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2025 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament

United States top collegiate-level basketball tournament for 2025 From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

2025 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament
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The 2025 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament was a single-elimination tournament to determine the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I men's college basketball national champion for the 2024–25 season. The 86th annual edition of the tournament began on March 18, 2025, and concluded on April 7 with the championship game at the Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas.

Quick Facts Season, Teams ...
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The Southeastern Conference (SEC) broke the record for the most bids earned to the tournament, with 14 of the 16 teams qualifying. Each regional final game had an SEC team playing. The Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) had historic lows, with only four teams earning bids, the smallest percentage of the conference since tournament expansion in 1975.[1] Big South champion High Point, Big West champion UC San Diego, Ohio Valley champion SIU Edwardsville, and Summit League champion Omaha made their tournament debuts. ASUN champion Lipscomb made its second-ever appearance, its first since 2018. America East champion Bryant also made its second-ever appearance, its first since 2022, and its first time in the first round. NEC champion Saint Francis made its second-ever appearance as well, its first since 1991, but a week after losing in the First Four, they announced they would move down from Division I to Division III.[2] UC San Diego's qualification came in its first year of eligibility, making it only the fourth school since 1972 to do so.[3][4]

This was the second time since the First Four was established in 2011 that no teams in the First Four advanced past the first round, and the first since 2019. For the first time since 2017, no team seeded lower than 12 made it past the first round.[5] In the first round the Big Ten was 8–0, setting an NCAA record for the most wins without a loss by any conference. The eight total wins were also a record, matched by the SEC in the same first round (8–5). In doing so, both conferences combined to represent 50% of the field in the second round.[6] In the ACC, only Duke made it past the first round, the first time since at-large bids were given out that multiple teams from that conference did not make the second round.[1]

With 10-seed Arkansas advancing to the Sweet 16, it marked the 17th consecutive time at least one double-digit seed advanced to the regional semifinals. UConn was attempting to be the first team to win three consecutive titles since UCLA won seven consecutive from 1967 to 1973, but its elimination by eventual champions Florida in the second round marked the seventh time in the last eight tournaments that the defending champion failed to make the Sweet 16. For the first time since the tournament's 1985 expansion to 64 teams, the Sweet 16 was composed entirely of teams from the Power Four conferences (SEC, Big Ten, Big 12, and ACC).

Though recent tournaments were some of the most upset-prone,[7] 2025 had some of the fewest upsets in NCAA tournament history. No top-four seed lost in the first round, and 10th seeded Arkansas was the only Sweet 16 team with higher than a #6 seed. All 12 games of the regional semifinals and finals were won by the higher-seeded team. As a result, the Elite Eight had four #1 seeds, three #2 seeds, and one #3 seed, tying it with 2007 as the lowest seed total for an Elite Eight in tournament history,[8][9] and all four #1 seeds made the Final Four, an occurrence only matched by the 2008 tournament (which was also played in San Antonio).[10] The Final Four were the four #1 seeds: Florida, Duke, Houston, and Auburn. The championship matchup was between Florida and Houston. Florida defeated Houston, 65–63, to claim its third title, and its first since 2007.

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Tournament procedure

Further information: NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Tournament § Format

Out of 355 eligible Division I teams, 68 participated in the tournament.[a] A total of 31 automatic bids are awarded to each program that win a conference tournament. The remaining 37 bids are issued "at-large", with selections extended by the NCAA Selection Committee on Selection Sunday, March 16. The Selection Committee will also seed the entire field from 1 to 68.

Eight teams (the four-lowest seeded automatic qualifiers and the four lowest-seeded at large-teams) play in the First Four. The winners of these games will advance to the main tournament bracket.

More information NET, School ...
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2025 NCAA tournament schedule and venues

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The following were the sites selected to host each round of the 2025 tournament:[11]

Thumb
Dayton
Dayton
Providence
Providence
Lexington
Lexington
Wichita
Wichita
Denver
Denver
Cleveland
Cleveland
Raleigh
Raleigh
Milwaukee
Milwaukee
Seattle
Seattle
2025 First Four (orange) and first and second rounds (green)
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Newark
Newark
San Francisco
San Francisco
Atlanta
Atlanta
Indianapolis
Indianapolis
San Antonio
San Antonio
2025 Regionals (blue) and Final Four (red)

First Four

First and Second Rounds (Subregionals)

Regional Semi-Finals and Finals (Sweet Sixteen and Elite Eight)

National Semifinals and Championship (Final Four)

San Antonio will host the Final Four for the fifth time, having previously hosted in 2018.

