The NCAA tournament field has been announced, so it's time to fill out your brackets. We're here to help. In a year defined by surprises (Rick Pitino owns New York City!) and letdowns (no West Virginia?), men's college basketball has been a fascinating ride in 2024-25. Now, the hard part: picking the perfect bracket. Remember to pay attention to recent injuries and the teams that have played well down the stretch -- and also, the teams that have fallen apart in recent weeks. Here is what you need to know about every team in the field, including what we think will be their ceilings in the Big Dance.
It has been 14 years since a national champion lost its final two regular-season games and then made a run to the NCAA title (UConn, 2011). Auburn's regular-season finish -- 4-3, including losing the final two games -- still feels like a blip, considering it defeated six top-15 KenPom squads on its way to securing a No. 1 seed and earning "Excellent" ratings on both offense and defense, per Synergy Sports data. Johni Broome (18.6 points per game, 10.6 rebounds per game, 2.6 blocks per game) is the only real competition for Cooper Flagg in the race for the Wooden Award, while Tahaad Pettiford (11.6 PPG, 39% from beyond the arc) is a key player in this 10-man rotation with a fleet of veterans on the roster (for context, Chad Baker-Mazara, 25, is older than Zion Williamson). Bruce Pearl has a serious contender to win the program's first national title.
Jon Scheyer has gone against the grain in today's era and found a way to win with one of America's youngest teams. Led by Wooden Award favorite Cooper Flagg, the young Blue Devils could make a run to the national championship 10 years after a collection of freshmen under Mike Krzyzewski last cut down the nets for the program -- assuming Flagg is healthy after he missed most of the ACC tournament with an ankle injury. Key defensive contributor Maliq Brown could miss significant time with a shoulder injury, too. The road to the 2025 national title begins with Flagg, one of the most complete players in recent college basketball history. He's the offensive leader on a roster that starts three freshmen (Flagg, Kon Knueppel and Khaman Maluach). He also anchors one of the best defensive units in the sport, ranked fourth in adjusted defensive efficiency on KenPom. Duke finished the regular season on a 19-1 run after Flagg turned 18 years old Dec. 21. It also has a win over Auburn. These Blue Devils are special.
During the offseason, coach Todd Golden made a key decision that positioned the Gators to win their first national championship since back-to-back crowns in 2006 and 2007. He moved Walter Clayton Jr. (17.3 PPG, 4.4 APG, 1.3 SPG, 37% from the 3-point line) to point guard. As a result, the third-best offense in adjusted efficiency, according to KenPom, has averaged 84.8 points this season. That's a top-10 mark. The Gators also finished second in defensive efficiency in the SEC behind Tennessee. They went 3-1 against Tennessee (1-1), Auburn (1-0) and Alabama (1-0) in the regular season, and Clayton's supporting cast -- Will Richard, Alex Condon and Florida Atlantic transfer Alijah Martin, all of whom are averaging double figures -- is one of the best in the country. There are no doubts about Florida's title aspirations.
Click to continue readingSource: "Men's March Madness 2025 bracket: Get to know all 68 teams" from ESPN, accessed 3/16/25.