The Latest: NCAA Tournament brackets have been revealed

Sunday, Mar 16, 2025 8:34 PM

Duke celebrates with the trophy after their win against Louisville after an NCAA college basketball game in the championship of the Atlantic Coast Conference tournament, Saturday, March 15, 2025, in Charlotte, N.C. (AP Photo/Chris Carlson)

March Madness brackets have been revealed.

The men’s No. 1 seeds are Auburn, Houston, Duke and Florida. The women’s are UCLA, South Carolina, Southern California and Texas.

The men’s First Four will be played in Dayton, Ohio, beginning on Tuesday. The women’s First Four will begin Wednesday.

Here's the latest on this Selection Sunday:

Betting favorites for men’s, women’s NCAA titles

Florida (+350) is the favorite to win the men’s title at BetMGM Sportsbook, but only slightly over Duke (+360), Auburn (4-1) and Houston (6-1). Alabama is 15-1.

In the women’s tournament, South Carolina (+270) is a slim favorite over UConn (+275), with UCLA (5-1), USC (+550), Texas (6-1) and Notre Dame (6-1) in the mix. Then it’s a big gap before N.C. State and LSU at 40-1.

Big Ten gets record entries

The Big Ten put a record 12 teams into the women’s field, including top seeds UCLA and Southern California.

The SEC has 10 teams and the ACC eight. The Big 12 has seven. The Ivy League (three) received more bids than the Big East (two).

Monumental matchups could await in Elite 8

No. 1 seed Texas could face No. 2 seed TCU in an Elite Eight clash of in-state rivals in Regional 3.

In Regional 4, the top two seeds are Southern California and UConn, who met in December in one of the season’s best games.

JuJu Watkins and USC beat Paige Bueckers and the Huskies 72-70.

Notre Dame women get a surprising seed

Notre Dame lost three of its last five games, dropping from a potential top seed to a third seed.

The Fighting Irish will play 14th-seeded Stephen F. Austin in the opening round.

They will host the first and second rounds before potentially traveling to Birmingham, Alabama, for Sweet 16 and Elite Eight games.

The Irish are 26-5 this season and earned a share of the Atlantic Coast Conference regular-season title.

Kentucky, Ohio State, Maryland and Baylor secure hosting seeds

The top-four seeds in each region get to host the first two rounds in the women’s tournament.

That means No. 4 seeds Kentucky, Ohio State, Maryland and Baylor were the last few teams to receive home court. They did it at the expense of the No. 5 seeds: Mississippi, Alabama, Tennessee and Kansas State.

Women’s Regional 4 bracket

1. No. 1 USC vs. No. 16 UNC Greensboro2. No. 8 California vs. No. 9 Mississippi State3. No. 5 Kansas State vs. No. 12 Fairfield4. No. 4 Kentucky vs. No. 13 Liberty5. No. 6 Iowa vs. No. 11 Murray State6. No. 3 Oklahoma vs. No. 14 Florida Gulf Coast7. No. 7 Oklahoma State vs. No. 10 South Dakota State8. No. 2 UConn vs. No. 15 Arkansas State

Women’s Regional 3 bracket

9. No. 1 Texas vs. No. 16 High Point/William & Mary10. No. 8 Illinois vs. No. 9 Creighton11. No. 5 Tennessee vs. No. 12 South Florida12. No. 4 Ohio State vs. No. 13 Montana State13. No. 6 Michigan vs. No. 11 Iowa State/Princeton14. No. 3 Notre Dame vs. No. 14 Stephen F. Austin15. No. 7 Louisville vs. No. 10 Nebraska16. No. 2 TCU vs. No. 15 Fairleigh Dickinson

Women’s Regional 2 bracket

17. No. 1 South Carolina vs. No. 16 Tennessee Tech18. No. 8 Utah vs. No. 9 Indiana19. No. 5 Alabama vs. No. 12 Green Bay20. No. 4 Maryland vs. No. 13 Norfolk State21. No. 6 West Virginia vs. No. 11 Columbia/Washington22. No. 3 North Carolina vs. No. 14 Oregon State23. No. 7 Vanderbilt vs. No. 10 Oregon24. No. 2 Duke vs. No. 15 Lehigh

Women’s Regional 1 bracket

25. No. 1 UCLA vs. No. 16 UC San Diego/Southern26. No. 8 Richmond vs. No. 9 Georgia Tech27. No. 5 Mississippi vs. No. 12 Ball State28. No. 4 Baylor vs. No. 13 Grand Canyon29. No. 6 Florida State vs. No. 11 George Mason30. No. 3 LSU vs. No. 14 San Diego State31. No. 7 Michigan State vs. No. 10 Harvard32. No. 2 N.C. State vs. No. 15 Vermont

Women’s tournament bracket to be revealed soon

The women’s tournament bracket will be unveiled at the top of the hour on ESPN.

Who is on the bubble for the women’s tournament?

One of the big questions heading into the women’s bracket reveal is whether the Ivy League will put three teams in.

Harvard won the automatic bid, leaving Columbia and Princeton on the bubble. In addition to those two teams, the rest of the bubble includes teams like Iowa State, Washington, Virginia Tech, Colorado, James Madison, Saint Joseph’s and Minnesota.

West Virginia, Boise State, Indiana left out of men’s tourney

Boise State and Indiana are on the outside looking in after Texas and North Carolina squeaked into the men’s NCAA Tournament.

