- No. 1 UCLA vs. No. 16 UC San Diego/Southern
- No. 8 Richmond vs. No. 9 Georgia Tech
- No. 5 Mississippi vs. No. 12 Ball State
- No. 4 Baylor vs. No. 13 Grand Canyon
- No. 6 Florida State vs. No. 11 George Mason
- No. 3 LSU vs. No. 14 San Diego State
- No. 7 Michigan State vs. No. 10 Harvard
- No. 2 N.C. State vs. No. 15 Vermont
The women’s tournament bracket will be unveiled at the top of the hour on ESPN.
We’ll keep you posted on the matchups.
One of the big questions heading into the women’s bracket reveal is whether the Ivy League will put three teams in.
Harvard won the automatic bid, leaving Columbia and Princeton on the bubble. In addition to those two teams, the rest of the bubble includes teams like Iowa State, Washington, Virginia Tech, Colorado, James Madison, Saint Joseph’s and Minnesota.
McNeese State coach Will Wade will face one of his former teams in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.
The well-traveled Wade started his coaching career as a graduate assistant at Clemson in 2005. He served as head coach at Chattanooga, VCU and LSU before landing at McNeese.
He now will face Clemson, the No. 5 seed in the Midwest Region, in Providence on Thursday. The Cowboys are the 12 seed in the region.
Arkansas head coach John Calipari speaks during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game against Mississippi at the Southeastern Conference tournament, Thursday, March 13, 2025, in Nashville, Tenn. (AP Photo/Wade Payne)
The Kansas-Arkansas meeting will be yet another matchup between Self and Calipari.
They already met in the 2008 and 2012 national title games. Self and Kansas defeated Calipari and Memphis in 2008, and Calipari and Kentucky beat Self and Kansas in 2012.
Providence, Rhode Island, might as well be dubbed Titletown for the first and second rounds of the NCAA Tournament.
Coaches Rick Pitino, Bill Self and John Calipari will bring a combined five NCAA championships to the host site.
Pitino, who took Providence to the Final Four in 1987 and won titles at Kentucky (1996) and Louisville (2013), returns to the city as coach at St. John’s. The Red Storm will face Omaha in the opening round.
Self and seventh-seeded Kansas will square off against Calipari and No. 10 seed Arkansas. Self has two titles (2008, 2022) with the Jayhawks. Calipari followed Pitino at Kentucky and led the Wildcats to the 2012 title.
According to Ken Pomeroy’s rankings, the top team that didn’t make the field was Ohio State at No. 39.
The weakest at-large team is Utah State at No. 52.
A team to watch is Gonzaga, ranked No. 9 in the country by Pomeroy but seeded just eighth in the Midwest, with a possible matchup in the second round against Houston. VCU is 30th in Pomeroy but got an 11 seed, Memphis is 51st in Pomeroy but is seeded fifth in the West.
Fans navigating the dozens of schools in the NCAA men’s and women’s basketball tournaments might become as attached to the mascots as the athletes themselves.
Furry, animated characters used as rallying points for teams with unique nicknames have been around for decades, and this year’s March Madness will have some dandies.
▶ Read more about mascots in March Madness
The 2025 Men’s Division I NCAA Tournament bracket (AP/Jake O’Connell)
Utah State is in the NCAA Tournament for the third consecutive year — with three different head coaches.
Ryan Odom led the Aggies to the tournament in 2023 and then bolted for VCU. Danny Sprinkle got them to the Big Dance in his only season and then moved on to Washington. Now, Jerrod Calhoun has them back for another try at getting past the opening weekend.
Alabama and Vanderbilt could play an all-SEC game in the second round.
And the bottom of the West Region bracket includes three legendary coaches in Rick Pitino (St. John’s), Bill Self (Kansas) and John Calipari (Arkansas). The latter two face each other in the first round. Looking even further down the road, if Auburn and Alabama meet again, it would be for the national championship.
