The UConn Huskies enter the 2025 March Madness bracket as the back-to-back defending champions. The Huskies struggled with inconsistency this season, finishing the regular season with a 23-10 record. They were awarded a No. 8 seed in the 2025 NCAA Tournament bracket and will open play against No. 9 Oklahoma on Friday. If the Huskies can beat the Sooners, UConn could face the Florida Gators, who were awarded the No. 1 seed in the West Region of the 2025 NCAA bracket.
Can UConn wreak havoc and make a deep run in the 2025 NCAA Tournament, or will a team like Florida, St. John’s, Texas Tech or Kansas represent the West in the Final Four? Which March Madness Cinderellas could make a deep run in the 2025 NCAA basketball bracket? 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 year, beats Kentucky in the Sweet 16. The Wildcats had eight top-15 wins this season, including beating the Volunteers twice. However, Kentucky enters March Madness dealing with several key injuries. Jaxson Robinson (wrist) is out for the season while Lamont Butler’s shoulder remains a lingering concern.
Tennessee, meanwhile, has experience on its side after advancing to the Elite Eight in 2024. The Volunteers feature a plethora of playmakers capable of taking over a game. Senior point guard Zakai Zeigler is one of the best floor generals in college basketball and averages 7.3 assists per game, which ranks fifth in the nation. He’s connecting on 40.6% of his field goals and scores 13.5 points per contest. Zeigler will provide the veteran presence that Tennessee needs to make a deep run in the NCAA Tournament.
Another surprise: No. 10 Utah State upsets No. 7 UCLA in the first round of the Midwest. The Aggies are set to appear in the NCAA Tournament for the third consecutive year. Utah State got off to a blistering start this season, posing a 16-1 record before finishing 26-7. The Aggies enter the NCAA Tournament ranked 12th in effective field goal percentage (.567), so they know how to create good scoring opportunities.
The Bruins are less effective from the field, ranking 93rd in effective field goal percentage (.530). UCLA also ranks 145th in the country in scoring offense, averaging 74.8 points per game. The Bruins feature just three players averaging double-digit points per game, so if they struggle to find open looks, the Aggies could open a lead that’s too hard to recover from. 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.
