March Madness 2025: Who Will Secure Their Spot in San Antonio?

March Madness is almost here, and the 2025 tournament promises to be one of the most thrilling in recent memory.

The ongoing regular season has reached its climax, and only a few weeks remain in front of the top 68 teams.

From there, the blockbuster month of March will deliver perhaps the most chaotic sporting action of the year, but what can we expect to see between now and the Finals at the Alamodome in early April? 

March Madness 2025: Who Will Secure Their Spot in San Antonio?

Well, in recent years, the tournament has been dominated by the Uconn Huskies.

They claimed their first national championship in nine years back in 2023, off the back of some scintillating displays by Adama Sanogo and Tristen Newton.

Then, last season, they headed into the postseason as the favorites for glory, and they wouldn’t disappoint. 

They embarked upon another epic run just last year, culminating in a deserved victory against Purdue to become the first back-to-back champions in a generation.

One year on, though, and the Huskies now find themselves as rank outsiders with a fresh new roster that hasn’t yet come of age. 

With the Connecticut outfit expected to take a back seat, the door is wide open for the rest of the country’s finest to power their way throughout March Madness and into the final four. But who are the favorites to make it to San Antonio? Let’s take a look. 

Auburn

The Tigers’ season has been a masterclass in consistency. Ranked No. 1 in the AP Poll for six consecutive weeks, they have looked like a team that’s built for March.

Their defense has been fierce, and much of that is down to their superstar center, Johni Broome.

The six-foot-ten big man has been in stellar form so far this season, averaging a whopping 17.8 points per game and emerging as a Naismith Player of the Year frontrunner. 

He is a menace at both ends of the court, with his rebound score the best in the SEC. His linkup play with Dylan Cardwell gives Auburn a superb pairing capable of beating any team in the country. 

At least, that’s what the bookies think. The latest March Madness bracket odds price the Tigers as short as -165 to reach the final four.

But the good omens don’t stop there. The bookies also make the number one ranked team a +290 betting favorite to claim the national championship for the first time this season. However, as we all know, predicting the perfect bracket is never as easy as it looks. 

Prominent bookmaker Bovada is running a tournament for players predicting the March Madness bracket, with huge prizes on offer for those who rack up the most points throughout the month.

Auburn will be one of the most selected teams to make a deep run, but at odds of around 1 in 120 billion to get every prediction correct, don’t be surprised if they, or another of the frontrunners, falter before the finals. 

Duke

Whenever March Madness rolls around, Duke is always in the conversation, and 2025 is no different.

Narrow second-favorites behind Auburn, the Blue Devils have expertly navigated a tough ACC schedule to remain one of the most complete teams in the business.

Their suffocating perimeter defense has frustrated some of the nation’s best guards, and their offense thrives on creating mismatches.

Leading Duke’s charge is their electrifying freshman Cooper Flagg, who is expected to be a number one pick in the NBA draft in the not-so-distant future.

The 18-year-old has been in stunning form this season, with his seven-foot frame crucial to the Blue Devils’ top-ten-ranked defense, as demonstrated by his averaging almost three blocks per game.

He can also rack up points as well, and his 28-point display against North Carolina was arguably the performance of the season thus far. 

Unlike Auburn, Duke does have pedigree on the grandest stage, winning the championship five times in the school’s history.

Their most recent success, however, came a decade ago, and they will be feeling that they are due another trip to the top step of the podium. 

Houston

While they may not carry the same mystique as Duke or Auburn, the number five-ranked Houston knows how to win ugly, and that’s a skill that should not be overlooked in March.

The Cougars thrive on grinding opponents down with their relentless rebounding and half-court defense.

They have been perhaps the best team in the league this season, winning nine of 12 by a double-digit margin, as well as amassing a perfect 5-0 record on the road in intra-SEC contests.

Houston’s charge is led by the once-overlooked J’Wan Roberts. He wasn’t considered to be among the top 250 players in the country before being recruited, but he has steadily developed into one of the most consistent forwards in the country.

He supports the perhaps undersized center of JoJo Tugler, who has managed to dominate the glass despite ‘only’ being six-foot-eight. Expect those two to link up as their trip down the March Madness bracket progresses. 

Alabama

The Crimson Tide has been all about pace and space this season. Sitting in second place in the SEC behind the tournament favorites, Bama has been the one trying to take the fight to Auburn this season.

They have amassed an impressive 21-4 record overall, just two wins less than the aforementioned Tigers, while their conference record of 10-2 is just one win shy of their rivals. 

Standout guard Mark Sears has been nothing short of spectacular throughout the current campaign.

He is the leading points scorer throughout the entire SEC, and he can win games on his own, as he displayed with a blistering 35-point showing against Purdue back in December.

He top-scored for his side in the recent defeat against Auburn, dropping 18 in a heroic but ultimately losing effort. He will be aiming to rectify that and put things right in the postseason.