  1. Nine teams are ineligible, all due to being in the process of reclassifying to Division I from a lower division: East Texas A&M, Le Moyne, Lindenwood, Mercyhurst, Queens, St. Thomas, Southern Indiana, Stonehill, and West Georgia.
  2. The Pac-12 Conference was inactive as a men's basketball conference this season.
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Qualification and selection of teams

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Further information: 2025 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament qualifying teams

The 68 teams came from 35 states and the District of Columbia.

Teams that participated in the 2025 tournament. South Region (red), East Region (orange), Midwest Region (yellow), and West Region (green)

Automatic qualifiers

Teams who won their conference championships (31) automatically qualify.

More information Conference, Team ...

Seeds

The tournament seeds and regions are determined through the NCAA basketball tournament selection process and were published by the selection committee after the brackets are released on March 16.

More information Seed, School ...

*See First Four
Source:[12]

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Tournament bracket

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All times are listed in Eastern Daylight Time (UTC−4). Games on CBS are also on Paramount+, while games on TBS, TNT, and truTV are also on Max.

First Four – Dayton, Ohio

The First Four games involve eight teams: the four lowest-seeded automatic qualifiers and the four lowest-seeded at-large teams.

March 18 – South Regional
   
16 Saint Francis 68
16 Alabama State 70
March 18 – South Regional
   
11 North Carolina 95
11 San Diego State 68
March 19 – East Regional
   
16 Mount St. Mary's 83
16 American 72
March 19 – Midwest Regional
   
11 Xavier 86
11 Texas 80

South regional – Atlanta, Georgia

First round
Round of 64
March 20–21 		Second round
Round of 32
March 22–23 		Regional semifinals
Sweet 16
March 28 		Regional Final
Elite 8
March 30
            
1 Auburn 83
16 Alabama State 63
1 Auburn 82
Lexington – Thu/Sat
9 Creighton 70
8 Louisville 75
9 Creighton 89
1 Auburn 78
5 Michigan 65
5 Michigan 68
12 UC San Diego 65
5 Michigan 91
Denver – Thu/Sat
4 Texas A&M 79
4 Texas A&M 80
13 Yale 71
1 Auburn 70
2 Michigan State 64
6 Ole Miss 71
11 North Carolina 64
6 Ole Miss 91
Milwaukee – Fri/Sun
3 Iowa State 78
3 Iowa State 82
14 Lipscomb 55
6 Ole Miss 70
2 Michigan State 73
7 Marquette 66
10 New Mexico 75
10 New Mexico 63
Cleveland – Fri/Sun
2 Michigan State 71
2 Michigan State 87
15 Bryant 62

South regional final

March 30
5:05 p.m. EDT
No. 1 Auburn Tigers 70, No. 2 Michigan State Spartans 64
Scoring by half: 33–24, 37–40
Pts: Broome (25)
Rebs: Broome (14)
Asts: Baker-Mazara (5)		 Pts: Kohler (17)
Rebs: Kohler (11)
Asts: Fears Jr. (5)
State Farm Arena – Atlanta, Georgia
Attendance: 16,768
Referees: Ron Groover, Jeff Anderson, Don Daily

South regional all-tournament team

West regional – San Francisco, California

First round
Round of 64
March 20–21 		Second round
Round of 32
March 22–23 		Regional semifinals
Sweet 16
March 27 		Regional Final
Elite 8
March 29
            
1 Florida 95
16 Norfolk State 69
1 Florida 77
Raleigh – Fri/Sun
8 UConn 75
8 UConn 67
9 Oklahoma 59
1 Florida 87
4 Maryland 71
5 Memphis 70
12 Colorado State 78
12 Colorado State 71
Seattle – Fri/Sun
4 Maryland 72
4 Maryland 81
13 Grand Canyon 49
1 Florida 84
3 Texas Tech 79
6 Missouri 57
11 Drake 67
11 Drake 64
Wichita – Thu/Sat
3 Texas Tech 77
3 Texas Tech 82
14 UNC Wilmington 72
3 Texas Tech 85OT
10 Arkansas 83
7 Kansas 72
10 Arkansas 79
10 Arkansas 75
Providence – Thu/Sat
2 St. John's 66
2 St. John's 83
15 Omaha 53

West regional final

March 29
6:09 p.m. EDT
No. 1 Florida Gators 84, No. 3 Texas Tech Red Raiders 79
Scoring by half: 40−37, 44−42
Pts: Clayton Jr. (30)
Rebs: Haugh (11)
Asts: Clayton Jr. (4)		 Pts: Toppin (20)
Rebs: Toppin (11)
Asts: Hawkins (7)
Chase Center – San Francisco, California
Attendance: 16,778
Referees: James Breeding, Michael Irving, Steven Anderson

West regional all-tournament team

East regional – Newark, New Jersey

First round
Round of 64
March 20–21 		Second round
Round of 32
March 22–23 		Regional semifinals
Sweet 16
March 27 		Regional Final
Elite 8
March 29
            
