The 2025 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament is down to 16 teams after a frenetic weekend that saw a majority of the top seeds advance.
Our Ballislife resident experts give our audience a quick rundown of what they got right, and what went down unexpectedly.
The NCAA transfer portal is now open as of March 24, and there are even players in it whose team is still alive in the 2025 NCAA tourney. Only power conference teams are left and according to online reports, people don’t mind that at all.
The NCAA Men’s tourney is reportedly averaging 9.4 million viewers, which is the best viewing mark (across the four network television stations) for the dance since 1993.
NCAA East Region (Newark, N.J.) March 27-29
Duke (1) vs. Arizona (4), 9:39 pm ET (CBS)
Alabama (2) vs. BYU (6), 7:09 pm ET (CBS)
Pre-Tourney Ballislife East Region Final Four Tally: Duke 6/6
Will Despart, Ballislife Writer
What I Nailed: So far, so good in the East Region. On my end, at least. Duke looks every bit as dominant as we imagined and Cooper Flagg’s ankle looks like it will be of no concern. I still think the Blue Devils meet Alabama in the Elite 8, as the Crimson Tide’s high-powered offense will be too much for a BYU team that is run-of-the-mill defensively.
What I Missed On: The lone miss I had in this region was Mississippi State in the first round. I’m still sick that Josh Hubbard didn’t take the last shot in the 8-seeded Bulldogs’ 75-72 loss to Baylor on Friday.
Ronnie Flores, Ballislife Editor
What I Nailed: I said Duke will be hard to beat (duh) and I still don’t think Alabama is strong enough to beat them. I wouldn’t be surprised if BYU gives ‘Bama all it can handle. Richie Saunders and Egor Demin are dynamite and don’t be surprised if BYU pulls off the mild upset.
What I Missed On: I thought Oregon would get by Arizona. They got off to a great start, but Caleb Love answered every Oregon run with a big 3-pointer. Oregon still had its chances, but would probably want that shot by T.J Bamba back down two out of a key timeout.
Sara Jane Gamell, Ballislife Managing Editor
What I Nailed: One of my strongest regions, the East is looking solid on my end. As I stated previously, Duke looks like the team to beat with Cooper Flagg healthy. Saint Mary’s defense stood out against Vanderbilt in the first round, which I expected. While the first two rounds are expected to be fairly smooth for Duke, the Blue Devils have a +67 point differential in two wins against No. 16 Mount St Marys and No. 9 Baylor. Do I need to say more? In no world do I expect BYU/Alabama to upset Duke in the Elite 8.
What I Missed On: I was way off the mark giving Saint Mary’s more credit than the outcome. Sure, it held Vanderbilt to 56 points. While I had the Gaels advancing to the Sweet 16, their hopes and dreams were crushed by Mark Sears and Alabama (Sears had a terrible game).
Geoff Magliocchetti, Ballislife Writer
What I Nailed: I came out mostly clean in the East, one of the rare regions I penned chalk: Top-ranked, Cooper Flagg-led Duke easily handled business against Mount St. Mary’s and Baylor, while second-seeded Alabama survived a scare against Robert Morris before handling St. Mary’s. It was hard to envision any upsets at the top of the bracket (beyond, of course, Baylor squeaking by Mississippi State in 8/9 game) and that mostly played out. Fortunately, Arizona and Oregon gave an appropriate farewell to the Pac-12 with an exciting Sunday finisher, one where I thankfully claimed the Wildcats.
What I Missed On: Beyond trusting the SEC a little too much (Mississippi State and Vanderbilt), I committed the sin of doubting BYU. I was quite enthused by a different farewell tour at VCU, though the Rams couldn’t send Ryan Odom off in style after falling by an 80-71 final. Mormon March Madness struck again in round two, as the Cougars removed one of my Sweet 16 with a 91-89 win over Wisconsin. Credit, though, to John Tonje. At least someone tried to save my bracket.
Luciano Vigliatore, Ballislife Writer
What I Nailed: Note surprise here, but Duke was always the team to come out of the East Region. Cooper Flagg’s pre-tournament injury has been of no concern for Duke, which was my only question mark for this team. Alabama and Duke appear to be the likely final 8 matchup, and I expect nothing else from these two powerhouses.
What I Missed On: My only incorrect choice of the East Region was Oregon vs Arizona. Caleb Jones in the second half was too much to deal with and Arizona moved on. Not any major upsets in this region, which was on par with my pre-tournament prediction.
