We’ve all had since Sunday night to scrutinize every matchup in the 2025 men’s NCAA tournament bracket. You’ve read every team preview, questioned which teams got the wrong seed and, for some of you, filled out your bracket on vibes.
But for those who are taking a little more time with their brackets, we wanted to give you some help. We polled men’s college basketball analysts, writers and commentators across ESPN — the people who can take you as close to inside the game as possible without putting you through free throw drills — for their picks to make the Final Four, and to take home the national championship.
Which team will be the last one standing as the confetti falls on April 7 at the Alamodome in San Antonio? One region had an obvious favorite, while other regions lacked a consensus. Will one of the 14 SEC teams in the tournament cut down the nets? Will the Final Four see some newcomers? Let’s ask our 58 analysts and find out.
Duke claims the East
In addition to being the championship favorite at ESPN BET and the most popular championship pick from ESPN Tournament Challenge players, the Blue Devils were picked by 77% of our analysts to win the East region, including Jay Bilas and Kevin Brown.
The ACC Network’s Wes Durham was one of the 44 who chose the Blue Devils, and one of seven who chose all four No. 1 seeds to make the Final Four.
Where is the other support going? Eight analysts picked Mark Sears and fast-paced Alabama to triumph, while five picked Caleb Love and Arizona. ESPN commentator Eric Rothman was the only one to pick third-seeded Wisconsin to advance.
There were two leading picks in the South region: 58% of our analysts, including Dalen Cuff and Kris Budden, chose the top-seeded and No. 1 overall Tigers while 35% chose the 2-seed Spartans. Both teams look to return to the Final Four for the first time since 2019.
Can rebounding carry a team to the Final Four? Commentator Scott Williams choose Texas A&M, one of the best offensive rebounding teams in the country, to win the region. Iowa State of the Big 12 received one vote, and Big Ten champion Michigan received two.
Was there a surprise pick in there? Look, you can’t help but be proud to see a son succeed, and that was probably the motivation behind ESPN commentator and former head coach Phil Martelli Sr. selecting No. 15 Bryant to make the Final Four. The Bulldogs are coached by Phil Martelli Jr., who will make his first NCAA tournament appearance in his second full season as head coach.
Houston wants to win it at home
The Cougars are the most popular pick among our analysts to take the Midwest region and go back to Texas in search of an elusive national championship. Obviously, they’re not the only Texas-based team looking to play in the Final Four in their home state — no team since Butler in 2010 has done that — but they are the highest seed among the group.
The second-most popular pick in the region is Tennessee, which succeeds with one of the best defenses in the country. According to ESPN Tournament Challenge, 28% of the public agrees with Jim Boeheim, Pete Thamel and a few others about the Volunteers’ chances to win the Midwest. For an extra bit of trivia: Last year, Boeheim was the only panelist to correctly predict NC State’s run to the Final Four.
The only other team receiving votes in the Midwest was Clemson, which enters the tournament on a 15-2 run over its past 17 games.
How Florida won the West
It’s no surprise Florida was the most popular pick in this region, capturing support from chief bracketologist Joe Lunardi and beloved Hall of Famer Dick Vitale, among others. According to ESPN Research, this is the fourth time the Gators have entered the NCAA tournament with 30 wins, and each previous trip resulted in at least a Final Four appearance.
The next most popular pick was Big East champion St. John’s. Rick Pitino was the first head coach to lead three different schools to the Final Four, and should the Red Storm make it, he’d be the first to take four.
There were a few others receiving support. Commentator Anish Shroff was one of five to choose Texas Tech, Bracket Facts writer Keith Lipscomb was one of two to select Maryland and analyst Tim Welsh was the only vote for two-time defending champion UConn.
What about the final net-cutting?
Predictions for this year’s tournament haven’t been as clear-cut as last year’s. In fact, we had a tie for the final winner, with Duke and Florida getting 22 votes each. With Duke in the East and Florida in the West, this is a possible championship match. Houston was the only other team with double-figure votes (10).
Arizona, Auburn, Maryland and St. John’s all have a single believer among our crew.
Agree? Disagree? If you want to follow your favorite analyst’s picks or you think you have a better prediction, sign up for ESPN Tournament Challenge today and fill out your own bracket.
See the full breakdown of our panelists’ votes below.
Source link