1 Duke 93
16 Mount St. Mary's 49
1 Duke 89
Raleigh – Fri/Sun
9 Baylor 66
8 Mississippi State 72
9 Baylor 75
1 Duke 100
4 Arizona 93
5 Oregon 81
12 Liberty 52
5 Oregon 83
Seattle – Fri/Sun
4 Arizona 87
4 Arizona 93
13 Akron 65
1 Duke 85
2 Alabama 65
6 BYU 80
11 VCU 71
6 BYU 91
Denver – Thu/Sat
3 Wisconsin 89
3 Wisconsin 85
14 Montana 66
6 BYU 88
2 Alabama 113
7 Saint Mary's 59
10 Vanderbilt 56
7 Saint Mary's 66
Cleveland – Fri/Sun
2 Alabama 80
2 Alabama 90
15 Robert Morris 81

East regional final

March 29
8:49 p.m. EDT
No. 1 Duke Blue Devils 85, No. 2 Alabama Crimson Tide 65
Scoring by half: 46–37, 39–28
Pts: Knueppel (21)
Rebs: Tied (9)
Asts: Knueppel (5)		 Pts: Philon (16)
Rebs: Nelson (7)
Asts: Sears (6)
Prudential Center – Newark, New Jersey
Attendance: 18,793
Referees: Terry Oglesby, Roger Ayers, Greg Nixon

East regional all-tournament team

Midwest regional – Indianapolis, Indiana

First round
Round of 64
March 20–21 		Second round
Round of 32
March 22–23 		Regional semifinals
Sweet 16
March 28 		Regional Final
Elite 8
March 30
            
1 Houston 78
16 SIU Edwardsville 40
1 Houston 81
Wichita – Thu/Sat
8 Gonzaga 76
8 Gonzaga 89
9 Georgia 68
1 Houston 62
4 Purdue 60
5 Clemson 67
12 McNeese 69
12 McNeese 62
Providence – Thu/Sat
4 Purdue 76
4 Purdue 75
13 High Point 63
1 Houston 69
2 Tennessee 50
6 Illinois 86
11 Xavier 73
6 Illinois 75
Milwaukee – Fri/Sun
3 Kentucky 84
3 Kentucky 76
14 Troy 57
3 Kentucky 65
2 Tennessee 78
7 UCLA 72
10 Utah State 47
7 UCLA 58
Lexington – Thu/Sat
2 Tennessee 67
2 Tennessee 77
15 Wofford 62

Midwest regional final

March 30
2:20 p.m. EDT
No. 1 Houston Cougars 69, No. 2 Tennessee Volunteers 50
Scoring by half: 34–15, 35–35
Pts: Cryer (17)
Rebs: Tugler (9)
Asts: Tied (4)		 Pts: Tied (17)
Rebs: Okpara (9)
Asts: Zeigler (5)
Lucas Oil Stadium – Indianapolis, Indiana
Attendance: 18,567
Referees: Doug Sirmons, Courtney Green, A.J. Desai

Midwest regional all-tournament team

Final Four – San Antonio, Texas

National Semifinals
Final Four
Saturday, April 5 		National Championship Game
Monday, April 7
      
S1 Auburn 73
W1 Florida 79
W1 Florida 65
MW1 Houston 63
E1 Duke 67
MW1 Houston 70

National semifinals

April 5
6:09 p.m. EDT
W1 Florida Gators 79, S1 Auburn Tigers 73
Scoring by half: 38–46, 41–27
Pts: Walter Clayton Jr., 34
Rebs: Rueben Chinyelu, 9
Asts: Alex Condon, 3		 Pts: Chad Baker-Mazara, 18
Rebs: Dylan Cardwell, 8
Asts: Tahaad Pettiford, 4
Alamodome – San Antonio, Texas
Attendance: 68,252
Referees: Roger Ayers, Tony Padilla, Courtney Green
CBS
Paramount+
April 5
8:49 p.m. EDT
MW1 Houston Cougars 70, E1 Duke Blue Devils 67
Scoring by half: 28–34, 42–33
Pts: LJ Cryer, 26
Rebs: J'Wan Roberts, 12
Asts: J'Wan Roberts, 5		 Pts: Cooper Flagg, 27
Rebs: Flagg and Knueppel, 7
Asts: Cooper Flagg, 4
Alamodome – San Antonio, Texas
Attendance: 68,252
Referees: Keith Kimble, James Breeding, Doug Shows

National championship

Main article: 2025 NCAA Division I men's basketball championship game
April 7
8:50 p.m. EDT
W1 Florida Gators 65, MW1 Houston Cougars 63
Scoring by half: 28–31, 37–32
Pts: Will Richard, 18
Rebs: Will Richard, 8
Asts: Walter Clayton Jr., 7		 Pts: LJ Cryer, 19
Rebs: J'Wan Roberts, 8
Asts: LJ Cryer, 2
Alamodome – San Antonio, Texas
Attendance: 66,602
Referees: Ron Groover, Doug Sirmons, Terry Oglesby

Final Four all-tournament team

  • Walter Clayton Jr. (MOP) - Florida[13]
  • Will Richard - Florida
  • LJ Cryer - Houston
  • J'Wan Roberts - Houston
  • Cooper Flagg - Duke
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Record by conference

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More information Conference, Bids ...

