Source: Porter Binks / Getty
Before you can angrily toss your phone or rip up your busted bracket, Selection Sunday has finally unveiled the 2025 March Madness competition for both Men’s and Women’s basketball.
So, let’s break it down.
Men’s Bracket
The broadcast revealed that Auburn University had snagged the No. 1 seed for the men’s tournament, alongside Florida for the West, Cooper Flagg’s Duke for the East, and Houston for the Midwest.
The SEC was heavily present this year, with 14 of its 16 teams making the tourney thanks to its competitive schedules and records. With squads from Alabama, Tennessee, Ole Miss, and Texas A&M, plus two No. 1 seeds, the chance of the SEC reigning victorious weighs heavy. Two-time defending champ UCONN can’t be counted out either, despite being eighth in the West region.
On the other hand, there were also some snubs after UNC had eeked out a selection. Those teams were West Virginia —who, despite going 19-13, were under .500 in their conference— along with the Indiana Hoosiers, who had the same record, the glaringly surprising omission of Boise State, and the 28-6 UC Irving Anteaters.
Here’s where and when to watch all the Men’s March Madness games.
- First Four: March 18-19 (TruTV)
- First round: March 20-21 (CBS, TBS, TNT, TruTV)
- Second round: March 22-23 (CBS, TBS, TNT, TruTV)
- Sweet 16: March 27-28 (CBS, TBS)
- Elite Eight: March 29-30 (CBS, TBS)
- Final Four: April 5 at the Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas (CBS)
- NCAA championship game: April 7 at the Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas (CBS)
Women’s Bracket
For the NCAA Women’s bracket, there weren’t any surprises for top spots as well, going to the Juju Watkins-led USC Trojans, Texas, first-time top-ranked UCLA, and South Carolina.
As for the ladies, as expected, the major winners are UCLA, who should have an easy run until they hit Baylor and NC State but should be able to weather the storm. South Carolina’s Gamecocks grabbed their fifth straight No. 1 seed. With a 30-3 record and only losing three games this season, expect Dawn Staley’s squad to power through.
Considerable snubs include Stanford, which is missing the tournament for the first time since 1987, Virginia Tech because of some crucial losses, and James Madison, despite going undefeated in the Sun Belt Conference.
Here’s where and when to watch all the Women’s March Madness games.
- First Four: March 19-20 (ESPN2, ESPNU)
- First round: March 21-22 (ABC, ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU)
- Second round: March 23-24 (ABC, ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU)
- Sweet 16: March 28-29 (ESPN, ESPN2)
- Elite Eight: March 30-31 (ESPN)
- Final Four: Friday, April 4 at Amalie Arena in Tampa, Florida (ESPN, ESPN+)
- NCAA championship game: Sunday, April 6 at Amalie Arena in Tampa, Florida (ESPN3, ESPN+)
See how social media is reacting to the bracket unveiling below.