North Carolina athletic director Bubba Cunningham applauds the seniors before an NCAA college football game against North Carolina State Friday, Nov. 25, 2022, in Chapel Hill, N.C. (AP Photo/Chris Seward)
North Carolina athletic director Bubba Cunningham appeared on the selection show after the bracket was revealed to say he left the room when the committee made its final decision on the Tar Heels’ fate.
Boise State and Indiana are on the outside looking in after Texas and North Carolina squeaked into the men’s NCAA Tournament.
And West Virginia may be an even more surprising omission. The Mountaineers were not even one of the last four in when ESPN, Sports Illustrated and the Washington Post made their projections. They were expected to make it more comfortably than that.
If you were holding out hope for a Drake vs. Lamar matchup, you’ll have to wait until next year.
Drake, a school in Iowa that plays in the Missouri Valley Conference, qualified for the field as a No. 11 seed in the West. But Lamar, a Texas institution that plays in the Southland Conference, lost in the championship game of its league tournament.
The Southeastern Conference shattered the previous record for getting the most teams into the NCAA Tournament. The previous mark was 11 set by the Big East in 2011.
The SEC topped it by three, with Auburn, Florida, Alabama, Tennessee, Texas A&M, Kentucky, Ole Miss, Missouri, Mississippi State, Georgia, Vanderbilt, Arkansas, Oklahoma and Texas all getting in. Only LSU and South Carolina were left out from the league best known as a football powerhouse.
- No. 1 Florida vs. No. 16 Norfolk State
- No. 8 UConn vs. No. 9 Oklahoma
- No. 5 Memphis vs. No. 12 Colorado State
- No. 4 Maryland vs. No. 13 Grand Canyon
- No. 6 Missouri vs. No. 11 Drake
- No. 3 Texas Tech vs. No. 14 UNC-Wilmington
- No. 7 Kansas vs. No. 10 Arkansas
- No. 2 St. John’s vs. No. 15 Omaha
The NCAA selection committee loves to create matchups that provide storylines, and there’s a not-so-obvious one in the first round involving No. 8 seed Gonzaga and ninth-seeded Georgia in the Midwest Region.
Georgia coach Mike White recruited current NBA standout Andrew Nembhard to Florida in 2018 and knows the family well. Now, he faces — and will try to slow down — Gonzaga star Ryan Nembhard.
With the Texas-Xavier matchup now announced, we know that the last four at-large teams in the field are those two, plus North Carolina and San Diego State. That’s not what teams like Indiana and Boise State wanted to see.
- No. 1 Houston vs. No. 16 SIU Edwardsville
- No. 8 Gonzaga vs. No. 9 Georgia
- No. 5 Clemson vs. No. 12 McNeese State
- No. 4 Purdue vs. No. 13 High Point
- No. 6 Illinois vs. No. 11 Texas/ Xavier
- No. 3 Kentucky vs. No. 14 Troy
- No. 7 UCLA vs. No. 10 Utah State
- No. 2 Tennessee vs. No. 15 Wofford
The CBS Selection Sunday show has gone to commercial break. Up next, the men’s Midwest Region will be revealed.
- No. 1 Duke vs. No. 16 American/Mount St. Mary’s
- No. 8 Mississippi State vs. No. 9 Baylor
- No. 5 Oregon vs. No. 12 Liberty
- No. 4 Arizona vs. No. 13 Akron
- No. 6 BYU vs. No. 11 Virginia Commonwealth
- No. 3 Wisconsin vs. No. 14 Montana
- No. 7 Saint Mary’s vs. No. 10 Vanderbilt
- No. 2 Alabama vs. No. 15 Robert Morris
With so many SEC teams expected in the field, it’ll be hard to keep them separate. Already we see three in the South Region, with a possible Auburn-Texas A&M matchup in the Sweet 16.