*Tournament record[14]

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Game summaries and tournament notes

The “seed composition” of the Elite Eight was the exact same in both the men's and women's tournament[15] -

Men's Elite Eight -

Four #1 seeds, three #2 seeds, one #3 seed.

Women's Elite Eight -

Four #1 seeds, three #2 seeds, one #3 seed.

Tournament upsets

Per the NCAA, an upset occurs "when the losing team in an NCAA tournament game was seeded at least five seed lines better than the winning team."[16]

The 2025 tournament had a total of four upsets, with three in the first round and one in the second round.

More information Round, West ...
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Media coverage

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Television

Main article: NCAA March Madness (TV program)

CBS Sports and TNT Sports had US television rights to the tournament.[17][18] As part of a cycle that began in 2016, CBS televised the 2025 Final Four and the national championship game.

This was the first NCAA tournament since the death of Greg Gumbel, who served as the studio host from 1998 through 2023, and missed the 2024 tournament due to family health issues. Gumbel died from cancer on December 27, 2024.[19]

Linear channels

  • Selection Show – CBS
  • First Four – TruTV
  • First and Second Rounds – CBS, TBS, TNT, and TruTV
  • Regional Semifinals (Sweet 16) and Finals (Elite 8) – CBS, TBS, and TruTV
  • National Semifinals (Final Four) and Championship – CBS

Streaming

Studio hosts

  • Ernie Johnson (New York City and San Antonio) – First and second rounds, regionals, Final Four and national championship game
  • Adam Zucker (New York City and San Antonio) – First and second rounds and Final Four
  • Adam Lefkoe (Atlanta) – First Four, first and second rounds, and regional semifinals
  • Jamie Erdahl (New York City) – First and second rounds (game breaks)

Studio analysts

  • Charles Barkley (New York City and San Antonio) – First and second rounds, regionals, Final Four and national championship game
  • Seth Davis (Atlanta and San Antonio) – First Four, first and second rounds, regional semifinals and Final Four
  • Clark Kellogg (New York City and San Antonio) – First and second rounds, regionals, Final Four and national championship game
  • Candace Parker (Atlanta) – First and second rounds and regional semifinals
  • Jalen Rose (Atlanta and San Antonio) – First Four and Final Four
  • Kenny Smith (New York City and San Antonio) – First and second rounds, regionals, Final Four and national championship game
  • Gene Steratore (New York City and San Antonio) (Rules Analyst) – First Four, first and second rounds, regionals, Final Four and national championship game
  • Wally Szczerbiak (New York City and San Antonio) – Second round and Final Four
  • Jay Wright (Atlanta, New York City and San Antonio) – First Four, first and second rounds, regionals, Final Four and national championship game

Broadcast assignments

Most watched tournament games

(#) Tournament seedings and region in parentheses.

More information Rank, Round ...

Radio

Westwood One will have exclusive coverage of the entire tournament.

Internet

Video

Live video of games is available for streaming through the following means:[23]

  • NCAA March Madness Live (website and app, CBS games available for free on digital media players; access to all other games requires TV Everywhere authentication through provider)
  • Watch TBS website and app (only TBS games, required TV Everywhere authentication)
  • Watch TNT website and app (only TNT games, required TV Everywhere authentication)
  • Watch truTV website and app (only truTV games, required TV Everywhere authentication)
  • CBS website and app (only CBS games, required TV Everywhere authentication)
  • Websites and apps of cable, satellite, and OTT providers of CBS, TBS, TNT, and truTV (access required subscription)

For the app this year, a multiview that showed all games airing simultaneously was available for the second straight year.[24]

In addition, the March Madness app will offer Fast Break, whip around coverage of games similar to NFL RedZone on the first weekend of the tournament (first and second rounds).

Audio

Live audio of games is available for streaming through the following means:

  • NCAA March Madness Live (website and app)
  • Westwood One Sports website
  • TuneIn (website and app, required TuneIn Premium subscription)
  • Varsity Network app
  • Websites and apps of Westwood One Sports affiliates

The March Madness app also supports Apple CarPlay and Android Auto through a native app.[26]

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See also

References

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