Selection Sunday revealed one of the least controversial NCAA men’s tournament brackets in recent history thanks to a bubble-bursting final stretch of the regular season.

The list of teams left out of the 68-team field include Indiana, Boise State and West Virginia. This group might have a bone to pick with the selection committee, which instead gave the last at-large spot to North Carolina despite the Tar Heels’ miserable performance in games against Quad 1 competition.

But things generally went according to plan for the selection committee, which avoided a late dose of chaos after Memphis topped Alabama-Birmingham in the American Athletic championship game. That leaves Mountain West champion Colorado State as the only bid-stealing team in this year’s bracket.

The No. 1 line has Duke, Auburn, Florida and Houston. On the No. 2 line are Michigan State, Tennessee, St. John’s and Alabama. Among the teams joining the Tar Heels on the back end of the at-large picture are Texas, Xavier and Utah State.

Tournament action begins Tuesday with play-in games in Dayton, Ohio, pitting North Carolina against San Diego State and No. 16 seeds St. Francis and Alabama State.

Here are the winners and losers from Selection Sunday:

Winners

North Carolina

UNC made the field as a No. 11 seed in the South region despite winning all of one game against Quad 1 competition, which can be seen as both a damning indictment of the Tar Heels’ mediocrity and a statement about the dearth of qualified options on the back end of the at-large picture. While the tournament berth puts a positive spin on what has been an often miserable season – and helps coach Hubert Davis avoid a second tournament absence in three years — how far the Tar Heels advance in March depends on how quickly they can reboot, refocus and embrace this opportunity.

Duke

Duke were locked onto the No. 1 line after beating the Cardinals 73-62 despite missing star freshman Cooper Flagg, who injured his ankle in the ACC semifinals. This performance on Saturday night speaks to the Blue Devils’ depth beyond Flagg’s brilliance as perhaps the most well-rounded player in this year’s tournament. The East region is also kind to Duke, which is projected to face No. 8 Baylor or No. 9 Mississippi State in the second round before potentially facing off with No. 4 Arizona or No. 5 Oregon to decide the Elite Eight. But to get back to the Final Four, the Blue Devils might have to handle a matchup with No. 2 Alabama and the Crimson Tide’s high-potency offense.

LEFT OUT: Six teams snubbed by the NCAA men’s tournament

Memphis

Memphis was one of the toughest teams to predict in our bracketology, with the potential to land anywhere from the No. 5 line to a No. 7 seed after beating UAB. The Tigers landed as the No. 5 in the West, drawing an opening-round matchup with No. 12 Colorado State and then No. 4 Maryland or No. 13 Grand Canyon for a trip to the Sweet 16. Looking at the resume, it’s clear the committee valued the Tigers’ convincing run through the AAC and impressive 6-1 mark against Quad 1 teams, including non-conference wins against Missouri, Connecticut, Michigan State and Clemson.

The SEC

The SEC set a tournament record for a single conference with 14 teams in this year’s field: No. 1 Auburn, No. 4 Texas A&M and No. 6 Mississippi in the South; No. 2 Alabama and No. 8 Mississippi State in the East region; No. 1 Florida, No. 6 Missouri, No. 8 Oklahoma and No. 10 Arkansas in the West; and No. 2 Tennessee, No. 3 Kentucky, No. 9 Georgia and No. 11 Texas in the Midwest. After a banner regular season, the onus is on the SEC to deliver on this well-deserved respect by sending multiple teams to the second weekend and potentially two or more all the way to the Final Four.

Losers

Michigan

Several factors combine to make Michigan perhaps the biggest loser in this year’s field. For one, the Wolverines are a No. 5 seed in the South despite beating Wisconsin for the Big Ten championship; the Badgers, meanwhile, are the No. 3 seed in the East. Michigan also plays on Thursday in Denver, giving them a shortened turnaround time to recover from the grind of the Big Ten tournament. Lastly, the Wolverines will take on No. 12 UC San Diego, which ended the regular season No. 35 in the NET rankings after going 30-4 overall and 4-2 against Quad 1 and Quad 2 competition. In Michigan’s favor is the postseason track record of first-year coach Dusty May, who led Florida Atlantic to the Final Four two years ago.

Louisville

That dismal perception of the ACC clearly had a major influence on Louisville, which scaled the conference standings under new coach Pat Kelsey before falling to Duke in yesterday’s championship game. Despite winning 27 games during the regular season, including a combined 15 wins against Quad 1 and Quad 2 competition, the Cardinals drew the No. 8 seed in the South and a first-round matchup with No. 9 Creighton. With a win there, Louisville would face SEC regular-season champion Auburn, which spent most the year as the unquestioned top-ranked team in the country. That’s a very rough draw for one of the biggest major-conference success stories of this season. But Louisville does get to play the first weekend in Lexington, Kentucky, which might be enemy territory but will provide a very friendly crowd.

