Auburn Tigers (2nd Final Four) Duke Blue Devils (18th Final Four) The 2025 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament was a single-elimination tournament to determine the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I men's college basketball national champion for the 2024–25 season . The 86th annual edition of the tournament began on March 18, 2025, and concluded on April 7 with the championship game at the Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas . The Southeastern Conference (SEC) broke the record for the most bids earned to the tournament, with 14 of the 16 teams qualifying. Each regional final featured at least one SEC team. The Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) had historic lows, with only four teams earning bids, the smallest percentage of the conference since tournament expansion in 1975 . [ 1 ] Big South champion High Point , Big West champion UC San Diego , Ohio Valley champion SIU Edwardsville , and Summit League champion Omaha made their tournament debuts. ASUN champion Lipscomb made its second-ever appearance, its first since 2018 . America East champion Bryant also made its second-ever appearance, its first since 2022 , and its first time in the first round. NEC champion Saint Francis also made its second-ever appearance, the first since 1991 . A week after losing in the First Four, Saint Francis announced they would move down from Division I to Division III . [ 2 ] UC San Diego qualified in its first year of eligibility, becoming only the fourth school since 1972 to achieve this. [ 3 ] [ 4 ] This was the second time since the First Four was established in 2011 that no teams in the First Four advanced past the first round, and the first since 2019 . For the first time since 2017 , no team seeded lower than 12 made it past the first round. [ 5 ] In the first round, the Big Ten went 8–0, setting an NCAA record for the most wins without a loss by any conference. The eight total wins were also a record, matched by the SEC in the same first round (8–5). In doing so, both conferences combined to represent 50% of the field in the second round. [ 6 ] In the ACC, only Duke advanced past the first round, the first time since at-large bids were granted that multiple teams from that conference failed to reach the second round. [ 1 ] With 10-seed Arkansas advancing to the Sweet 16, it marked the 17th consecutive occurrence in which at least one double-digit seed advanced to the regional semifinals. UConn was attempting to be the first team to win three consecutive titles since UCLA won seven consecutive from 1967 to 1973 , but its elimination by the eventual champion Florida in the second round marked the seventh time in the last eight tournaments that the defending champion failed to make the Sweet 16. For the first time since the tournament's 1985 expansion to 64 teams, the Sweet 16 was composed entirely of teams from the Power Four conferences (SEC, Big Ten, Big 12, and ACC). Though recent tournaments were some of the most upset-prone, [ 7 ] 2025 had some of the fewest upsets in NCAA tournament history. No top-four seed lost in the first round, and 10th-seeded Arkansas was the only Sweet 16 team with a higher seed than a #6 seed. All 12 games of the Sweet 16 and Elite Eight were won by the higher-seeded team. As a result, the Elite Eight had four #1 seeds, three #2 seeds, and one #3 seed, tying it with 2007 as the lowest seed total for an Elite Eight in tournament history, [ 8 ] [ 9 ] and all four #1 seeds made the Final Four, an occurrence only matched by the 2008 tournament (which was also played in San Antonio). [ 10 ] The Final Four were the four #1 seeds: Florida , Duke , Houston , and Auburn . The championship matchup was between Florida and Houston. Florida defeated Houston, 65–63, to claim its third title, and its first since 2007 . Tournament procedure Out of 355 eligible Division I teams, 68 participated in the tournament. [ a ] A total of 31 automatic bids are awarded to each program