North Carolina’s Ian Jackson (11) attempts a shot as Georgia Tech’s Duncan Powell (31) defends during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game in Chapel Hill, N.C., (AP Photo/Ben McKeown)
North Carolina is the first major bubble team to make the field, slipping into the First Four against San Diego State. That’ll be a major topic of debate after the Tar Heels struggled to beat top competition this season.
- No. 1 Auburn vs. No. 16 Alabama State/Saint Francis
- No. 8 Louisville vs. No. 9 Crieghton
- No. 5 Michigan vs. No. 12 UC San Diego
- No. 4 Texas A&M vs. No. 13 Yale
- No. 6 Ole Miss vs. No. 11 San Diego St/North Carolina
- No. 3 Iowa State vs. No. 14 Lipscomb
- No. 7 Marquette vs. No. 10 New Mexico
- No. 2 Michigan State vs. No. 15 Bryant
CBS began revealing the bracket after a brief tribute to Greg Gumbel, the longtime sportscaster who died from cancer at age 78 recently. In March, Gumbel missed his first NCAA Tournament since 1997 due to what he said at the time were family health issues.
The Selection Sunday show is about to begin on CBS. The men’s bracket will be revealed first.
The women’s bracket will be revealed during an 8 p.m. ET show on ESPN.
We’ll keep you updated here as soon as teams are revealed.
For the first time in NCAA history, there will be a financial incentive for women’s teams. They will finally paid for playing games in the NCAA Tournament just like the men have for years.
▶ Read more about equal pay in the NCAA
Xavier guard Ryan Conwell (7) looks to pass the ball past Marquette guard Chase Ross, right, during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game in the quarterfinals of the Big East Conference tournament, Thursday, March 13, 2025, in New York. (AP Photo/Pamela Smith)
Memphis and Virginia Commonwealth won their conference tournaments Sunday, so that means there will be no more bid thieves before the selections are announced.
The last few teams on the bubble appear to be San Diego State, Indiana, Xavier, Texas, Boise State and North Carolina, although a few others may be feeling nervous or holding out hope. If Memphis and VCU had lost, they would have entered the at-large pool, but that didn’t happen.
Beyond the matchups, most of the drama will revolve around the Tar Heels and Longhorns, who are on the bubble and saw their chances of making the field of 68 shrink thanks to Colorado State’s run through the Mountain West Conference tournament.
The Rams’ win positions the Mountain West to grab at least three, and possibly up to five, bids if runner-up Boise State makes it.
▶ Read more here.
Ten programs have reached the NCAA Tournament for the first time.
High Point, Omaha, SIU Edwardsville and UC San Diego are making their first appearances in the men’s event.
Arkansas State, Fairleigh Dickinson, George Mason, Grand Canyon, UC San Diego and William & Mary have qualified for the first time on the women’s side.
William & Mary, a school established in 1693 that has been playing basketball for over a century, had never made the NCAA Tournament in men’s or women’s basketball.
▶ Read more here.
You might notice a couple familiar names in the men’s NCAA Tournament:
- Michigan’s Justin Pippen is the son of Pro Basketball Hall of Famer Scottie Pippen.
- Michigan State’s Jase Richardson is the son of longtime NBA player Jason Richardson.
Several more famous sons failed to make the field:
- Cal guard Andrej Stojakovic, the son of retired NBA standout Peja Stojakovic
- Rutgers guard Dylan Harper, the son of longtime NBA starter Ron Harper
- Temple guard Jamal Mashburn Jr., the son of longtime NBA player Jamal Mashburn
Florida Atlantic won’t show up on anyone’s bracket this season. But the small school from South Florida, the one that shockingly made the Final Four in 2023, has a presence in the field.
Through transfers and a coaching move, four players and coach Dusty May will be in the NCAA Tournament again.
May is at Michigan along with center Vladislav Goldin. Joining them in the Big Dance are former teammates Nick Boyd at San Diego State, Johnell Davis at Arkansas and Alijah Martin at Florida.