St. John’s

There’s good news and bad news for the Big East champions, which on Saturday cut down the nets after the Big East tournament at Madison Square Garden for the first time in 25 years. (Turns out that Rick Pitino was a good idea.) The good news: St. John’s lands as the No. 2 seed opposite No. 15 Nebraska-Omaha in the West region, the program’s highest NCAA tournament seeding since that 2000 season. That sets up the potential for a second-round matchup with John Calipari and No. 10 Arkansas, should the Razorbacks get past No. 7 Kansas. The bad news can be found in that West region landing spot. Had they been placed in the East, the Red Storm could’ve played for a Final Four appearance in nearby Newark, New Jersey.

The road to the Final Four in the Midwest Regional of the men’s NCAA Tournament once again goes through Houston. But in order to get to San Antonio, the Cougars, who have claimed the Big 12 crown in each of their first two years in the conference, will likely have to get through at least one SEC squad.

The loaded region also includes a couple of other squads that made Elite Eight appearances a year ago, including a national finalist, and a perennial power from the west coast hoping to extend an impressive streak.

If the seeds hold and it is No. 2 Tennessee taking on the Cougars in the regional final, we could be in for a 40-minute defensive clinic. But the path won’t be easy for either of the top seeds. Here’s a quick look at some of the possible highlights.

Midwest Region best first-round matchup: Gonzaga vs. Georgia

Picking the 8-9 game might seem like a copout, but there’s plenty of intrigue with this one. Gonzaga always seems to round into form at this time of year, as evidenced by its nine consecutive Sweet 16 appearances. Extending that streak from this part of the bracket will be a challenge to say the least, starting with its opening contest against another group of Bulldogs. Georgia finished with a sub-.500 record in SEC play but picked up wins against eventual champ Florida and Kentucky along the way, so the team will be more than ready for the level of competition in this tournament. It’s true that Georgia’s best results came on their home court, and that Gonzaga did not fare as well in non-conference play as some of its past teams. As such whichever bunch of Bulldogs prevails will be underdogs against Houston in the next round. But the battle to earn the right to take on that challenge should be fun.

REGIONAL PREDICTIONS:East | West | Midwest | South

LEFT OUT: Six teams snubbed by the NCAA men’s tournament

Midwest Region potential upset in first round: No. 12 McNeese over No. 5 Clemson.

The Cowboys were a popular upset pick from the No. 12 line a year ago as well but weren’t quite ready for prime time as they bowed out quickly against Gonzaga. This year’s group might have a better idea of what to expect in the March Madness spotlight, and the matchup with a possibly short-handed Tigers’ team might be more to their liking. Yes, Clemson still has some key pieces from the team that made a deep run to the Elite Eight a year ago, and the Tigers should still enjoy an advantage in overall athleticism that could prove decisive on the defensive end. But McNeese has some depth as well and could be a tougher out this time.

Midwest Region sleeper: Purdue

One might argue that a No. 4 seed, not to mention a team that played for all the marbles just a season ago, shouldn’t be considered a sleeper. But without Zach Edey dominating the middle, This year’s version of the Boilermakers did not exactly run roughshod through the Big Ten. Yes, they won their share of games, and they once again can boast having the league player of the year in the person of point guard Braden Smith. Purdue will not be favored to make it back to championship weekend, and just getting through the first couple of rounds will be difficult. But they have plenty of experienced hands including a couple other starters who are familiar with the pressures of March.

Midwest Region winner: Houston

The Cougars enter the Big Dance riding a 13-game winning streak. Furthermore, they’re healthier than they were at this juncture a year ago. Their fans couldn’t join them for their last Final Four trip in 2021, so things will be a lot more festive this time. Look for Houston to grind teams down and eventually find its way to San Antonio.

NCAA Tournament Midwest Region schedule

First round

Thursday, March 20

At Intrust Bank Arena, Wichita, Kan.

Houston vs. Southern Illinois-Edwardsville, 2 p.m., TBS

Gonzaga vs. Georgia, 4:35 p.m., TBS

At Amica Mutual Pavilion, Providence, R.I.

Purdue vs. High Point, 12:40 p.m., truTV

Clemson vs. McNeese State, 3:15 p.m., truTV

At Rupp Arena, Lexington, Ky.

