March Madness 2025: Men’s & Women’s NCAA Tournament Seeds, Schedule/ Newslooks/ WASHINGTON/ J. Mansour/ Morning Edition/ The 2025 NCAA Tournament brackets are officially set, with Auburn, Houston, Duke, and Florida earning No. 1 seeds in the men’s bracket, while UCLA, South Carolina, USC, and Texas top the women’s field. The First Four matchups tip off Tuesday for the men and Wednesday for the women. Florida (+350) and South Carolina (+270) are early betting favorites. The SEC shattered records with 14 teams in the men’s tournament, while the Big Ten leads the women’s field with 12 entries.
March Madness Bracket Breakdown: Quick Looks
- Men’s No. 1 Seeds: Auburn, Houston, Duke, Florida.
- Women’s No. 1 Seeds: UCLA, South Carolina, USC, Texas.
- Betting Favorites: Florida (+350, men) and South Carolina (+270, women) lead odds.
- SEC Dominates: 14 men’s teams, breaking the previous tournament record.
- Big Ten’s Strong Women’s Field: 12 teams make the bracket, including No. 1 seeds UCLA & USC.
- Cinderella Watch: No. 11 seeds historically make deep runs—who will shock the bracket this year?
- Tournament Start Dates: First Four begins March 18 (men) and March 19 (women).
March Madness 2025: Men’s & Women’s NCAA Tournament Seeds, Schedule
March Madness 2025: Full Bracket Reveal and Key Matchups
The brackets are set, and March Madness is here! The 2025 NCAA Tournament will feature 64 men’s and 64 women’s teams, with Auburn, Houston, Duke, and Florida claiming the top men’s seeds, and UCLA, South Carolina, USC, and Texas leading the women’s bracket.
The tournament kicks off March 18 in Dayton, Ohio, with the First Four matchups, before heading into full first-round action on March 20-21.
Men’s NCAA Tournament Bracket: Top Seeds & Favorites
No. 1 seeds in each region:
Auburn (South)
Houston (Midwest)
Duke (East)
Florida (West)
Betting Favorites (Men’s Title Odds via BetMGM):
Florida (+350) – Slight favorite over Duke (+360), followed by Auburn (4-1) and Houston (6-1).
Alabama is a longshot at 15-1, but could make noise with a favorable draw.
Women’s NCAA Tournament Bracket: Power Teams & Surprises
No. 1 seeds in each region:
UCLA (West)
South Carolina (East)
USC (South)
Texas (Midwest)
Betting Favorites (Women’s Title Odds via BetMGM):
South Carolina (+270) – Narrow favorite over UConn (+275).
USC (+550) and Texas (6-1) are in the mix as potential Final Four contenders.
Key Conference Trends & Records
SEC Breaks Men’s Tournament Record: A whopping 14 SEC teams made the men’s field, shattering the previous record of 11 held by the Big East (2011).
Big Ten Leads Women’s Entries: A record 12 teams from the Big Ten made the women’s tournament, including top seeds UCLA and USC.
Bubble Teams Left Out: Boise State, Indiana, and West Virginia were not selected for the men’s tournament, despite expectations they would sneak in.
Must-Watch Elite Eight Potential Matchups
Men’s Regional 3: No. 1 Texas vs. No. 2 TCU – A Texas-sized battle between in-state rivals could decide a Final Four spot.
Women’s Regional 4: No. 1 USC vs. No. 2 UConn – A rematch of December’s epic showdown, when USC edged UConn 72-70.
Key First-Round Cinderella Watch
Notre Dame (Women’s No. 3 Seed) – After losing 3 of its last 5 games, the Irish slid from a potential No. 1 seed to a No. 3 seed, opening against 14th-seeded Stephen F. Austin.
11-seeds in the Men’s Tournament – Historically, No. 11 seeds have frequent deep runs, including Final Four appearances from LSU (1986), George Mason (2006), VCU (2011), Loyola Chicago (2018), and NC State (2024).
Complete NCAA Tournament Schedule
- First Four: March 18-19 (Dayton, Ohio)
- First Round: March 20-21
- Second Round: March 22-23
- Sweet 16: March 27-28
- Elite Eight: March 29-30
- Final Four: April 5
- Championship Game: April 7
- First Four: March 19-20
- First Round: March 21-22
- Second Round: March 23-24
- Sweet 16: March 28-29
- Elite Eight: March 30-31
- Final Four: April 4
- Championship Game: April 6
Locations for NCAA Tournament Games
- First Four: Dayton, Ohio
- First & Second Rounds: Cleveland, Denver, Lexington (KY), Milwaukee, Providence (RI), Raleigh (NC), Seattle, Wichita (KS)
- Sweet 16 & Elite Eight: Newark (East), Atlanta (South), Indianapolis (Midwest), San Francisco (West)
- Final Four & Championship: Alamodome, San Antonio, TX
- First Four & Early Rounds: Played at campus sites
- Sweet 16 & Elite Eight: Birmingham, Alabama & Spokane, Washington
- Final Four & Championship: Amalie Arena, Tampa, Florida
Can Another ‘Cinderella’ Shock the Tournament?
In men’s basketball, low-seed Cinderella stories have defined March Madness history.
The lowest-seeded team to ever win the NCAA Tournament was Villanova (1985), which won as a No. 8 seed.
With a wide-open field, will 2025 be the year another Cinderella makes history?
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