Men's NCAA Tournament 2025: Power Ranking All Teams Left in Round 2

The dream of winning a national title is alive for 32 teams.

After the First Four matchups earlier in the week, Thursday and Friday brought the first round of the 2025 men's NCAA tournament. The fast-paced two-day slate trimmed the 64-team field in a hurry.

Heading into the second round, all of the main contenders are still in play. But that situation is very liable to change over the weekend.

Upsets—they are a-brewin'.

The order is a subjective ranking of the best remaining teams, not their likelihood of reaching the Sweet 16.

32-27. McNeese, Colorado State, Baylor, UCLA, Arkansas, New Mexico

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Sincere Parker and Christian Shumate of McNeese

32. McNeese Cowboys (28-6, No. 12 seed)

Not only did McNeese eliminate Clemson, the Cowboys flat-out dominated the fifth-seeded team for most of the game. They clamped down defensively and yielded just 13 points in the opening half. Clemson made a late charge, but McNeese survived 69-67 to advance and play Purdue in the second round.

31. Colorado State Rams (26-9, No. 12 Seed)

Memphis didn't have key guard Tyrese Hunter, and Colorado State took advantage of his absence. Nique Clifford filled the stat sheet with 14 points, eight rebounds and six assists, while Kyan Evans poured in a career-high 23 points. That backcourt will be critical for CSU in the second round opposite Maryland.

30. Baylor Bears (20-14, No. 9 Seed)

Mississippi State's last-second shots missed the mark, and Baylor escaped Friday's opening game with a 75-72 victory. However, after a 6-of-24 showing from beyond the arc, the Bears need to bring a much-improved offense on Sunday against top-seeded Duke.

29. UCLA Bruins (23-10, No. 7 Seed)

You like defense? How about UCLA holding Utah State to a 4-of-31 mark on the perimeter and rolling to a 72-47 blowout? Yeah, that'll work. UCLA's upcoming clash with Tennessee has the makings of a defensive slugfest.

28. Arkansas Razorbacks (21-13, No. 10 Seed)

Kansas recovered from an 11-point second-half deficit and moved in front, but Arkansas took control down the stretch in a 79-72 victory. Jonas Aidoo notched a season-best 22 points to help the Hogs win without top scorer Adou Thiero, whose status remains in question for the showdown with St. John's.

27. New Mexico Lobos (27-7, No. 10 Seed)

Donovan Dent, the Player of the Year in the Mountain West, backed up his billing with 21 points and six assists in a 75-66 triumph over Marquette. As long as he's producing on offense, the defense-driven Lobos will be a pest.

26-21. Saint Mary's, Drake, Illinois, Ole Miss, Oregon, UConn

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Bennett Stirtz

26. Saint Mary's Gaels (29-5, No. 7 Seed)

Vanderbilt led throughout much of the game, but Saint Mary's found a late run to clip the SEC squad 59-56. Whether the Gaels can score enough to stay alive will be thoroughly tested with fast-paced Alabama on the horizon.

25. Drake Bulldogs (31-3, No. 11 Seed)

Drake's grinding pace, sturdy defense and efficient scoring took out sixth-seeded Missouri. Bennett Stirtz put up 21 points and four assists, while the Bulldogs forced 17 turnovers in their 67-57 victory. It marked the program's first non-First Four triumph since 1971.

24. Illinois Fighting Illini (22-12, No. 6 Seed)

Will Riley went for 22 points, while Kasparas Jakucionis and Tomislav Ivisic both notched double-doubles in a solid 86-73 win against Xavier. Kentucky will present a much tougher challenge offensively, but Illinois—at its best—could be able to stick with the third-seeded 'Cats.

23. Ole Miss Rebels (23-11, No. 6 Seed)

North Carolina's torrid shooting from Tuesday did not carry over against Ole Miss, which limited UNC to a 5-of-24 perimeter clip. Sean Pedulla netted 20 points, leading the Rebels to an NCAA tournament win for the first time in a decade.

