March Madness 2025 bracket: NCAA Tournament picks, predictions from acclaimed college basketball model​on March 18, 2025 at 6:02 pm

No. 7 seed Kansas enters the 2025 NCAA Tournament bracket as one of the potential 2025 March Madness sleepers after losing three of its last five games. The Jayhawks opened the season as the preseason No. 1 team in the AP Top 25 poll, but posted a disappointing 11-9 record in the Big 12. Bill Self’s squad proved they can compete with some of the best teams in the country, beating North Carolina, Michigan State and Duke early in the season. Kansas will face No. 10 seed Arkansas on Thursday during the March Madness 2025 schedule. Arkansas was also inconsistent in John Calipari’s first season at the helm, but the Razorbacks finished with five wins in their last seven games.

Another Big 12 team beginning its NCAA Tournament 2025 run on Thursday is No. 6 seed BYU, which will face No. 11 seed VCU. The Cougars were 15-2 on their home court, but posted a 6-5 record on the road. Should your 2025 March Madness bracket picks include VCU pulling off the upset, or will the Cougars make a deep run in the NCAA bracket 2025? Before filling out your NCAA Tournament bracket 2025, be sure to see the 2025 March Madness bracket picks from the proven computer model at SportsLine.

SportsLine’s 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% 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 no reason to rely on luck when there’s proven technology to help you dominate your 2025 March Madness 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.

Top 2025 March Madness bracket picks

One of the Midwest Region picks from the model: No. 2 seed Tennessee, despite losing to Kentucky twice this season, beats the Wildcats in the Sweet 16. Both games saw the Vols squander second half leads, and UK’s level of play has leveled off since that second victory on Feb. 11. The Cats have gone 5-4 since then, while the Vols have gone 7-2, including a run to the SEC Tournament Final. This potential matchup will pit Kentucky’s No. 4 scoring offense versus Tennessee’s No. 11 scoring defense, but it’s the other units that give the Volunteers the edge.

With all four of its double-digit scorers being seniors, UT is in the top-50 in offensive rating. Meanwhile, UK sits just 240th in the country in defensive rating as that is clearly the weakest unit in this game. The Wildcats force the fewest turnovers per game, amongst SEC schools, and they also allow the highest 2-point percentage in the conference. Six of their last seven opponents have hung at least 82 points on the Wildcats, and that type of porous defense will stop UK’s tourney run in the Sweet 16.

Another surprise: No. 5 Clemson takes down No. 4 Purdue in the second round of the Midwest. Both of these teams had success in the NCAA Tournament last season as Clemson advanced to the Elite Eight and Purdue made it all the way to the national title game. However, the model sees value in backing the Tigers to advance to the Sweet 16 with a win over the Boilermakers in the second round.

Clemson set a school record with 27 wins, the best single-season victory total in the history of the program. The Tigers posted a 19-2 record in ACC play thanks to a disruptive defense that makes life miserable for opposing offenses. Clemson is giving up just 65.7 points per game this season, which ranks 26th in college basketball. Purdue, meanwhile, limps into the 2025 NCAA Tournament having lost six of their last nine games, which doesn’t bode well against a Clemson squad that is full of confidence. 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 region features three must-have upsets, including a play-in team that absolutely stuns its first-round opponent, all from the model that’s beaten 91% of bracket players in four of the last six tournaments.