The NCAA Men’s Division I Basketball Championship, infamously known as March Madness 2025, is just around the corner. This thrilling college basketball tournament is set to captivate sports fans nationwide, featuring 68 teams competing in a single-elimination format. In this article, we’ll provide you with a comprehensive guide to March Madness 2025, including the tournament format, schedule, participating teams, and top contenders.
Tournament Format
The March Madness 2025 tournament will follow the familiar single-elimination format, with teams seeded based on their performance during the regular season. The higher seeds will face lower seeds in each round, with the excitement building as teams advance through the brackets toward the Final Four.
Schedule
Here are the key dates to remember:
- Selection Sunday: March 16, 2025 (teams announced)
- First Four: March 18-19, 2025 (opening games)
- First Round: March 19-20, 2025 (64 teams compete)
- Second Round: March 21-22, 2025 (intense battles for Sweet 16 spots)
- Final Four: April 5, 2025 (semifinals)
- National Championship: April 7, 2025 (championship game)
Participating Teams
Here’s a list of the 68 teams competing in March Madness 2025:
East Region
- Duke (1)
- Purdue (2)
- Gonzaga (3)
- UConn (4)
- Miami (FL) (5)
- Kentucky (6)
- Michigan State (7)
- Memphis (8)
- Maryland (9)
- USC (10)
- Providence (11)
- Utah State (12)
- Iona (13)
- Montana State (14)
- Vermont (15)
- LIU Brooklyn (16)
South Region
- Houston (1)
- Alabama (2)
- Baylor (3)
- Virginia (4)
- Texas A&M (5)
- Creighton (6)
- Northwestern (7)
- Arkansas (8)
- Illinois (9)
- Boise State (10)
- NC State (11)
- Wyoming (12)
- James Madison (13)
- Kennesaw State (14)
- Colgate (15)
- Howard (16)
Midwest Region
- Kansas (1)
- UCLA (2)
- Wisconsin (3)
- Tennessee (4)
- Iowa State (5)
- TCU (6)
- Oregon (7)
- San Diego State (8)
- Auburn (9)
- Penn State (10)
- Mississippi State (11)
- Toledo (12)
- Kent State (13)
- Grand Canyon (14)
- Wagner (15)
- Texas Southern (16)
West Region
- North Carolina (1)
- Arizona (2)
- Marquette (3)
- UAB (4)
- Saint Mary’s (5)
- Texas (6)
- Seton Hall (7)
- Oklahoma State (8)
- Louisville (9)
- Utah (10)
- Clemson (11)
- VCU (12)
- Furman (13)
- UC Santa Barbara (14)
- Princeton (15)
- Northern Kentucky (16)
Top Contenders
Several teams have emerged as top contenders for the national championship. Duke University, led by head coach Jon Scheyer, has been the top team throughout the season. However, the University of Houston and teams from the Southeastern Conference (SEC), such as Auburn, Alabama, and Florida, are also strong contenders.
Host Cities and Venues
The tournament will be held in various cities across the country, including Lexington, Kentucky; Providence, Rhode Island; Seattle; Wichita, Kansas; Cleveland; Denver; Milwaukee; and Raleigh, North Carolina. The regional semifinals and finals will take place in Newark, New Jersey (East); Atlanta (South); Indianapolis (Midwest); and San Francisco (West).
Get ready to dive into the March Madness 2025 schedule and experience the thrill of college basketball’s biggest event!