Tennessee vs. Wofford, 6:50 p.m., TNT

UCLA vs. Utah State, 9:25 p.m., TNT

Friday, March 21

At Fiserv Forum, Milwaukee, Wis.

Kentucky vs. Troy, 7:10 p.m., CBS

Illinois vs. Texas or Xavier, 9:25 p.m., CBS

To hear Jay Bilas tell it, an SEC team winning the national championship shouldn’t be all that hard.
The SEC impressed all season with its depth, but conference also has national championship contenders in Auburn, Florida, Alabama and Tennessee.
A No. 1 or No. 2 seed normally wins March Madness. That’s good news for the SEC.

Jay Bilas, normally one of ESPN’s most rational college basketball minds, jumped the shark earlier this season. Bilas, while praising the SEC’s uprising, brazenly claimed during an appearance on a Birmingham radio station that “winning the SEC Tournament is going to be harder than winning the national championship.”

The math doesn’t add up. Florida won three games to win the SEC Tournament. Winning the NCAA Tournament requires six victories. Landmines like Duke, Houston, St. John’s, Michigan State and Texas Tech join the SEC’s record-breaking 14 tournament qualifiers to create a March Madness gauntlet.

This tournament will amount to a final exam for the conference that aced every test so far.

SEC’s basketball prowess starts with four headliners

Florida can win the NCAA Tournament, for the same reasons it won three games in three days in Nashville. The Gators excel at both ends of the court, and they can put five or more players in double-figure scoring in a single game. Senior guard Walter Clayton Jr. serves as a sufficient tip of the spear.

Or the SEC’s Auburn, Tennessee or Alabama could win the title, because, to Bilas’ larger point, the conference has been excellent. It’s not just the league’s impressive depth. It’s the four-deep crème de la crème.

SURVIVOR POOL: Can your picks survive March Madness? Join Survivor Pool to find out

Auburn has been ranked within the top three of the USA TODAY Sports coaches’ poll every week since mid-November. Tennessee and Alabama ascended to the No. 1 ranking earlier this season, and Florida climbed as high as No. 2.

Some say the SEC supplied the best single-season performance by a conference, but that claim seems premature before the NCAA Tournament unfolds.

We tend to remember two elements of a college basketball season: We remember the upsets, and we remember the champions. For the SEC to cement this idea of best-ever conference performance, its teams must perform these next three weeks.

No banners are raised based on results achieved during the thick of football season, but the selection committee clearly noticed that the SEC smashed the ACC to the tune of a 14-2 record in the ACC/SEC challenge in November. In fact, the SEC dazzled throughout its nonconference scheduling.

The only opposition that could slow the SEC was the conference itself. The league’s cumulative .500 conference record became a running joke within SEC circles. Rhode Island coach Archie Miller and ESPN’s Karl Ravech weren’t in on the joke. They became bewildered by how such a strong conference couldn’t break the .500 mark in conference play.

(Hint: When one SEC team wins a conference game, the other team loses.)

We’ve never seen anything like this SEC basketball season. The conference accounts for more than 20% of the NCAA bracket. The Big East previously set the record for most NCAA bids, with 11 in 2011, and UConn capped that season with a national championship.

The 1985 Big East remains the other standard for conference dominance. The Big East qualified six of its nine teams for the NCAA Tournament that season. That six-pack of qualifiers combined for an 18-5 March Madness record. Three Big East teams reached the Final Four, and eighth-seeded Villanova won the national championship.

Auburn, Florida, Tennessee and Alabama are positioned in four different regions. Just pointing that out. No conference has ever occupied all four spots in the Final Four.

SEC’s March Madness seeding ups chance for title

This bid haul marks a zenith of SEC commissioner Greg Sankey’s years-long efforts for a basketball revolution. That push began in earnest in 2016 after the SEC qualified just three teams for the NCAA Tournament.

You could point to smarter scheduling, good facilities and strong financial commitment to explain the SEC’s uprising – all of that matters – but the starting point to explain what happened to this conference begins with coaching.

The SEC became home to the best collection of college basketball coaches.

Case in point: Auburn went from Tony Barbee to Bruce Pearl.

And still, a national championship has eluded the SEC, because despite Bilas’ assertion, winning the NCAA Tournament is a more treacherous journey than capturing a conference tournament crown. The SEC qualified eight teams for March Madness last season, and although Alabama reached the Final Four, the conference underwhelmed overall. Kentucky and Auburn suffered shocking first-round upsets, and the SEC finished the tournament with an 8-8 record.