NCAA Midwest Region (Indianapolis, Ind.) March 28-30
Houston (1) vs. Purdue (4), 10:09 pm (TBS)
Tennessee (2) vs. Kentucky (3), 7:39 pm (TBS)
Pre-Tourney Ballislife Midwest Region Final Four Tally: Houston 4/6, Tennessee 2/6
Will Despart, Ballislife Writer
What I Nailed: Houston and Tennessee are clearly the teams to beat in this region and I would still bet dollars to donuts that we see that matchup in the Elite 8. I’m a bit worried about Kentucky on the Vols’ end because Big Blue Nation took both meetings in the regular season. However, my favorite adage in sports is that it’s tough to beat a great team twice. I’d imagine beating a great team three times is even harder. If Kentucky can do it, bravo, but I’ll be betting against Mark Pope and company here.
What I Missed On: I was one of the people bullish on High Point against Purdue last week. Not smart. The Big 10 looked quite literally unbeatable with an 8-0 record in the first round and a team from the Big South wasn’t going to buck that trend.
Ronnie Flores, Ballislife Editor
What I Nailed: I said to watch out for Purdue, but I don’t think the Boilermakers have the foot speed to get by Houston. Wow, the Cougs were impressive, but giving up that big lead in the Round of 32 to Gonzaga because of a 1-3-1 press was worrisome. Will their ball handling be on point in a tight game? Houston shoots the 3-ball well, so it’ll still be tough to beat.
What I Missed On: Kentucky is a bit better than I thought and has a real chance against Tennessee. Kentucky has also beaten the Vols already twice this season. Kentucky shot the lights out during the regular season vs. the Cats and it won’t be able to replicate that vs. in the pressure cooker of the Sweet 16.
Sara Jane Gamelli, Ballislife Managing Editor
What I Nailed: My strongest region of them all, I was right on the money with Houston defeating SIUE 78-40 in the first round, this was some real Cougars on Cougars crime! Speaking of Houston, it held SIUE Edwardsville to a dreadful 2-24 (8.3 %) 3-point performance. Overall this is a team that recorded only 15 field goals!
I was right when I said Gonzaga wouldn’t be a walk in the park. As predicted, we saw Houston and the Zags meet in the second round. With Houston sneaking by with the 81-76 victory, Gonzaga came all the way back from a 14-point deficit. Houston’s defense may have been off brand, however, L.J Cryer saved the day with 30 points. At the end of the day, it was Houston’s defense that held up in the final seconds.
The Zags were always the leaders, and now it’s Houston’s turn to take over. The Cougs now head to their fifth straight Sweet 16.
What I Missed On: I thought this would be the region with the most upsets, and I was wrong. Despite McNeese, I made bold picks for High Point and Utah State to upset Purdue and UCLA. Boy, was I wrong! I thought Utah State would have been competitive, but to lose by 25 points? I didn’t see that coming.
Geoff Magliocchetti, Ballislife Writer
What I Nailed: Going top seeds at the bottom half of the bracket certainly paid off. Boring did its job in that regard, as no matchup in that subsection was closer than nine points en route to a wholly expected Kentucky-Tennessee regional semifinal. I was quite tempted to take sixth-seeded Illinois over the Wildcats in round two, but figured that’d be a better choice for a future ReliaQuest Bowl.
What I Missed On: The less said about the top of the bracket, the better. It was nice to see Kelvin Sampson give Gonzaga its props after the Zags took his top-ranked Houston Cougars to the brink in the Round of 32. If moral victories counted, however, I’d probably have claimed Warren Buffett’s perfect bracket prize by now. I did only get one first-round game wrong in this entire region. Alas, the defeat, McNeese’s rare upset over Clemson, eliminated one of my Elite Eight.
Luciano Vigliatore, Ballislife Writer
What I Nailed: Houston is my pick to win March Madness, and the Cougs have not disappointed so far. Their elite defense will be a problem for all teams. McNeese was another team that I had predicted a first round upset over Clemson. This region sees all top four seeds move on, which has been a recurring theme this year.
What I Missed On: I had a hot-take prediction that Purdue was going to be eliminated by High Point in the first round of the tournament, which turned out to not be the case. I can’t foresee Purdue giving Houston any problems in the round of 16.
Note: The East and Midwest Region champs will meet in the NCAA Final Four semifinals on April 5 in San Antonio at the Alamodome.
NCAA South Region (Atlanta) March 28-30
Auburn (1) vs. Michigan (5), 9:39 pm (CBS)
Michigan St. (2) vs. Ole Miss (6), 7:09 pm (CBS)
Pre-Tourney Ballislife South Region Final Four Tally: Michigan St. 4/6, Ole Miss 1/6, Open 1/6
Will Despart, Ballislife Writer
What I Nailed: I said the 11/6 matchup between Ole Miss and North Carolina was going to have a bigger impact than we ever could have imagined. With Ole Miss looking strong in that win before beating No. 3 seed Iowa State, I actually don’t mind betting on the Rebels with that +3.5 number against Michigan State in the Sweet 16. I may just take Ole Miss outright.