that wins a conference tournament. The remaining 37 bids are issued "at-large", with selections extended by the NCAA selection committee on Selection Sunday (March 16). The selection committee also created seeds for the entire field from 1 to 68. Eight teams (the four-lowest seeded automatic qualifiers and the four lowest-seeded at-large teams) play in the First Four. The winners of these games will advance to the main tournament bracket . Schedule and venues The following were the sites selected to host each round of the 2025 tournament: [ 11 ] March 18 and 19 University of Dayton Arena , Dayton, Ohio (Host: University of Dayton ) University of Dayton Arena , Dayton, Ohio (Host: University of Dayton ) First and second rounds (Subregionals) March 20 and 22 Amica Mutual Pavilion , Providence, Rhode Island (Host: Providence College ) Rupp Arena , Lexington, Kentucky (Host: University of Kentucky ) Intrust Bank Arena , Wichita, Kansas (Host: Wichita State University ) Ball Arena , Denver, Colorado (Host: Mountain West Conference ) Amica Mutual Pavilion , Providence, Rhode Island (Host: Providence College ) Rupp Arena , Lexington, Kentucky (Host: University of Kentucky ) Intrust Bank Arena , Wichita, Kansas (Host: Wichita State University ) Ball Arena , Denver, Colorado (Host: Mountain West Conference ) March 21 and 23 Rocket Arena , Cleveland, Ohio (Host: Mid-American Conference ) Fiserv Forum , Milwaukee, Wisconsin (Host: Marquette University ) Lenovo Center , Raleigh, North Carolina (Host: North Carolina State University ) Climate Pledge Arena , Seattle, Washington (Host: University of Washington ) Rocket Arena , Cleveland, Ohio (Host: Mid-American Conference ) Fiserv Forum , Milwaukee, Wisconsin (Host: Marquette University ) Lenovo Center , Raleigh, North Carolina (Host: North Carolina State University ) Climate Pledge Arena , Seattle, Washington (Host: University of Washington ) Regional semifinals and finals (Sweet Sixteen and Elite Eight) March 27 and 29 East Regional Prudential Center , Newark, New Jersey (Host: Seton Hall University ) West Regional Chase Center , San Francisco, California (Host: San Francisco of University ) East Regional Prudential Center , Newark, New Jersey (Host: Seton Hall University ) Prudential Center , Newark, New Jersey (Host: Seton Hall University ) West Regional Chase Center , San Francisco, California (Host: San Francisco of University ) Chase Center , San Francisco, California (Host: San Francisco of University ) March 28 and 30 South Regional State Farm Arena , Atlanta, Georgia (Host: Georgia Institute of Technology ) Midwest Regional Lucas Oil Stadium , Indianapolis, Indiana (Hosts: Horizon League , IU-Indianapolis ) South Regional State Farm Arena , Atlanta, Georgia (Host: Georgia Institute of Technology ) State Farm Arena , Atlanta, Georgia (Host: Georgia Institute of Technology ) Midwest Regional Lucas Oil Stadium , Indianapolis, Indiana (Hosts: Horizon League , IU-Indianapolis ) Lucas Oil Stadium , Indianapolis, Indiana (Hosts: Horizon League , IU-Indianapolis ) National semifinals and championship game (Final Four) April 5 and 7 Alamodome , San Antonio, Texas (Hosts: UTSA , University of the Incarnate Word ) Alamodome , San Antonio, Texas (Hosts: UTSA , University of the Incarnate Word ) San Antonio hosted the Final Four for the fifth time, having previously hosted in 2018 . ↑ Nine teams are ineligible, all due to being in the process of reclassifying to Division I from a lower division: East Texas A&M, Le Moyne, Lindenwood, Mercyhurst, Queens, St. Thomas, Southern Indiana, Stonehill, and West Georgia. Qualification and selection of teams The 68 teams came from 35 states and the District of Columbia. Automatic qualifiers Teams who won their conference championships (31) automatically qualify. The tournament seeds and regions are determined through the NCAA basketball tournament selection process and were published by the selection committee after the brackets are released on March 16. * See First Four Source: [ 12 ] Tournament bracket All times are listed in Eastern Daylight Time ( UTC−4 ). Games on CBS are also on Paramount+ , while games on TBS, TNT, and truTV are also on Max . First Four – Dayton, Ohio The First Four games involve eight teams: the four lowest-seeded automatic qualifiers and the four lowest-seeded at-large teams. South regional – Atlanta, Georgia South regional final South regional all-tournament team Johni Broome (MOP) - Auburn Tahaad Pettiford - Auburn Jase Richardson - Michigan State Danny Wolf - Michigan Sean Pedulla - Ole Miss West regional – San Francisco, California West regional final West regional all-tournament team Walter Clayton Jr. (MOP) - Florida Thomas Haugh - Florida Darrion Williams - Texas Tech JT Toppin - Texas Tech Johnell Davis - Arkansas East regional – Newark, New Jersey East regional final East regional all-tournament team Cooper Flagg (MOP) - Duke Kon Knueppel - Duke Khaman Maluach - Duke Mark Sears - Alabama Caleb Love - Arizona Midwest regional – Indianapolis, Indiana Midwest regional final Midwest regional all-tournament team Emanuel Sharp (MOP) - Houston LJ Cryer - Houston Milos Uzan - Houston Jordan Gainey - Tennessee Braden Smith - Purdue Final Four – San Antonio, Texas National semifinals National championship Final Four all-tournament team Walter Clayton Jr. (MOP) – Florida [ 13 ] Will Richard – Florida LJ Cryer – Houston J'Wan Roberts – Houston Cooper Flagg – Duke Record by conference *Tournament record [ 14 ] Game summaries and tournament notes The “seed composition” of the Elite Eight was the exact same in both the men's and women's tournament [ 15 ] - Men's Elite Eight - Four #1 seeds, three #2 seeds, one #3 seed. Women's Elite Eight - Four #1 seeds, three #2 seeds, one #3 seed. Tournament upsets Per the NCAA, an upset occurs "when the losing team in an NCAA tournament game was seeded at least five seed lines better than the winning team." [ 16 ] The 2025 tournament had a total of four upsets, with three in the first round and one in the second round. CBS Sports and TNT Sports had US television rights to the tournament. [ 17 ] [ 18 ] As part of a cycle that began in 2016, CBS televised the 2025 Final Four and the national championship game. This was the first NCAA tournament since the death of Greg Gumbel , who served as the studio host from 1998 through 2023, and missed the 2024 tournament due to family health issues. Gumbel died from cancer on December 27, 2024. [ 19 ] Linear channels Selection Show – CBS First Four – TruTV First and Second Rounds – CBS, TBS , TNT , and TruTV Regional Semifinals (Sweet 16) and Finals (Elite 8) – CBS, TBS, and TruTV National Semifinals (Final Four) and Championship – CBS Max (only TBS, TNT, and truTV games) Paramount+ (only CBS games) March Madness app and website with authentication Ernie Johnson (New York City and San Antonio) – First and second rounds, regionals, Final Four and national championship game Adam Zucker (New York City and San Antonio) – First and second rounds and Final Four Adam Lefkoe (Atlanta) – First Four, first and second rounds, and regional semifinals Jamie Erdahl (New York City) – First and second rounds (game breaks) Studio analysts Charles Barkley (New York City and San Antonio) – First and second rounds, regionals, Final Four and national championship game Seth Davis (Atlanta and San Antonio) – First Four, first and second rounds, regional semifinals and Final Four Clark Kellogg (New York City and San Antonio) – First and second rounds, regionals, Final Four and national championship game Candace Parker (Atlanta) – First and second rounds and regional semifinals Jalen Rose (Atlanta and San Antonio) – First Four and Final Four Kenny Smith (New York City and San Antonio) – First and second rounds, regionals, Final Four and national championship game Gene Steratore (New York City and San Antonio) (Rules Analyst) – First Four, first and second rounds, regionals, Final Four and national championship game