The league is stronger – and deeper – this season. The SEC’s sheer volume of qualifiers affords the conference a great opportunity to produce a national champion for the first time since 2012 Kentucky. Plus, Auburn and Florida earning No. 1 seeds and Tennessee and Alabama grabbing No. 2 seeds buoys the SEC’s odds.

Seven of the last nine national champions were a No. 1 seed, and in the 39 tournaments since the bracket included at least 64 teams, a No. 1 or No. 2 seed won the national championship 77% of the time.

In a show of recognition for the SEC’s dominance, ESPN assigned Bilas to call SEC Tournament games instead of his typical ACC assignment. During one broadcast, Bilas proclaimed that the SEC Tournament semifinals might be more robust than the Final Four.

Alternatively, the SEC’s semifinals could have previewed the Final Four.

Blake Toppmeyer is a columnist for the USA TODAY Network. Email him at BToppmeyer@gannett.com and follow him on X @btoppmeyer. Subscribe to read all of his columns.

The fate of the East region may come down to the state of Cooper Flagg’s ankle after the star freshman missed the ACC championship game against Louisville.

Even with Flagg sidelined, the Blue Devils flashed the sort of scoring depth needed to advance deep into March by beating the Cardinals behind a combined 52 points from guards Tyrese Proctor, Sion James and Kon Knueppel.

A wealth of options will serve Duke well in a region that also includes No. 2 Alabama, the highest-scoring team in the country, along with No. 3 Wisconsin, No. 4 Arizona, No. 5 Oregon and No. 6 Brigham Young.

The Blue Devils will also benefit from playing the opening weekend in nearby Raleigh, North Carolina. The region will conclude in Newark, New Jersey, which is close to the New York area that is familiar to Duke.

The Crimson Tide are looming. BYU had a terrific second half to the regular season and could be a trendy pick to reach the Elite Eight. Arizona is, well, Arizona; the Wildcats could flip the switch and win the region outright. And Wisconsin’s offense has finally joined the 21st century, giving the Big Ten runner-up a puncher’s shot at reaching the Final Four for the first time since 2015.

But let’s be clear: Duke is the favorite in the East. USA TODAY Sports breaks down the region:

East Region best first-round matchup: BYU vs. Virginia Commonwealth

BYU dropped three in a row early in Big 12 play to Houston, Texas Tech and TCU before turning things around. The Cougars head into the tournament having won 14 of 18 games, including wins against Arizona, Kansas and a two-game sweep of Iowa State. VCU rebounded from a late-season loss to Dayton – that basically knocked the Rams out of the at-large picture – to win the Atlantic 10 tournament, closing with a must-have win against George Mason. This should be a high-scoring affair: BYU averages 81 points per game, 27th nationally, and VCU is scoring 77.4 points per game, good for second in the A-10.

LEFT OUT: Six teams snubbed by the NCAA men’s tournament

UP AND DOWN: Winners and losers from tournament bracket release

East Region potential upset in first round: Arizona vs. Akron

Another option is Liberty over Oregon in the region’s 12-5 matchup. But let’s go with Akron sneaking past Arizona based on the Zips’ nearly perfect march through the MAC and the Wildcats’ frustrating finishing stretch. Akron went 28-6 overall during the regular season and 17-1 in conference play, losing just once since the calendar turned to 2025. Meanwhile, Arizona went 5-6 in the final weeks of the regular season to limp into tournament play.

East Region sleeper: Wisconsin

Wisconsin might be scrutinized for landing as the No. 3 seed after losing the Big Ten championship game to Michigan, especially after the Wolverines drew a No. 5 seed in the South region. The Badgers also scuffled toward the end of the regular season, losing at home to Oregon, at Michigan State and at home to Penn State before rebounding to make a run in the conference tournament. What makes this team interesting, and also dangerous, is the extreme uptick in offense production. After ranking 145th nationally in scoring last season, the Badgers head into the tournament 35th in the country at 80.5 points per game.

East Region winner: Duke

This is one of the most complete teams in the field and the clear favorite to win the region, should Flagg be fully recovered from his ankle injury. If so, his well-rounded game will help make the Blue Devils a difficult matchup for every potential opponent in the East, if not the entire bracket. This is a team with few flaws, if any: Duke ranks seventh in the country in scoring defense, 15th in scoring offense, first in scoring margin, fifth in effective field goal percentage, seventh in field-goal percentage defense and ninth in rebounding margin. You can make the argument that failing to reach the Final Four would be a significant letdown.

The road to the Final Four in the Midwest Regional once again goes through Houston. But in order to get to San Antonio, the Cougars, who have claimed the Big 12 crown in each of their first two years in the conference, will likely have to get through at least one SEC squad.