22. Oregon Ducks (25-9, No. 5 Seed)

That, uh, that was finished quick. Oregon raced out to an 18-2 lead and thwarted any hopes of 12th-seeded Liberty springing the upset. Nate Bittle registered 14 points and 10 rebounds in the 81-52 rout, moving the Ducks into a second-round showdown with former Pac-12 foe Arizona.

21. Connecticut Huskies (24-10, No. 8 Seed)

It wasn't always pretty. Connecticut shot a meager 6-of-25 from beyond the arc, committed 13 turnovers and fouled 25 times. On that set of stats, you could be forgiven for thinking UConn lost. But a stingy defense helped the Huskies get past Oklahoma 67-59 and earn a showdown with top-seeded Florida.

20-16. Creighton, Michigan, Purdue, Gonzaga, Arizona

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Ty Davis and Steven Ashworth of Creighton

20. Creighton Bluejays (25-10, No. 9 seed)

Nothing is more dangerous than an offense on fire. Creighton showed off that upside in its 89-75 triumph over Louisville, hitting 11-of-24 threes and shooting a sizzling 57.1 percent from the field as Jamiya Neal scored a career-high 29 points. Top-seeded Auburn certainly won't be overlooking the Bluejays.

19. Michigan Wolverines (26-9, No. 5 Seed)

Although it went to the wire, Michigan clipped UC San Diego 68-65. Tre Donaldson buried a clutch three with about two minutes left to ultimately give the Wolverines a hard-fought win, sending them to the second round opposite Texas A&M.

18. Purdue Boilermakers (23-11, No. 4 Seed)

High Point made a run at upsetting Purdue, but All-American guard Braden Smith stepped up late to propel the Boilermakers in a 75-63 victory. He ended with 20 points and six assists. Purdue will attempt to stop the brewing Cinderella story for McNeese in the first game on Saturday afternoon.

17. Gonzaga Bulldogs (26-8, No. 9 Seed)

In the opening half, Gonzaga built a 27-3 lead on Georgia. Somehow, that's neither a joke nor a football score—and Gonzaga doesn't have a football team anyway. The high-powered Zags had three starters with 18-plus points and locked in a chance to make the program's 10th straight Sweet 16 trip.

16. Arizona Wildcats (23-12, No. 4 Seed)

Akron entered with upset dreams, but Arizona dominated the second half and won comfortably 93-65. Most impressively, the 'Cats pulled down 53 rebounds to Akron's 22 boards. Arizona has a chance to snap a decade drought of not making the Sweet 16 in consecutive years.

15-11. Texas A&M, BYU, Iowa State, Wisconsin, Kentucky

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Wade Taylor IV

15. Texas A&M Aggies (23-10, No. 4 Seed)

Given that Yale eliminated both Baylor and Auburn in the last decade, this was a solid result for Texas A&M. Pharrel Payne had a huge performance off the bench, racking up a career-high 25 points with 10 rebounds in the 80-71 win.

14. BYU Cougars (25-9, No. 6 Seed)

Oddly enough, BYU dispatched VCU by the exact identical score as Texas A&M did with Yale. Richie Saunders netted 16 points, and BYU held a double-digit advantage for the whole second half except for the first and last minute. Next up for the Cougars is Wisconsin, setting up a fascinating clash of high-scoring offenses.

13. Iowa State Cyclones (25-9, No. 3 Seed)

Defense owned the afternoon for Iowa State. Lipscomb led 16-15 early on, but the Cyclones ceded just 39 points over the last 30-plus minutes in an 82-55 rout. Iowa State is targeting its third trip to the Sweet 16 in the last four seasons.

12. Wisconsin Badgers (27-9, No. 3 Seed)

Montana kept it close into the second half, but Wisconsin owned the last 15 minutes and pulled away for an 85-66 victory. The balanced effort—five players hit double figures, led by 19 from John Blackwell—will be essential to the Badgers' hopes of making their first Sweet 16 since 2017.