Wally Szczerbiak (New York City and San Antonio) – Second round and Final Four Jay Wright (Atlanta, New York City and San Antonio) – First Four, first and second rounds, regionals, Final Four and national championship game Broadcast assignments Ian Eagle / Bill Raftery / Grant Hill / Tracy Wolfson – First and second rounds at Raleigh, North Carolina; South Regional at Atlanta, Georgia; Final Four and National Championship at San Antonio, Texas Brian Anderson / Jim Jackson / Allie LaForce – First and second rounds at Lexington, Kentucky; East Regional at Newark, New Jersey Kevin Harlan / Dan Bonner / Stan Van Gundy / Lauren Shehadi – First and second rounds at Milwaukee, Wisconsin; West Regional at San Francisco, California Andrew Catalon / Steve Lappas / Evan Washburn – First and second rounds at Providence, Rhode Island; Midwest Regional at Indianapolis, Indiana Brad Nessler / Brendan Haywood / Dana Jacobson – First and second rounds at Denver, Colorado Spero Dedes / Jim Spanarkel / Jon Rothstein – First Four at Dayton, Ohio; First and second rounds at Cleveland, Ohio Lisa Byington / Robbie Hummel / Jalen Rose / Andy Katz – First and second rounds at Seattle, Washington Tom McCarthy / Debbie Antonelli / Steve Smith / AJ Ross – First and second rounds at Wichita, Kansas Most watched tournament games (#) Tournament seedings and region in parentheses. Westwood One will have exclusive coverage of the entire tournament. Nate Gatter and King McClure – at Dayton, Ohio First and second rounds Chris Carrino and Jordan Cornette – Providence, Rhode Island John Sadak and LaPhonso Ellis – Lexington, Kentucky Ted Emrich and Casey Jacobsen – Wichita, Kansas Kevin Kugler and Austin Croshere – Denver, Colorado Scott Graham and Jon Crispin – Cleveland, Ohio Noah Eagle and Tom Crean – Milwaukee, Wisconsin Jason Benetti and Sarah Kustok – Raleigh, North Carolina Ryan Radtke and P. J. Carlesimo – Seattle, Washington Scott Graham and Jordan Cornette – East Regional at Newark, New Jersey Ryan Radtke and P. J. Carlesimo – West Regional at San Francisco, California Spero Dedes and Tom Crean – South Regional at Atlanta, Georgia Kevin Kugler and Robbie Hummel – Midwest Regional at Indianapolis, Indiana Final Four and national championship Kevin Kugler, Robbie Hummel, P. J. Carlesimo, and Andy Katz – San Antonio, Texas Live video of games is available for streaming through the following means: [ 23 ] NCAA March Madness Live (website and app, CBS games available for free on digital media players ; access to all other games requires TV Everywhere authentication through provider) Watch TBS website and app (only TBS games, required TV Everywhere authentication) Watch TNT website and app (only TNT games, required TV Everywhere authentication) Watch truTV website and app (only truTV games, required TV Everywhere authentication) CBS website and app (only CBS games, required TV Everywhere authentication) Websites and apps of cable, satellite, and OTT providers of CBS, TBS, TNT, and truTV (access required subscription) For the app this year, a multiview that showed all games airing simultaneously was available for the second straight year. [ 24 ] In addition, the March Madness app will offer Fast Break , whip around coverage of games similar to NFL RedZone on the first weekend of the tournament (first and second rounds). Jared Greenberg , Randolph Childress , Tony Delk , Josh Pastner (Atlanta) - First and second round [ 25 ] Live audio of games is available for streaming through the following means: NCAA March Madness Live (website and app) Westwood One Sports website TuneIn (website and app, required TuneIn Premium subscription) Varsity Network app Websites and apps of Westwood One Sports affiliates The March Madness app also supports Apple CarPlay and Android Auto through a native app. [ 26 ] 2025 NCAA Division I women's basketball tournament 2025 NCAA Division II men's basketball tournament 2025 NCAA Division III men's basketball tournament 2025 National Invitation Tournament 2025 College Basketball Crown 2025 College Basketball