NCAA Tournament 2025: Bracketology Predictions, Championship Odds for March Madness
March Madness is more than a clever moniker for the men's NCAA basketball tourament.
It's also an apt description for an event in which anything can happen. And, yes, we do mean anything.
Seven of the top eight seeds—all but the No. 5s—have captured the crown at this point. Two 16-seeded Davids have slayed top-seeded Goliaths. Even the uber-popular upset pick of a No. 12 knocking off a No. 5 doesn't always come to fruition.
So, we don't truly know what will happen until the opening tip gets tossed, and all 68 teams race to the finish line. We do, however, have some hunches about what could be in the cards, and oddsmakers have hunches, too.
So, after providing the tournament schedule and making a few bracket predictions, we'll lay out the latest championship odds from DraftKings Sportsbook.
NCAA Tournament Schedule
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Selection Sunday: March 16 at 6 p.m. ET
First Four: March 18-19
First round: March 20-21
Second round: March 22-23
Sweet 16: March 27-28
Elite Eight: March 29-30
Final Four: April 5
NCAA Championship: April 7
Bracket Predictions
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Who gets the No. 1 seeds?
Auburn, Duke and Houston all feel locked into the top seed lines already. That leaves the last No. 1 seed up in the air with Florida, Tennessee, Alabama, Michigan State and Texas Tech among the teams vying for that spot.
While this weekend's season finales and next week's conference tournaments might crown the victor, for now, we're liking the Gators' chances of ending up on the No. 1 line. The combination of their win over Alabama and Tennessee's loss to Ole Miss may have decided it.
Who are the last four in?
Bubble teams have to hope that chalk prevails during championship week. Every unexpected conference tournament winner potentially takes away an otherwise available seat at the table.
Barring any shocking results, though, our crystal ball sees North Carolina, Ohio State, Xavier and Boise State claiming the final spots.
Who gets left out?
If the above predictions hold, expect to hear audible groans on Selection Sunday coming out of California, Texas, Nebraska and Oklahoma.
San Diego State boosted its stock with an early win over Houston, but the Aztecs are otherwise short on quality wins and have two Quad 2 losses and one Quad 3 defeat. Texas has some quality victories, but a 6-11 record in the SEC isn't great, and the Longhorns have a losing record against Quad 2 opponents.
Nebraska's tournament chances seemed relatively solid a few weeks back, but four consecutive losses may have spelled the Huskers' demise. Oklahoma, finally, might've been undone by the depth of the SEC. Even in a conference that deep, there are only so many ways to spin a 5-12 conference record.
Championship Odds
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Duke +350 (bet $100 to win $350)
Auburn +370
Houston +800
Florida +800
Tennessee +1200
Alabama +1500
Iowa State +2200
St. John's +2500
Michigan State +2800
Missouri +3000
Texas A&M +3000
Wisconsin +3500
Maryland +4000
Kentucky +4000
Arizona +4000
Texas Tech +4000
Purdue +5000
Gonzaga +5000
Marquette +5500
Kansas +6000
Clemson +6000
Illinois +7000
BYU +7000
Ole Miss +7500
Mississippi State +7500
Michigan +7500
Louisville +7500
Creighton +7500
UConn +7500
St. Mary's +8000
UCLA +9000
Odds, lines and betting splits refresh periodically and are subject to change. 21+ (19+ CA-ONT) (18+ NH/WY). AZ, CO, CT, IA, IL, IN, KS, LA (select parishes), MA, MD, MI, NH, NJ, NY, OH, OR, PA, TN, VA, WV, WY, CA-ONT only. Eligibility restrictions apply. See terms at draftkings.com/sportsbook. DraftKings operates pursuant to an Operating Agreement with iGaming Ontario. Please play responsibly.
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