Madness Looms: The Ultimate Guide to March’s NCAA Basketball Showdown

College Basketball’s Selection Sunday is on March 16, 2025, at 6 p.m. on CBS, right after the Big Ten tournament championship game. The bracket will be released region by region and will begin with the region that includes the number 1 overall seed.

This year, Duke, Auburn, or Houston is expected to be the number one seed. Once all regions are revealed, the 2025 March Madness bracket will become available, and fans can start wagering on the upcoming contests and matches.

The 2025 NCAA tournament starts with the “First Four” round, where teams compete for the final four spots in the Round of 64. The first four rounds will occur March 18-19 in Dayton, Ohio, and the tournament’s first round is slated to begin on March 20 or 21st.

The NCAA Division I men’s basketball tournament is a single-elimination competition involving 68 teams competing for the national championship over seven rounds. The bracket leads to the sweet sixteen, elite 8, and final four rounds before a championship is awarded in the NCAA National Championship game.

Who Is Favored To Win The 2025 March Madness Tournament?

There are no odds for the 2025 tournament as the bracket has not been announced, but a few teams stand out, including Duke, Florida, Houston, and Auburn, all of which have less than 10 losses for the year. Last year, UConn won their second consecutive national championship, defeating Perdue 75-60 in the finals.

Legal US sportsbook sites currently have odds for the Conference Championships. Below are a few of the College Basketball odds you can wager on before Selection Sunday.

ACC Winner

• Duke -325
• Clemson +500
• Louisville +550
• North Carolina +1500

Big 12 Winner

• Houston (#3) +105
• Texas Tech (#9) +390
• Iowa State (#10) +600
• Arizona (#24) +750
• Kansas +1200

SEC Winner

• Auburn +150
• Florida +200
• Alabama +500
• Tennessee +550

*Odds Via Bovada

You can also find odds for the other conferences, including the AAC, Atlantic 10, Ivy League, Big East, etc.

Who Is Favored To Win The 2025 Women’s College Basketball National Championship?

Current odds favor South Carolina, Connecticut, or UCLA to come out on top of the Women’s 2025 March Madness bracket. The Women’s March Madness tournament will begin on March 21 and follow the same structure as the Men’s tournament. Online sports betting sites will also have odds for the Women’s NCAAB tournament following Selection Sunday.

Last year, South Carolina defeated Iowa in the 2024 NCAAB Women’s March Madness Finals 87-75, ending their perfect season against current WNBA superstar Caitlin Clark and the Hawkeyes.