11. Kentucky Wildcats (23-11, No. 3 Seed)

As with so many others in the first round, Kentucky fought off a motivated underdog in the early minutes and cruised to a lopsided victory. Otega Oweh paced the 'Cats with 20 points and six assists. Not since 2019 has UK won a pair of NCAA tournament games.

10-6. Maryland, St. John's, Texas Tech, Tennessee, Michigan State

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Kerwin Walton

10. Maryland Terrapins (26-8, No. 4 Seed)

Star freshman Derik Queen was unkind to Grand Canyon, tallying 12 points and 15 rebounds in an 81-49 demolition. Limited depth will be Maryland's main obstacle to withstand, but the Terps are off to a great start.

9. St. John's Red Storm (31-4, No. 2 Seed)

Omaha surged to a 7-0 lead in the early minutes, which turned a few questioning eyebrows toward St. John's. Sure enough, the Red Storm's suffocating defense took control and surrendered only 53 points on 70 shot attempts. The other important part is St. John's matched a season-high total of 14 threes. If the Johnnies keep knocking down those shots, they'll be a serious threat with Arkansas up next.

8. Texas Tech Red Raiders (26-8, No. 3 Seed)

As upset hopeful UNC Wilmington focused on containing All-American forward JT Toppin, the Red Raiders turned to the perimeter. They launched an NCAA tournament-record 46 threes in the hard-fought 82-72 triumph, and Kerwin Walton drained eight of the triples within his career-best 27 points.

7. Tennessee Volunteers (28-7, No. 2 Seed)

Tennessee never trailed in a 77-62 victory over Wofford. Chaz Lanier had 29 points, while Zakai Zeigler registered a double-double with 12 points and 12 assists. UCLA awaits the Vols, who boast one of the nation's top defenses.

6. Michigan State Spartans (28-6, No. 2 Seed)

For an uncomfortable amount of time—to Michigan State fans, at least—the Spartans weren't in total control. Bryant was within six points until the 15-minute mark of the second half. MSU, however, showed its superior talent and separated for a relaxed 87-62 win. New Mexico is next for Sparty.

5-1: Alabama, Florida, Auburn, Houston, Duke

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5. Alabama Crimson Tide (26-8, No. 2 Seed)

Robert Morris absolutely refused to lose quietly, even jumping in front of Alabama with about seven minutes left in regulation. But then, All-American guard Mark Sears did what All-Americans do and carried the Crimson Tide. He scored 14 points down the stretch, finishing with 22 and adding 10 assists as Bama withstood RMU's valiant upset effort 90-81.

4. Florida Gators (31-4, No. 1 Seed)

There was no drama for Florida, which sprinted out to a lead of 30-plus points over Norfolk State in the opening half. Walter Clayton Jr. scored 23 points, and the Gators now have a chance at the program's first Sweet 16 since 2017.

3. Auburn Tigers (29-5, No. 1 Seed)

Auburn handled its business in a clash with Alabama State, pulling away in the second half behind a huge performance from Miles Kelly. The senior guard knocked down seven triples in an 83-63 victory. Auburn is set to meet Creighton, a thorny ninth seed, in the second round.

2. Houston Cougars (31-4, No. 1 Seed)

Houston left no doubt against SIU Edwardsville. While tallying a 50-27 rebounding edge, the Cougars ceded a meager 30.6 shooting percentage—including an incredible 2-of-24 mark allowed from the perimeter. Houston is known for its defense, and that strength had better show up again when the Cougars meet high-scoring Gonzaga on Saturday night.

1. Duke Blue Devils (32-3, No. 1 Seed)

Duke strolled past Mount St. Mary's in a 93-49 romp. Most importantly, the Blue Devils saw a comfortable Cooper Flagg in his 22 minutes of action. Duke is set to face Baylor and old friend Jeremy Roach, who played four seasons in Durham prior to transferring out.