The loaded region also includes a couple of other squads that made Elite Eight appearances a year ago, including a national finalist, and a perennial power from the west coast hoping to extend an impressive streak.

If the seeds hold and it is No. 2 Tennessee taking on the Cougars in the regional final, we could be in for a 40-minute defensive clinic. But the path won’t be easy for either of the top seeds. Here’s a quick look at some of the possible highlights.

Midwest Region best first-round matchup: Gonzaga vs. Georgia

Picking the 8-9 game might seem like a copout, but there’s plenty of intrigue with this one. Gonzaga always seems to round into form at this time of year, as evidenced by its nine consecutive Sweet 16 appearances. Extending that streak from this part of the bracket will be a challenge to say the least, starting with its opening contest against another group of Bulldogs. Georgia finished with a sub-.500 record in SEC play but picked up wins against eventual champ Florida and Kentucky along the way, so the team will be more than ready for the level of competition in this tournament. It’s true that Georgia’s best results came on their home court, and that Gonzaga did not fare as well in non-conference play as some of its past teams. As such whichever bunch of Bulldogs prevails will be underdogs against Houston in the next round. But the battle to earn the right to take on that challenge should be fun.

LEFT OUT: Six teams snubbed by the NCAA men’s tournament

UP AND DOWN: Winners and losers from tournament bracket release

Midwest Region potential upset in first round: No. 12 McNeese over No. 5 Clemson.

The Cowboys were a popular upset pick from the No. 12 line a year ago as well but weren’t quite ready for prime time as they bowed out quickly against Gonzaga. This year’s group might have a better idea of what to expect in the March Madness spotlight, and the matchup with a possibly short-handed Tigers’ team might be more to their liking. Yes, Clemson still has some key pieces from the team that made a deep run to the Elite Eight a year ago, and the Tigers should still enjoy an advantage in overall athleticism that could prove decisive on the defensive end. But McNeese has some depth as well and could be a tougher out this time.

Midwest Region sleeper: Purdue

One might argue that a No. 4 seed, not to mention a team that played for all the marbles just a season ago, shouldn’t be considered a sleeper. But without Zach Edey dominating the middle, This year’s version of the Boilermakers did not exactly run roughshod through the Big Ten. Yes, they won their share of games, and they once again can boast having the league player of the year in the person of point guard Braden Smith. Purdue will not be favored to make it back to championship weekend, and just getting through the first couple of rounds will be difficult. But they have plenty of experienced hands including a couple other starters who are familiar with the pressures of March.

Midwest Region winner: Houston

The Cougars enter the Big Dance riding a 13-game winning streak. Furthermore, they’re healthier than they were at this juncture a year ago. Their fans couldn’t join them for their last Final Four trip in 2021, so things will be a lot more festive this time. Look for Houston to grind teams down and eventually find its way to San Antonio.

The most common reaction to the South Region’s unveiling Sunday was probably ‘North Carolina?!? Really?!?’

But once you get past the Tar Heels’ surprising inclusion in this year’s NCAA men’s tournament, despite their woeful 1-12 record against Quad 1 opponents, the rest of this region offers plenty of intrigue.

No. 1 seed Auburn has been one of the nation’s best teams all year but is in the midst of a slide and could draw an under-seeded Louisville team in the second round. Michigan State, the No. 2 seed, ran away with the Big Ten regular season title but faltered in the conference tournament and draws a somewhat tricky No. 15 seed in Bryant.

And then, of course, there are the upset candidates − namely No. 12 seed UC San Diego and No. 13 seed Yale, who will square off against Michigan and Texas A&M, respectively.

USA TODAY Sports breaks down the NCAA Tournament South Region:

South Region best first-round matchup: UC San Diego vs. Michigan

No. 12 UC San Diego has the makings of a classic Cinderella team. The Tritons went 30-4, have a surefire star in New Zealand native Aniwaniwa Tait-Jones and more than hold their own in some of the predictive analytic rankings, KenPom among them. But their first-round opponent, No. 5 Michigan, just won the Big Ten tournament title and has more Quad 1 wins this season than all but a handful of teams.

While the 12-5 slot usually gives us some wildly entertaining games, this would could ultimately come down something pretty cut-and-dry: Turnovers. The Tritons lead all Division I men’s basketball teams in turnover margin. The Wolverines are tied for 335th. If those stats carry through in the game, expect UC San Diego to live up to its Cinderella potential.

