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Florida was the only of the four No. 1 seeds in the 2025 NCAA Tournament bracket to be ranked outside the top 20 in the preseason polls, but after a 13-0 start to the season, it became apparent the Gators were one of the best teams in the nation. The Gators matched their elite start with a strong finish to win the SEC Tournament and enter the NCAA Tournament 2025 on a six-game winning streak. Florida hasn’t reached a Final Four since Billy Donovan left the program for the NBA, but could March Madness 2025 be the year that changes?
Florida had the No. 2 scoring offense (85.4 points per game) and No. 3 scoring defense (69.2) among the 14 SEC teams that reached the 2025 NCAA basketball bracket. Should you expect the Gators to carry their momentum from the SEC Tournament title to the NCAA Tournament 2025? Before making any 2025 March Madness bracket predictions, be sure to check out the 2025 NCAA Tournament bracket picks from the proven computer model at SportsLine.
Their proven projection model has simulated every game in the tournament 10,000 times. It has absolutely crushed its March Madness picks recently, beating over 91 percent of all CBS Sports brackets in four of the past six tournaments. It was all over UConn’s championship run a year ago and nailed 13 teams in the Sweet 16. It also nailed Alabama’s Cinderella run to the Final Four as a 4-seed.
It knows how to spot an upset as well. The same model has produced brackets that have nailed 24 first-round upsets by double-digit seeds since its inception in 2016. There’s simply no reason to rely on luck when there’s proven technology to help you dominate your 2025 March Madness bracket picks.
Now, with the 2025 NCAA bracket revealed, the model is simulating the matchups and its results are in. You can only see it over at SportsLine.
Three 2025 March Madness bracket games to watch
One of the most intriguing 2025 March Madness matchups to watch: No. 5 Michigan vs. No. 12 UC San Diego in the South region. The Wolverines are coming off of an intense 59-53 win against Wisconsin for the Big Ten tournament title, while the Tritons handily won the Big West championship and ended their campaign with 15 straight victories. San Diego didn’t get in much work against ranked teams this season, although its defense ranks sixth nationally in points allowed per game (61.6). Michigan has only made it past the Sweet Sixteen once since 2018, so they will be eager to make a deep tournament run. With UCSD coming in hot, however, this promises to be a very interesting March Madness matchup.
Another 2025 NCAA Tournament matchup to keep an eye on is No. 8 Louisville vs. No. 9 Creighton in the South Region. First-year head coach Pat Kelsey has spearheaded one of the biggest turnarounds in the nation as Louisville went from 8-24 overall and 3-17 in the ACC to 27-7 and 18-2 in the ACC. The Cardinals were 20 minutes away from winning the ACC Championship and likely having a significantly higher seed than they do, but a poor second half against Duke left them the ACC Tournament runner-ups. Still, Louisville is 20-2 over its last 22 games. Creighton is playing in its fifth straight NCAA Tournament and had at least one victory in each of its prior four. Head coach Greg McDermott has Creighton in its 13th NCAA Tournament over his 17 years at the school as he’s turned the Bluejays into one of the most stable programs in the nation.
Another 2025 March Madness game to watch out for: No. 4 seed Texas A&M will battle No. 13 seed Yale in the South Region. A&M is 3-0 all-time in the Round of 64 as a top-5 seed, with all three victories by 16-plus points. However, the 2025 Aggies limped to the finish line, losing five of their last seven games, and while they lead the nation in offensive boards, they are last in the SEC in both FG and FT percentage. Meanwhile, shooting isn’t an issue for Yale, which ranks in the top 12 teams, nationally, in both FG and 3P percentage. The Bulldogs have won 16 of their last 17 games but were untested throughout the season as they lost their one game versus a 2025 March Madness team. You can see the model’s 2025 NCAA bracket picks here.
How to make 2025 NCAA bracket predictions
Who wins every tournament-defining matchup? And which teams will make surprising runs through the 2025 NCAA Tournament bracket? With the model’s track record of calling bracket-busting upsets, you’ll want to see which stunners it’s calling this year before locking in any 2025 NCAA bracket picks.
So what’s the optimal NCAA Tournament 2025 bracket? And which NCAA Tournament Cinderella teams will shock college basketball? Visit SportsLine now to see which double-digit seeds you can back with confidence, all from the model that called UConn’s national title and nailed 13 Sweet 16 teams in 2024.