I was also correct in my belief that UCSD didn’t have the frontcourt depth to beat Michigan’s tandem of 7-footers in Vlad Goldin and Danny Wolf. The Tritons did fare better than I assumed, though, thanks to 25 points from Tyler McGhie.
What I missed: I thought Auburn’s rough stretch to end the regular season may have been a sign of things to come for the NCAA Tournament. The Tigers’ 12-point win over Creighton and 4x Big East DPOY Ryan Kalkbrenner proved otherwise. It also showed me that Johni Broome should have no issue with Michigan’s aforementioned big man tandem.
Ronnie Flores, Ballislife Editor
What I Nailed: I still think Auburn will play Sparty in the Elite 8 and I still like Michigan St. Auburn is a bit streaky to me and doesn’t get the ball inside enough. Potential foul trouble on the interior will be the key as will the play of Tre Holloman. Can Auburn keep Michigan St. off the offensive glass?
What I Missed On: I thought North Carolina would play better with a game under its belt because of the play-in, but the Heels let Ole Miss off the hook. Ole Miss got the right matchups at the right time because of the injury to Iowa State’s Keshon Gilbert. I would be very surprised if Sparty doesn’t cover.
Sara Jane Gamelli, Ballislife Managing Editor
What I Nailed: I was spot on in the sense Auburn showed no mercy, at least in the first round against Alabama State. Although the Tigers escaped with a 82-70 second round victory over Creighton, it was a little too close for comfort! We are talking about a Creighton team that shot 44 percent from beyond the arc. I have Auburn meeting Michigan State in the Elite 8, but who will escape?
Michigan State hasn’t failed me yet, securing wins over Byant and New Mexico. If we look at Quad 1 records alone, this should be a lock for the Spartans. The difference will ultimately come down to MSU’s efficiency on defense, and dominating on the glass.
Don’t sleep on Michigan State, the Wolverines are one of the best rebounding teams in the NCAA Tournament. I still have the Spartans stunning Auburn to reach the Final Four for the first team since the 2013-2014 season. I also have to give a special shoutout to Michigan for its 5-4 upset over Texas A&M.
What I Missed On: I went too corporate, and put a little too much trust in T.J Otzelberger and the Iowa State Cyclones. I didn’t see No. 6 Ole Miss coming with the upset. When I mean upset, Ole Miss defeated Iowa State by double digits. Although a decent second half, Iowa State couldn’t play a lick of defense. The Rebels shot over 57 percent from the field and 3-point range.
Geoff Magliocchetti, Ballislife Writer
What I Nailed: For all the carnage I took in this bracket, at least the state of Michigan came through for me. The Spartans held their ground and I perhaps felt a little too proud in seeing Michigan call midnight on UC San Diego’s Cinderella story. The Tritons, inspiring as they were, simply became a too popular upset bid, and Michigan’s propensity to play close games paid off in the end.
What I Missed On: Drinking way too much North Carolina Kool-Aid. Sure, the blue flavor may be delicious and it was particularly sweet after the Tar Heels conquered San Diego State by a hefty margin in the First Four. It became bitter after the first round, though, as the Heels were summarily dismissed by Mississippi. Finally doubting Iowa State would’ve finally paid off … had I not had them falling victim to the aforementioned Jordan Brand bearers. Speaking of drinks, I may need an alibi for last Thursday, as I may be under suspicion for throwing that bottle on the floor during the Louisville-Creighton game. Fortunately, I took my anger out on my bracket instead: the Cardinals’ loss set a foreboding tone for the entire tournament, as I lost one of my Elite Eight from the very first tip, believing that the fury of an eight seed would’ve been enough to propel them past top-ranked Auburn.
Luciano Vigliatore, Ballislife Writer
What I Nailed: My hot take for this tournament was that Ole Miss was going to come out of the South Region. Ole Miss took care of business against North Carolina and Iowa State and looked great in the process. Its round of 16 matchup against Michigan State will be their hardest matchup yet, but I believe they can pull off the upset. I also had New Mexico with the upset in the first round as well.
What I Missed On: I had Texas A&M advancing over Michigan. Goldin was too much to handle for Texas A&M’s interior and he was giving them problems in the paint. I had Louisville winning their round of 64 matchup as well, but Creighton pulled off the upset in game one of the tournament.