LEFT OUT: Six teams snubbed by the NCAA men’s tournament

UP AND DOWN: Winners and losers from tournament bracket release

South Region potential upset in first round: New Mexico vs. Marquette

There are no shortage of potential upsets in the South. (See UC San Diego, above.) But we’ll go with No. 10 New Mexico over No. 7 Marquette here, simply because it feels the most likely.

The Golden Eagles got off to a fairly hot start to the season but has won only five of the 12 games that it’s played since the start of February. One could argue that three of those games were against St. John’s, and St. John’s is pretty good. That’s fair. But the fact remains that Marquette is a middling tourney team this year and, in New Mexico, it drew a first-round opponent that should be able to more than match up.

Look for Lobos junior guard Donovan Dent, who ranks eighth in the nation in scoring with an average of 20.6 points per game, to impose his will down the stretch and propel New Mexico to its first tournament victory since 2012.

South Region sleeper: Louisville

Louisville’s seeding didn’t get as much immediate backlash as ACC counterpart North Carolina making the tournament. But given that the Cardinals have won 11 of their past 12 games − with an average margin of victory of nearly 14 points per game − it’s a weird one nonetheless. Case in point: The selection committee put Louisville as a No. 8 seed in the South Region while the most-recent USA TODAY Sports Coaches Poll ranked them No. 11… overall.

Now beating Creighton in the first round is no guarantee, and a matchup with top-seeded Auburn would likely follow. But Louisville deserves to be the sleeper pick here because, should they squeak past the Tigers, the rest of the bracket really does open up a bit for them. It would by no means be easy for them to reach the Final Four in their first tournament appearance since 2019, but you can see the path.

South Region winner: Michigan State

The logic behind this pick is simple: Auburn has been amazing this season but started to look vulnerable in recent weeks. And, though it might be cliche, it’s hard to bet against an Izzo-coached team in March. Even in down years, Izzo manages to squeeze a little bit more out of his teams when March Madness comes around; Over 26 career appearances in the NCAA tournament, his teams have won nearly 70% of their games. And this year is not even close to a down year for the Spartans.

Led by a balanced offense that features senior Jaden Akins and freshman Jase Richardson (the son of former Spartan and NBA star Jason Richardson), this squad more closely resembles Izzo’s Elite Eight and Final Four teams than it does the recent one-and-dones. Look for the Spartans to grind out a few tight wins but make it back to the Final Four for the first time since 2019.

You have to hand it to the NCAA men’s basketball tournament selection committee for not only putting four of the sport’s largest coaching personalities in the same region, but also for putting three of them in the same four-team group for first- and second-round play in Providence, Rhode Island. Oh – and, hey, this is probably just a coincidence – but Rick Pitino (now at St. John’s) used to coach at Providence College, and the Red Storm’s second-round opponent could be Arkansas and John Calipari. Now, let’s see: Do Pitino and Calipari have anything in common? Why, yes! Yes, they – um — blue!

Hard to imagine, but this will actually make Kansas’ Bill Self the third-most-famous coach in Providence. And Connecticut’s Dan Hurley, he of the past two NCAA championships, might actually come in at No. 4 in name-recognition in this region, with Memphis’ Penny Hardaway, no shrinking violet, a close fifth.

What, you want actual basketball stuff here? A breakdown of the East Region:

West Region best first-round matchup: Drake vs. Missouri

Drake’s deliberate style of play seems well suited to slow down Missouri, which averages 84.5 points per game (the Bulldogs are allowing an NCAA-low average of 58.4). In addition, the Bulldogs have the kind of player who can almost single-handedly orchestrate the outcome of a game: Junior guard Bennett Stirtz. First of all he basically never leaves the floor. He’s averaging 39.4 minutes per game. In that time, he averages 19.1 points, 4.4 rebounds, 5.7 assists and 2.2 steals.

The question will be whether he and guard Mitch Mascari, who averages more than 38 minutes per game and shoots 41% from three-point range, will be able to stand up against a Missouri team that can go 10 or 11 players deep.

LEFT OUT: Six teams snubbed by the NCAA men’s tournament

UP AND DOWN: Winners and losers from tournament bracket release

West Region potential upsets in first round: Colorado State and Grand Canyon

A more-than-pass-the-laugh-test case can be made for a first round in which No. 10 Arkansas, No. 11 Drake, No. 12 Colorado State and No. 13 Grand Canyon all win. Arkansas has said that point guard Boogie Fland should be back from a thumb injury, and Kansas – for whatever reason – simply seems off the boil against most quality teams this season.