Tennessee head coach Rick Barnes yells to his players during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game against Auburn, Saturday, Feb. 4, 2023, in Knoxville, Tenn. (AP Photo/Wade Payne)
Rick Barnes at Tennessee, Tom Izzo at Michigan State and Rick Pitino at St. John’s could be retired by now. But they keep going — and keep delivering.
They’ll be in the men’s tournament again this year, bringing a combined 3,477 games of experience:
- Barnes, 70, has coached 1,252 games at George Mason, Providence, Clemson, Texas and Tennessee.
- Izzo, 70, has coached 1,033 games at Michigan State.
- Pitino, 72, has coached 1,192 games at Hawaii, Boston University, Providence, Kentucky, Louisville, Iona and St. John’s. Pitino won the tournament with Kentucky in 1996 and Louisville in 2013. He’s the only coach to win the title with two different schools.
For the third consecutive year, the NCAA Women’s Tournament features a generational talent.
The last two years it was Iowa guard Caitlin Clark, who is now starring for the WNBA’s Indiana Fever.
This time, it’s UConn’s Paige Bueckers.
Dallas is predicted to select the 6-foot guard with the first pick in mid-April. USC forward Kiki Iriafan, Notre Dame guard Olivia Miles and LSU guard Flau’jae Johnson also could be high picks.
In waiting is USC guard JuJu Watkins. She’s a 6-foot-2 sophomore averaging 24.6 points and 6.9 rebounds per game who could turn pro after another collegiate season.
The NCAA Tournament is filled with future NBA starters, maybe even stars.
Duke freshman forward Cooper Flagg is generally considered a lock to be the top pick in the NBA draft in June.
Baylor guard VJ Edgecombe, Illinois guard Kasparas Jakucionis and BYU guard Egor Demin also are predicted lottery picks in the draft.
Duke could have two more guys drafted in the first round: guard Kon Knueppel and center Khaman Maluach.
Oregon State, which was left behind when Pac-12 schools fled for other power conferences, now plays basketball in the West Coast Conference — and won the WCC’s automatic bid for the women’s tournament.
Alabama guard Mark Sears (1) drives against Florida guard Walter Clayton Jr. (1) during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game in the semifinal round of the Southeastern Conference tournament, Saturday, March 15, 2025, in Nashville, Tenn. (AP Photo/George Walker IV)
The Southeastern Conference, normally a football power, has been unusually strong this season in basketball.
Its two newest members — Oklahoma and Texas — are both on the bubble, but if they get in, the SEC could have as many as 14 of its 16 teams in the men’s tournament.
Each conference receives an automatic bid to both the men’s and women’s tournaments, and then the rest of those fields are filled by the committee’s at-large selections.
The recent demise of the Pac-12 lowered the number of automatic qualifiers to 31, leaving room for 37 at-large teams.
South Carolina players celebrate at the end of the Final Four college basketball championship game against Iowa in the women’s NCAA Tournament, Sunday, April 7, 2024, in Cleveland. South Carolina won 87-75. (AP Photo/Morry Gash)
UConn won back-to-back men’s titles the past two years. The Huskies beat Purdue in the championship game last season, becoming the third program since 1990 to win consecutive titles. They joined Duke (1991-92) and Florida (2006-07).
South Carolina won the 2024 women’s tournament by beating Iowa and superstar guard Caitlin Clark — a game that drew a record 18.7 million viewers. Teams from the powerhouse Southeastern Conference have won three in a row, with LSU and star forward Angel Reese winning in 2023 and South Carolina winning in 2022 behind star center Aliyah Boston.
The women’s First Four is played at campus sites, which also will host first- and second-round games.
The Sweet 16 and Elite Eight games will be held at two venues — one in Birmingham, Alabama, and the other in Spokane, Washington.
The Final Four and championship game will be at Amalie Arena in Tampa, Florida.