And West Virginia may be an even more surprising omission. The Mountaineers were not even one of the last four in when ESPN, Sports Illustrated and the Washington Post made their projections. They were expected to make it more comfortably than that.

SEC shatters record

The Southeastern Conference shattered the previous record for getting the most teams into the NCAA Tournament. The previous mark was 11 set by the Big East in 2011.

The SEC topped it by three, with Auburn, Florida, Alabama, Tennessee, Texas A&M, Kentucky, Ole Miss, Missouri, Mississippi State, Georgia, Vanderbilt, Arkansas, Oklahoma and Texas all getting in. Only LSU and South Carolina were left out from the league best known as a football powerhouse.

Men’s West Region

33. No. 1 Florida vs. No. 16 Norfolk State34. No. 8 UConn vs. No. 9 Oklahoma35. No. 5 Memphis vs. No. 12 Colorado State36. No. 4 Maryland vs. No. 13 Grand Canyon37. No. 6 Missouri vs. No. 11 Drake38. No. 3 Texas Tech vs. No. 14 UNC-Wilmington39. No. 7 Kansas vs. No. 10 Arkansas40. No. 2 St. John’s vs. No. 15 Omaha

Men’s Midwest Region

41. No. 1 Houston vs. No. 16 SIU Edwardsville42. No. 8 Gonzaga vs. No. 9 Georgia43. No. 5 Clemson vs. No. 12 McNeese State44. No. 4 Purdue vs. No. 13 High Point45. No. 6 Illinois vs. No. 11 Texas/ Xavier46. No. 3 Kentucky vs. No. 14 Troy47. No. 7 UCLA vs. No. 10 Utah State48. No. 2 Tennessee vs. No. 15 Wofford

Men’s East Region

49. No. 1 Duke vs. No. 16 American/Mount St. Mary’s50. No. 8 Mississippi State vs. No. 9 Baylor51. No. 5 Oregon vs. No. 12 Liberty52. No. 4 Arizona vs. No. 13 Akron53. No. 6 BYU vs. No. 11 Virginia Commonwealth54. No. 3 Wisconsin vs. No. 14 Montana55. No. 7 Saint Mary’s vs. No. 10 Vanderbilt56. No. 2 Alabama vs. No. 15 Robert Morris

Men’s South Region

57. No. 1 Auburn vs. No. 16 Alabama State/Saint Francis58. No. 8 Louisville vs. No. 9 Crieghton59. No. 5 Michigan vs. No. 12 UC San Diego60. No. 4 Texas A&M vs. No. 13 Yale61. No. 6 Ole Miss vs. No. 11 San Diego St/North Carolina62. No. 3 Iowa State vs. No. 14 Lipscomb63. No. 7 Marquette vs. No. 10 New Mexico64. No. 2 Michigan State vs. No. 15 Bryant

Conference realignment slightly alters bids

Each conference receives an automatic bid to both the men’s and women’s tournaments, and then the rest of those fields are filled by the committee’s at-large selections.

The recent demise of the Pac-12 lowered the number of automatic qualifiers to 31, leaving room for 37 at-large teams.

Hey football fans, the SEC is a basketball power, too

The Southeastern Conference, normally a football power, has been unusually strong this season in basketball.

Its two newest members — Oklahoma and Texas — are both on the bubble, but if they get in, the SEC could have as many as 14 of its 16 teams in the men’s tournament.

March Madness is ready for its ‘Cinderella

’

A high seed that makes a run to the Sweet 16 or beyond is affectionately called “Cinderella.”

Five No. 11 seeds have advanced to the men’s Final Four: LSU (1986), George Mason (2006), VCU (2011), Loyola Chicago (2018) and N.C. State (2024).

Villanova is considered the ultimate Cinderella — the Wildcats won the 1985 NCAA Tournament by upsetting top-seeded Georgetown as a No. 8 seed, the lowest to ever win the title.

Finding a Cinderella is tougher on the women’s side. No teams lower than a No. 3 seed have won the women’s event. It happened three times: 1994 North Carolina, 1997 Tennessee and 2023 LSU.

Men’s NCAA Tournament schedule

65. First Four: March 18-1966. First round: March 20-2167. Second round: March 22-2368. Sweet 16: March 27-2869. Elite Eight: March 29-3070. Final Four: April 571. Championship game: April 7

Women’s NCAA Tournament schedule

72. First Four: March 19-2073. First round: March 21-2274. Second round: March 23-2475. Sweet 16: March 28-2976. Elite Eight: March 30-3177. Final Four: April 478. Championship game: April 6

Men’s tournament locations

The First Four will be played in Dayton, Ohio. The first and second rounds are in Cleveland; Denver; Lexington, Kentucky; Milwaukee; Providence, Rhode Island; Raleigh, North Carolina; Seattle; and Wichita, Kansas.

The regional semifinals (Sweet 16) and finals (Elite Eight) will take place in Newark, New Jersey (East Region); Atlanta (South); Indianapolis (Midwest); and San Francisco (West). The tournament ends with the Final Four and championship game at the Alamodome in San Antonio.

Women’s tournament locations

The women’s First Four is played at campus sites, which also will host first- and second-round games.

The Sweet 16 and Elite Eight games will be held at two venues — one in Birmingham, Alabama, and the other in Spokane, Washington.

The Final Four and championship game will be at Amalie Arena in Tampa, Florida.

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AP March Madness: https://apnews.com/hub/march-madness