Colorado State has won 10 consecutive games, has an array of players who can shoot from three-point range and a singular talent in guard Nique Clifford, who leads the Rams in scoring, rebounding, assists and steals. Memphis, while sweeping the American Athletic Conference regular season and tournament titles, has a big question at point guard with Tyrese Hunter’s ankle injury. And Grand Canyon is a big, physical team with several key players back from a team that won a first-round game last year as a No. 12 seed. Maryland has tremendous talent but lacks depth.

West Region sleeper: Texas Tech

Take your pick from the four double-digit seeds just mentioned — or, go with Texas Tech. (And, yes, with Florida and St. John’s getting the amount of attention they are rightly getting, the No. 3 seed gets to be considered a sleeper.) These Red Raiders are not just the type of rugged defensive group that they have been in the past. They are averaging nearly 81 points per game, which may not sound impressive — but it’s the best for Texas Tech since the 1994-95 season. They have Big 12 player of the year, 6-9 sophomore forward JT Toppin. And if they have a lead late in a game, fouling them is not likely to help much: They have three regulars who are shooting 84% or better from the free-throw line and two others shooting at least 78% from the line.

West Region winner: St. John’s

The obvious choice here is Florida. The Gators have been playing magnificently since an 88-83 loss at Georgia on Feb. 25. In their six games since then, they have averaged nearly 94 points, while beating Texas A&M, Alabama, Mississippi, Missouri, Alabama again and Tennessee.

But this is a coaches’ regional. Yes, St. John’s is a team that does not have a lot of NCAA Tournament experience. But it is terrific team that has multiple players who can lead the way. And, seriously, how do you pick against a coach who already has two autobiographies, four books on how to succeed and two NCAA championships?

Here’s how fans can find a printable bracket for women’s NCAA tournament picks and predictions in March Madness.

The 2025 women’s NCAA Tournament bracket for March Madness is being revealed right now on ESPN’s Selection Sunday show.

UCLA earned the No. 1 overall seed, South Carolina secured the top seed in Region 2, Madison Booker and Texas nabbed a top seed in Region 3, and JuJu Watkins and USC got the No. 1 seed in Region 4, while Paige Bueckers and UConn landed with a No. 2 seed in Region 4.

Print your bracket with team names below. You can also join USA TODAY’s Bracket Challenge and Survivor Pool.

Printable women’s March Madness bracket

Click here to print your 2025 NCAA women’s tournament printable bracket

Women’s March Madness schedule

Here is the women’s schedule: 

First Four: March 19-20
First round: March 21-22
Second round: March 23-24
Sweet 16: March 28-29
Elite Eight: March 30-March 31
Final Four: Friday, April 4, 7 p.m. ET on ESPN, hosted at Amalie Arena in Tampa. Second game starts 30 minutes after first game ends.
NCAA championship game: Sunday, April 6 at 3 p.m. ET on ABC, hosted at Amalie Arena in Tampa.

NCAA women’s basketball tournament sites 2025

The 2025 NCAA women’s tournament will feature two super regionals, with two 16-team brackets at each regional, which are in Spokane, Wash., and Birmingham, Ala. That means two teams will qualify for the Final Four at each regional. First- and second-round games are played at campus sites, with the top four seeds in each of the four regions hosting.

Location and venues for the First Four, as well as those first- and second-round campus sites are as follows:

Region 1

No. 1 UCLA vs. UC San Diego/Southern winner (LA)
No. 8 Richmond vs. No. 9 Georgia Tech (LA)
No. 5 Ole Miss vs. No. 12 Ball State (Waco, Texas)
No. 4 Baylor vs. No. 13 Grand Canyon (Waco, Texas)
No. 6 Florida State vs. No. 11 George Mason (Baton Rouge, La.)
No. 3 LSU  vs. No. 14 San Diego State(Baton Rouge, La.)
No. 7 Michigan State vs. No. 10 Harvard (Raleigh, N.C.)
No. 2 NC State vs. No. 15 Vermont (Raleigh, N.C.)

Region 2

No. 1 South Carolina vs. No. 16 Tennessee Tech (Columbia, S.C.)
No. 8  Utah vs. No. 9 Indiana (Columbia, S.C.)
No. 5 Alabama  vs. No. 12 Green Bay (College Park, Md.)
No. 4 Maryland vs. No. 13 Norfolk State (College Park, Md.) 
No. 6 West Virginia vs. No. 11 Columbia/Washington winner (Chapel Hill, N.C.)
No. 3 UNC vs. No. 14 Oregon State (Chapel Hill, N.C.)
No. 7 Vanderbilt vs. No. 10 Oregon (Durham, N.C.)
No. 2 Duke vs. No. 15 Lehigh (Durham, N.C.)