FILE – Villanova’s Jalen Brunson (1), Mikal Bridges (25) and their teammates celebrate after the NCAA Final Four tournament college basketball championship game against North Carolina, Monday, April 4, 2016, in Houston. Villanova won 77-74. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip, File)
A high seed that makes a run to the Sweet 16 or beyond is affectionately called “Cinderella.”
Five No. 11 seeds have advanced to the men’s Final Four: LSU (1986), George Mason (2006), VCU (2011), Loyola Chicago (2018) and N.C. State (2024).
Villanova is considered the ultimate Cinderella — the Wildcats won the 1985 NCAA Tournament by upsetting top-seeded Georgetown as a No. 8 seed, the lowest to ever win the title.
Finding a Cinderella is tougher on the women’s side. No teams lower than a No. 3 seed have won the women’s event. It happened three times: 1994 North Carolina, 1997 Tennessee and 2023 LSU.
The First Four will be played in Dayton, Ohio. The first and second rounds are in Cleveland; Denver; Lexington, Kentucky; Milwaukee; Providence, Rhode Island; Raleigh, North Carolina; Seattle; and Wichita, Kansas.
The regional semifinals (Sweet 16) and finals (Elite Eight) will take place in Newark, New Jersey (East Region); Atlanta (South); Indianapolis (Midwest); and San Francisco (West). The tournament ends with the Final Four and championship game at the Alamodome in San Antonio.
Bubble watch is a term to track the teams that are teetering between making and not making the NCAA Tournament. These teams are considered to be “on the bubble.”
Teams that win conference tournaments secure automatic berths — often at the expense of others. So bubble watch is essentially keeping tabs on teams that need to win to get in or need others to lose to sneak in.
March Madness banners for the NCAA college basketball tournament cover crosswalks in downtown Indianapolis, Wednesday, March 17, 2021. (AP Photo/Darron Cummings)
Every game of the men’s tournament will be aired — here is a schedule that will be updated with matchups — either on CBS, TBS, TNT or TruTV and their digital platforms, including Paramount+. The NCAA will also stream games via its March Madness Live option.
Every game of the women’s tournament will be aired — here is a schedule that will be updated with matchups — on ESPN’s networks and streaming services with select games on ABC.
- 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
- 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
- Championship game: April 7
The women’s bracket is arranged similarly to the men’s side with a few exceptions. The play-in games along with the first- and second-round games usually are played at the home arenas of the top four teams in each region.
Neutral sites begin in the Sweet 16.
A total of 68 teams make the NCAA Tournament.
Eight of those teams start in a preliminary round called the play-in games. The four winners there make it into the field’s traditional 64-team, single-elimination bracket played at neutral sites across the country.
Teams are seeded 1 through 16 and split up into four regions. A 12-member NCAA selection committee determines the field. Seeds are determined by wins, losses, strength of schedule and other metrics.
The top four teams are No. 1 seeds, the next four are No. 2 seeds and on down the line. The games start with 1 versus 16, 2 versus 15, etc., in each region.
Official March Madness 2020 tournament basketballs are seen in a store room at the CHI Health Center Arena, in Omaha, Neb., Monday, March 16, 2020. Omaha was to host a first and second round in the NCAA college basketball Division I tournament, which was cancelled due to the coronavirus pandemic. (AP Photo/Nati Harnik)
March Madness is the catchphrase given to college basketball’s postseason, and many consider it the perfect term to capture the craziness that often happens in conference tournaments and NCAA brackets.
Magazine writer Henry V. Porter coined the phrase in 1939 while writing about the Illinois High School Association’s state tournament. It gained traction nationally after former CBS broadcaster Brent Musburger used it in reference to the NCAA Tournament in 1982. Both entities tried to trademark the term, which led to a lawsuit.
A federal court in 1996 ruled the phrase had “’dual use” beyond the high school tournament, and the sides now share marketing rights.
