with the 2025 NCAA bracket revealed, the model is simulating the matchups and its results are in. You can only see it over at SportsLine.

Top 2025 March Madness bracket picks

One of the Midwest Region picks from the model: No. 2 seed Tennessee, despite losing to Kentucky twice this season, beats the Wildcats in the Sweet 16. The Vols possessed one of the most impressive defenses in the country, leading the NCAA in defensive three-point percentage (27.8) and ranking third in defensive field goal percentage (38.17%). Tennessee is only giving up 63.0 points per game, which will make life difficult for a Kentucky team dealing with injuries.

Kentucky guard Jaxson Robinson was averaging 13.0 points, but will miss the NCAA Tournament bracket 2025 due to a wrist injury. Fellow guard Lamont Butler will reportedly start in the NCAA Tournament 2025, but is still dealing with a shoulder ailment. The Wildcats’ defense ranks 177th in field goal percentage (43.72%), suggesting the Vols could turn the tables on this familiar foe in the 2025 NCAA Tournament.

Another surprise: No. 5 Clemson takes down No. 4 Purdue in the second round of the Midwest. In early February, Purdue looked like a team that could make it back to the Final Four after last season’s runner-up finish. The Boilermakers, however, then proceeded to lose four straight and go 3-6 over their last nine games. That play down the stretch contrasts with a surging Clemson squad that’s gone 15-2 over its last 17. That stretch includes a win over 1-seed Duke, while Purdue went just 2-6 versus ranked teams away from home this season.

The Tigers are one of seven teams in all of Division I that slot among the top 25 in both offensive and defensive efficiency rankings, per KenPom. Purdue is in the top 25 in offensive rankings, but its defense isn’t up to par. There’s no longer an interior presence like 7-foot-4 Zach Edey as Purdue’s 1.7 blocks are the fifth-fewest in the country. The Boilermakers are also outside the top 300 schools in rebounds per game as Clemson, with three of its top five scorers standing 6-foot-8 or taller, should be able to utilize its size advantage. You can see the model’s 2025 NCAA bracket picks here.

How to make 2025 NCAA bracket predictions

Who wins every tournament-defining matchup, and which teams will make surprising runs through the 2025 NCAA Tournament bracket? With the model’s track record of calling bracket-busting upsets, you’ll want to see which stunners it’s calling this year before locking in any 2025 NCAA bracket picks.

So what’s the optimal NCAA Tournament 2025 bracket, and which NCAA Tournament Cinderella teams will shock college basketball? Visit SportsLine now to see which region features three must-have upsets, including a play-in team that absolutely stuns its first-round opponent, all from the model that’s beaten 91% of bracket players in four of the last six tournaments.

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