NCAA Tournament 2025 bracket: Proven simulation predicts surprising upsets, March Madness picks, and sleepers​on March 19, 2025 at 12:26 am

The UConn Huskies will try to become just the second program to win three consecutive national titles when they take the court at the 2025 NCAA Tournament. UConn has the opportunity to join UCLA, which won seven in a row from 1967-73. The Huskies have a tough road if they want to three-peat, however. UConn is the No. 8 seed in the West Region and will play No. 9 Oklahoma in the first round of the 2025 March Madness bracket. If Dan Hurley’s squad can get past the Sooners, they’ll likely face No. 1 seed Florida in the second round of the 2025 NCAA bracket.

Can UConn pull off a string of upsets and make a deep run in the 2025 NCAA Tournament? This year’s college basketball season has shown that anyone can be beaten, so which 2025 March Madness upsets should be on your radar? Before you make your 2025 NCAA Tournament predictions, see the March Madness bracket picks from the proven computer model at SportsLine.

Last year, SportsLine’s computer simulation nailed massive upsets, including huge wins by No. 11 Oregon over No. 6 South Carolina, No. 11 NC State over No. 6 Texas Tech, No. 10 Colorado over No. 7 Florida, and No. 12 James Madison over No. 5 Wisconsin last year. The model has beaten over 91 percent of all CBS Sports bracket players in four of the past six tournaments.

This model, which simulates every game 10,000 times, has nailed 24 first-round upsets by double-digit seeds since its inception in 2016 and nailed UConn’s championship run last year. It nailed 13 teams in the Sweet 16 and was all over Alabama’s Cinderella run to the Final Four as a 4-seed.

Now, SportsLine’s advanced computer model has simulated the entire 2025 March Madness bracket 10,000 times to come up with the perfect 2025 NCAA Tournament bracket and find out which teams will pull off the biggest upsets. You shouldn’t even think about making a pick without seeing what their model has to say.

Top 2025 March Madness bracket upset picks

One South Region surprise the model has identified: the First Four winner of North Carolina vs. San Diego State will knock off No. 6 Ole Miss in the first round. The Tar Heels were a surprise entry into the tournament field, but they could potentially be favored against Ole Miss in that first-round matchup. San Diego State flashed its potential early in the season when it beat Houston in November, forcing 12 turnovers while holding the Cougars to just 32% shooting from inside the arc.

The Aztecs have forced turnovers on 20% of their Mountain West opponents’ possessions this season, so they could pose a problem for Ole Miss as well. The Rebels are one of the smallest teams in the field, and they rank outside the top 80 nationally in scoring. Those scoring droughts could pop up again in a pressure-packed game against an opponent that has generated momentum with a First Four victory.

Another South Region surprise the model has identified: No. 13 Yale knocks off No. 4 Texas A&M in the first round. Yale has proven to be a tough out in the NCAA Tournament in recent years. In 2024, the Bulldogs knocked off No. 4 seed Auburn in the first round with a 78-76 victory.

Yale enters the 2025 NCAA Tournament full of confidence after cruising through the Ivy League Tournament, which culminated with a 90-84 victory over Cornell in the title game. The Bulldogs feature one of the most explosive offenses in college basketball. Yale is scoring 81.7 points per game, which ranks 23rd in the nation. The Aggies, meanwhile, rank 169th in the country in 3-point percentage defense (33.4%), which doesn’t bode well against a Bulldogs squad that ranks eighth in the country in 3-point percentage (38.77). See which other 2025 March Madness matchups to target here.

How to make 2025 NCAA Tournament 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 region features two mammoth upsets in the first round, including one by a team that’s only ever won a single tournament game, and see which 6-seed makes the Sweet 16, all from the model that’s nailed 24 first-round upsets by double-digit seeds.