NCAA West Region (Indianapolis, Ind.) March 27-29
Florida (1) vs. Maryland (4), 7:39 pm (TBS)
Texas Tech (3) vs. Arkansas (10), 10:09 pm (TBS)
Pre-Tourney Ballislife West Region Final Four Tally: Florida 5/6, Texas Tech 1/6
Will Despart, Ballislife Writer
What I Nailed: This region really is shaping up nicely for Florida to make a run to the Final Four, largely because St. John’s fell to Arkansas on Sunday. I still think J.T. Toppin and Texas Tech are the Gators’ biggest problem in the region. UConn also proved to be a tangible threat to Todd Golden’s crew in the second round and the fact that Walter Clayton Jr. and company pulled that out down the stretch should have the rest of the bracket on notice right now.
What I Missed On: Despite rolling with Florida in my original prediction, I said I was a bit wary of the Gators due to the fact that only one of the last five SEC Tournament champions made it to the Sweet 16. Make it two out of the last six. The Gators are rolling just like UConn was at this point last year. It’s going to take a special effort to knock them off and I’m not sure anyone in this region is capable.
Ronnie Flores, Ballislife Editor
What I Nailed: I was on the money about St. John’s shooting, I just didn’t think the cold front would happen so quickly. Removing All-American R.J. Luis Jr. at the end of the game wasn’t the costly coaching move for Rick Pitino, it was not playing guard Simeon Wilcher when he picked up his third foul on the first play of the second half. Can’t save him for the next game. Texas Tech is a serious threat in this region, as I figured, with Darion Williams playing well and J.T. Topping playing like the All-American he is. The smart money is on the Gators, with guard Walter Clayton Jr. capable of taking over games.
What I Missed On: I thought Maryland could pull off the upset of Florida but now I’m not so sure. Maryland played down to its level of competition badly vs. Colorado St., was poor in defensive transition on many occasions and was fortunate to win. Lucky for the Terps, Derik Queen made the big shot. Texas Tech would beat Maryland, but I don’t think Maryland will just magically play a whole lot better vs. the Gators. It needs to.
Geoff Magliocchetti, Ballislife Writer
What I Nailed: The Gators’ national championship trek … for now. I was one of many that sweated out the second round tilt between Florida and Connecticut and might have to offer Walter Clayton Jr. a size of any bracket pool funds cashed out to me. I was also proud of picking Colorado State in the other 12-5 upset slot and hit all but one first-round match … sorry, Grand Canyon.
What I Missed On: I was never a believer in St. John’s championship chances, but I did not expect the downfall to come this early. I made a note of not doubting John Calipari in March and successfully chose his Arkansas Razorbacks over Kansas in the opening round. I then proceeded to completely ignore that logic and placed the Red Storm in the Sweet 16, where they’d fall to Texas Tech. Like Michael Jordan before them, Maryland took things personally after seeing my bracket: after I doubted them against the Antelopes, they disposed of my trendy Sweet 16 choice Colorado State in heartbreaking fashion.
Sara Jane Gamelli, Ballislife Managing Editor
What I Nailed: As a fellow UConn Alumna, I am sad to admit I was right. UConn faced Florida straight on, and although the Huskies held their own, the Gators were too powerful for Dan Hurley and company. Although Florida remains the No.1 seed, we saw their vulnerability against UConn.
Don’t forget they were playing the back-to-back champs. Maryland barely escaped by Colorado State, thanks to Derik Queen’s buzzer beater. I think Florida comes out on top, however, I do believe J.T. Toppin and Texas Tech can give them a run for their money. Florida’s offense is extremely potent, and Walter Clayton Jr. has been dominantly consistent in the tournament.
What I Missed On: The West is a hot mess, no pun intended. I didn’t see Memphis getting clobbered by Colorado State in the first round, only for the Rams to be upset by Maryland at the buzzer. As a fan of the Big East, I expected more out of St. Johns. Rick Pitino leads his squad to their first Big East title in 25 years, only to get bounced by Arkansas in the second round? Talk about cold shooting, the Red Storm shot just 28 percent from the field, and 9.1 percent from deep! You simply can’t win games like that. Should I be on to Arkansas and its defense, or am I overreacting?
Luciano Vigliatore, Ballislife Writer
What I Nailed: Florida was the popular pick to advance in the West, and the Gators’ road to winning the West increased after St. Johns was upset by Arkansas. Drake was another team that I had winning over Missouri in their matchup. Missouri unfortunately couldn’t hit their shots down the stretch and shot 4/16 from 3 (25%) and 15/45 from the field (33%).
What I Missed On: This region ended up being the most difficult one to predict. Colorado State started this off with an upset win over Memphis, and Arkansas with a win over Kansas and one of the tournament favorites, St.Johns. March Madness has had less underdogs victorious this year, but Arkansas is the sole team left that is a true underdog.
Note: The South and West Region champs will meet in the NCAA Final Four semifinals on April 5 in San Antonio at the Alamodome.