Region 3

No. 1 Texas vs. No. 16 High Point/Washington winner (Austin, Texas)
No. 8 Illinois vs. No. 9 Creighton (Austin, Texas)
No. 5 Tennessee vs. No. 12 South Florida (Columbis, Ohio)
No. 4 Ohio State vs. No. 13 Montana State (Columbis, Ohio)
No. 6 Michigan vs. No. 11 Iowa State/Princeton winner (Notre Dame, Ind.)
No. 3 Notre Dame vs. No. 14 Stephen F. Austin (Notre Dame, Ind.)
No. 7 Louisville vs. No. 10 Nebraska (Fort Worth, Texas)
No. 2 TCU vs. No. 15 FDU (Fort Worth, Texas)

Region 4

No. 1 USC vs. No. 16 UNC Greensboro (LA)
No. 8 California  vs. No. 9 Mississippi St. (LA)
No. 5 Kansas State vs. No. 12 Fairfield (Lexington, Ky.)
No. 4 Kentucky vs. No. 13 Liberty (Lexington, Ky.)
No. 6 Iowa vs. No. 11 Murray State (Norman, Okla.) 
No. 3 Oklahoma vs. No. 14 Florida Gulf Coast (Norman, Okla.)
No. 7 Oklahoma State vs. No. 10 South Dakota State (Storrs, Conn.)
No. 2 UConn vs. No. 15 Arkansas State (Storrs, Conn.)

North Carolina basketball fans can thank Memphis for its berth in the NCAA Tournament.

The Tar Heels earned an at-large berth during the Selection Show on Sunday, which revealed UNC as a First Four play-in team. The Tar Heels will take on fellow No. 11 seed San Diego State in Dayton, Ohio, on Thursday. The winner will advance to the first round against No. 3 Iowa State.

UNC’s inclusion in the tournament was met with ire and confusion on social media, as the Tar Heels looked to be on the outside looking in when the Selection Show started on Sunday.

However, a conference tournament game worked in favor of North Carolina getting in: Memphis beating UAB in the AAC championship game earlier in the day, according to NCAA Men’s Basketball Vice Chair Keith Gill.

‘Saturday night we took our final vote and voted in four teams in the field on Saturday night,’ Gill said on the CBS broadcast. ‘And we had a contingency vote on the last team in the field. It was based on Memphis-UAB. If Memphis won that game, then that was going to free up the spot and that team was going to be North Carolina.

‘If UAB had won, then Memphis was going to be in the tournament, UAB would have been in the tournament and North Carolina would have been the first team out. That process played out today. Memphis won and that put North Carolina in the field.’

Memphis earned an 84-72 victory over UAB on Sunday.

The Sun Belt Conference commissioner also added that while UNC athletics director Bubba Cunningham is the chair of the NCAA Tournament selection committee, he recused himself and was not in the room during any discussions regarding North Carolina.

Even so, there is some speculation about what Cunningham’s enduring presence can do to some members of the committee.

‘As the vice chair, I managed all the conversations we had about North Carolina, and we had quite a few,’ Gill said. ‘Our policies require the AD of any school to recuse themselves and leave the room for those discussions and do not allow them to participate in any vote as well. We followed those.’

Editor’s note: The men’s March Madness bracket has been revealed. Here’s what to know about the 68-team NCAA Tournament field.

With conference tournaments in the books, the voters in the USA TODAY Sports Coaches Poll have weighed in one more time heading into March Madness.

Duke will enter the NCAA men’s tournament as the No. 1 team after claiming the ACC title without star Cooper Flagg. The Blue Devils received 25 of 31 first-place votes and will almost certainly have a top regional seed as they seek the program’s seventh national championship.

Big 12 champ Houston heads into the Big Dance with the No. 2 ranking overall, picking up a pair of first-place nods. SEC champ Florida was voted first on three ballots and will enter the tournament at No. 3, but the Gators will likely be a popular choice to cut down the nets thanks to their strong finish to the regular season and conference tournament title in the nation’s deepest league. Auburn is No. 4 with the final first-place vote, and Big East champ St. John’s rounds out the top five.

TOP 25: Complete USA TODAY Sports men’s basketball poll

No. 6 Tennessee and No. 8 Alabama give the SEC a total of four top-10 teams. Michigan State falls only one spot to No. 7 after an early exit from the Big Ten tournament. Texas Tech and Wisconsin round out the top 10.

No. 23 Gonzaga rejoins the top 25 after taking down No. 19 Saint Mary’s in the West Coast Conference finale. The Zags replace Illinois.