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Millions of fans are filling out their 2025 March Madness bracket picks, but in order to separate yourself from the masses, you’ll need to identify which teams have the best chance of pulling off an upset in the NCAA Tournament 2025. One of the toughest first-round games to decipher is the 8 vs. 9 matchup. Since the NCAA Tournament field expanded in 1985, No. 9 seeds hold an 81-75 edge against No. 8 seeds. From 2016-24, No. 9 seeds were 20-12 in the first round. Will this trend continue in the 2025 NCAA Tournament bracket? Will UConn, Gonzaga, Louisville and Mississippi State all instead advance to the second round of the 2025 NCAA Tournament bracket as No. 8 seeds? 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. The Volunteers made a run to the Elite Eight last season and now Rick Barnes’ team will look to make the Final Four for the first time in school history. The Vols are talented across the board, but they’re extremely disruptive on defense. Tennessee ranks first in the nation in 3-point percentage defense, holding opponents to 27.8% shooting from beyond the arc. The Volunteers held 12 regular-season opponents under 60 points, and they have an elite floor general in point guard Zakai Zeigler.
Meanwhile, Kentucky ranks fourth in the nation with 85.3 points per game, but the Wildcats will remain without Jaxson Robinson (wrist), who’s averaging 13.0 points per game this season. Kentucky is far less effective on defense, ranking 177th in college basketball in field goal percentage defense (43.72%). In addition, Kentucky head coach Mark Pope has never won an NCAA Tournament game, so this would be a perfect opportunity for Tennessee to avenge its regular-season losses.
Another surprise: No. 5 Clemson takes down No. 4 Purdue in the second round of the Midwest. The model projects both teams to avoid a first-round upset, which could lead to one of the best games of the opening weekend. Clemson is 15-2 over its last 17 games since Jan. 11, only losing to Georgia Tech in a wild triple-overtime contest and then to Louisville in the ACC Tournament semifinals. That span includes victories over Duke, a No. 1 seed, and North Carolina, who just had a dominant First Four victory, as this year’s Clemson team appears capable of an extended March run.
The Tigers have the No. 23 scoring defense in the nation at 65.7 ppg allowed with the 17th-best average scoring margin (+10.7 points per game). Clemson has made incredible halftime defensive adjustments, allowing the sixth-fewest second-half points in the nation and adjusting on the fly in exactly what the opening four days of the NCAA Tournament are all about. Neither team will have extended time to deeply prepare for the other as a second game in three days and Clemson’s ability to quickly adapt can make a key difference in knocking off Purdue. 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.
