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The first round of the 2025 NCAA Tournament bracket will begin on Thursday at 12:15 p.m. ET when No. 8 seed Louisville takes on No. 9 seed Creighton in a South Region matchup. That means time is running out to submit your 2025 March Madness bracket picks and enter 2025 NCAA Tournament pools. Identifying double-digit seeds with the potential to steal wins is always part of a winning 2025 NCAA bracket strategy. One double-digit seed you could target is No. 11 seed VCU in the East Region. VCU’s Final Four run was 14 years ago and Ryan Odom’s coaching style is different from Shaka Smart’s “havoc” philosophy, but the Rams rank top 41 in the nation in KenPom offensive and defensive efficiency.
Can VCU be one of the 2025 March Madness bracket busters beginning with No. 6 seed BYU on Thursday? Before making any 2025 NCAA Tournament predictions, see the 2025 March Madness 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% 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, SportsLine’s advanced computer model has simulated the entire 2025 NCAA Tournament 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.
Three 2025 March Madness bracket games to watch
One of the most intriguing 2025 March Madness matchups to watch: No. 8 UConn vs. No. 9 Oklahoma in the West Region. The Dan Hurley era at UConn has the Huskies as one of the elite programs in college basketball as back-to-back national champions. Although UConn only went 23-10 and lost in the Big East Tournament semifinals, the Huskies still have a chance at history by joining UCLA as the only programs to win three straight national titles. Oklahoma is a more challenging first-round test than they’ve faced in recent years though with the Sooners having four wins over ranked opponents and nearly knocking off Kentucky in the second round of the SEC Tournament before a one-point loss at the buzzer.
Another 2025 NCAA Tournament matchup to keep an eye on is No. 7 Kansas vs. No. 10 Arkansas in the West Region. This year’s Jayhawks began the year at No. 1 in the preseason polls and could still be a threat to make a deep run with Hunter Dickinson leading the way. Meanwhile, Arkansas overcame a five-game losing streak in the middle of its season to earn a bid in John Calipari’s first season at the helm. Star freshman Boogie Fland has also been cleared to return after missing the last two months with a hand injury.
Another 2025 March Madness game to watch out for: No. 5 Memphis will battle No. 12 seed Colorado State in the West Region. The Tigers boast the leading scorer in the NCAA Tournament in PJ Haggerty, who is putting up 21.8 points per game. He leads a Memphis squad that won both the AAC regular season and tournament, and Penny Hardaway’s crew boasts wins over UConn, Ole Miss and Michigan State. Meanwhile, CSU enters on a 10-game win streak and has a player who could go toe-to-toe with Haggerty, as Nique Clifford averaged 25 ppg across the Rams’ three-game run to winning the MWC Tournament. You can see the model’s 2025 NCAA bracket picks 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 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.