Invitational 1 2 Cobb, David (March 21, 2025). "March Madness 2025: Once-proud ACC hits decades-low mark for NCAA Tournament futility" . CBS Sports . Retrieved March 22, 2025 . ↑ Gretz, Adam (March 25, 2025). "NCAA Tournament team dropping to Division III in shocking move" . Yardbarker . ↑ Evans, Andrew (March 8, 2017). "Norse Mythology: Why Northern Kentucky's win is so special" . Mid-Major Madness . ↑ "Oakland vs. North Dakota State - Recap - March 10, 2009 - ESPN" . March 14, 2009. Archived from the original on March 14, 2009. ↑ Williams, Justin (March 22, 2025). "Where's the March Madness? Making sense of the NCAA Tournament's Cinderella shortage" . The Athletic . ISSN 0362-4331 . Retrieved March 22, 2025 . ↑ Cobb, David (March 22, 2025). "March Madness 2025: Big Ten sets NCAA Tournament record with 8-0 mark in Round 1, challenges SEC's supremacy" . CBS Sports . Retrieved March 22, 2025 . ↑ "NCAA upsets are happening more often" . ↑ "NCAA bracket for March Madness" . ↑ "March Madness seed success: Men's NCAA Tournament Elite Eight has lowest seed total ever" . USA Today . ↑ Myerberg, Paul (March 30, 2025). "March Madness winners, losers: No. 1 seeds rule, Big Ten falters in men's NCAA Tournament" . USA Today . ↑ "Future Dates & Sites" . NCAA . Archived from the original on February 21, 2022 . Retrieved March 30, 2012 . ↑ Boone, Kyle (March 16, 2025). "March Madness 2025: Committee reveals official NCAA Tournament bracket seed list from 1-68" . CBS Sports . Retrieved March 16, 2025 . ↑ Salerno, Cameron (April 8, 2025). "Duke star Cooper Flagg named to All-NCAA Tournament team despite not playing in national championship game" . CBSSports.com . Retrieved April 8, 2025 . ↑ Kyle Boone (March 23, 2025). "March Madness 2025: SEC sets NCAA Tournament record for Sweet 16 teams after banner opening weekend" . CBSSports.com . Retrieved March 23, 2025 . ↑ "March Madness Women's Sweet 16 live updates: Scores, results and bracket for NCAA Tournament" . The New York Times . March 30, 2025. ↑ Wittry, Andy (March 15, 2023). "Here's how to pick March Madness men's upsets, according to the data" . NCAA. Archived from the original on March 12, 2023 . Retrieved March 12, 2023 . ↑ Bonesteel, Matt (April 12, 2016). "CBS And Turner lock down NCAA Tournament Through 2032" . The Washington Post . Archived from the original on February 8, 2001 . Retrieved April 12, 2016 . ↑ "CBS Sports and TNT Sports announce 2025 NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Championship commentator teams" . www.ncaa.com . March 11, 2025 . Retrieved March 11, 2025 . ↑ Nivison, Austin (December 27, 2024). "Greg Gumbel, trailblazing CBS Sports broadcast legend, dies at 78" . CBSSports.com . Archived from the original on December 27, 2024 . Retrieved December 27, 2024 . ↑ "Chalk rocks: Men's Final Four hits multi-year high" . ↑ "Men's Elite Eight no match for last year's Easter-fueled high" . April 2025. ↑ "Auburn-Michigan tops Sweet 16" . April 2025. ↑ Maiman, Beth (March 8, 2017). "March Madness TV schedule: How to watch and live stream every game in the NCAA men's basketball tournament" . NCAA. Archived from the original on March 9, 2017 . Retrieved March 9, 2017 . ↑ Costa, Brandon (March 16, 2023). "March Madness Live Returns with Four-Game Multiview on Desktop; Greater Focus on Discoverability Across Devices" . Sports Video Group . Archived from the original on March 17, 2023 . Retrieved March 17, 2023 . ↑ "NCAA® March Madness® Live, Tri-Presented by NCAA Corporate Champions AT&T, Capital One, and Coca-Cola, Delivers Enhanced Video Features, New "Mascot Mode" for Bracket Challenge and Redesigned Boss Button for the 2025 NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Champ | NCAA.com" . www.ncaa.com . Retrieved March 21, 2025 . ↑ Miller, Chance (March 10, 2023). "NCAA March Madness app will support Live Activities, CarPlay, and more this year" . 9to5Mac . Archived from the original on March 17, 2023 . Retrieved March 17, 2023 . 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