Following a crazy Selection Sunday that saw some surprising teams make the NCAA Tournament, March Madness is finally here.

The Auburn Tigers earned the number-one overall seed in the tournament. They are joined by the Duke Blue Devils, Houston Cougars, and Florida Gators as the other three regional number-one seeds.

THE BRACKET 🙌#MarchMadness pic.twitter.com/fo6lA8hJ7g

— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessMBB) March 16, 2025

The Southeastern Conference (SEC) also set a record with 14 tournament teams amongst the 68 squads represented in the bracket. The conference crushed the previous mark set by the Big East in 2012 with 11 total bids.

Let’s take a look at each region and all the participants in this year’s tourney.

South Region

#1 Auburn vs. #16 Alabama State or St. Francis

This is the second time in program history that Auburn has earned a number-one seed in the tournament. 1999 was the only other time that Auburn had been ranked as a top team in the NCAA Tournament.

#8 Louisville vs. #9 Creighton

This is the first time in six years that Louisville has made it to the NCAA Tournament. Meanwhile, Creighton has made the tournament five straight years.

#5 Michigan vs. #12 UC San Diego

Michigan won the Big Ten Tournament Championship, earning the school its first March Madness berth in three years.

This is the first time UC San Diego has made it to the big dance since the school transitioned to Division I basketball in 2020.

#4 Texas A&M vs. #13 Yale

Under head coach Buzz Williams, Texas A&M has punched its March Madness ticket for the third straight year.

Yale earned its eighth-ever tournament berth by beating Cornell in the Ivy League Tournament Championship.

#6 Ole Miss vs. $11 San Diego State or North Carolina

San Diego State and North Carolina will face off at 9:10 p.m. EST on March 18th with a spot in the Round of 64 on the line. The winner will face Ole Miss, who earned its first NCAA Tournament berth in six years.

“Their resume says [UNC] should not be in the tournament.”

—@SethOnHoops on the North Carolina Tar Heels making the NCAA men’s basketball tournament pic.twitter.com/Kg8Ea0PbFM

— Get Up (@GetUpESPN) March 17, 2025

#3 Iowa State vs. #14 Lipscomb

Iowa State will be without the team’s second-leading scorer, Keshon Gilbert, who has missed four of the team’s last seven games due to a groin injury.

The Cyclones will be going up against a hungry Lipscomb team that earned its second NCAA Tournament berth in school history.

#7 Marquette vs. #10 New Mexico

Marquette has returned to the tournament for a fourth straight year under head coach Shaka Smart.

New Mexico earned a tournament berth despite losing to Boise State in the third round of the Mountain West Conference Tournament.

#2 Michigan State vs. #15 Bryant

With this March Madness bid, Michigan State Hall of Fame head coach Tom Izzo extended his record for most consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances to 27.

Midwest Region

#1 Houston vs SIU Edwardsville

After starting the year 4-3, the Houston Cougars have secured a number-one seed in the Big Dance for a third consecutive year. They were able to down the Arizona Wildcats to earn the school its first Big 12 Tournament Championship.

#8 Gonzaga vs. #9 Georgia

Gonzaga finished the regular season as the second-ranked scoring team in college basketball. This also marks the 26th straight tournament bid under head coach Mark Few.

Georgia reached the NCAA Tournament for the first time in ten years. They’re looking for their first Round of 64 win since 2002.

#5 Clemson vs. #12 McNeese State

Clemson earned its fourth March Madness berth in the last seven years after making the NCAA Tournament just 11 times from 1939 to 2017.

McNeese State won back-to-back Southland Conference Tournament Championships, earning them two consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances in 2024 and 2025.

Gonzaga ranked 9th in KenPom but an 8-seed in the tourney

Make it make sense

— Jared Smith (@jaredsmithbets) March 16, 2025

#4 Purdue vs. #13 High Point

After making it all the way to the NCAA Tournament Championship in 2024, the Boilermakers followed that season up by earning the school its tenth straight tournament appearance.

2025 marks the first March Madness bid in High Point University history. They punched their ticket by winning the Big South Conference Tournament Championship,

#6 Illinois vs. #11 Texas or Xavier

Texas will face Xavier at 9:10 p.m. EST on March 19th with a spot in the NCAA Tournament at stake. The winner will face Illinois, who reached the Elite Eight last year before falling to the eventual champs UConn.

#3 Kentucky vs. #14 Troy

Kentucky extended its all-time record for NCAA Tournament appearances to 62 with this most recent selection.

This marks the third-ever March Madness berth for the Troy Trojans, who previously made the tourney in 2003 and 2017.

#7 UCLA vs. #10 Utah State

UCLA – the winningest program in college basketball history with 11 championships – will play in the tournament for the first time since 2023.

Simultaneously, Utah State secured its fifth March Madness bid over the last six years.

#2 Tennessee vs. #15 Wofford

Even though they fell in the SEC Tournament Championship to Florida, the eighth-ranked Volunteers earned their fifth-straight March Madness berth.

This is Wofford’s sixth tournament appearance all-time and the school’s first tourney berth since 2019, where they beat Seton Hall for the program’s only NCAA Tournament victory.

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West Region

#1 Florida vs. #16 Norfolk State

This marks the third time in program history that the Gators have secured a number-one seed. The other two times came in 2007 when the team won the National Championship, and in 2014, when the school reached the Final Four.

#8 UConn vs. #9 Oklahoma

After winning back-to-back NCAA Tournament Championships, head coach Dan Hurley has once again led the UConn Huskies to the Big Dance despite starting the season 5-3.

Oklahoma is back in the tournament for the first time since 2021. This is the school’s 34th all-time tournament appearance.

#5 Memphis vs. #12 Colorado State

The Memphis Tigers come into March Madness riding an eight-game win streak that saw them earn their second conference championship in two years. They’ll have their hands full with a Colorado State team that automatically qualified for the NCAA Tournament after the team won the Moutain West Conference Championship over Boise State.

Colorado State is currently being favored by sportsbooks to beat Memphis.

#CSURams react to their #NCAA Tournament draw! #Stalwart pic.twitter.com/72jijs0xR1

— Sean Keeler (@SeanKeeler) March 16, 2025

#4 Maryland vs. #13 Grand Canyon

Maryland’s tournament chances were never in doubt even though the team lost to Michigan on a last-second buzzer-beater in the Big Ten Conference Tournament.

This is the fourth time in the last five years that Grand Canyon has earned a tournament berth. They have won the Western Athletic Conference Tournament Championship three straight times.

#6 Missouri vs. #11 Drake

Missouri secured its first NCAA Tournament bid since 2023 when they advanced to the Round of 32 before falling to Princeton.

Drake enters March Madness as the top-ranked defensive team in the country, allowing just 58.4 points per game, 0.1 points fewer than the Houston Cougars.

#3 Texas Tech vs. #14 North Carolina-Wilmington

This is the second straight tournament berth under Grant McCasland, who was hired as the Red Raiders head coach last season.

This is the seventh all-time appearance for UNCW in the NCAA Tournament. They have a 1-6 March Madness record with their lone win coming against USC in 2002.

#7 Kansas vs. #10 Arkansas

Kansas has participated in 35 straight NCAA Tournaments. However, its 2018 tournament appearance and wins were vacated following an investigation conducted by the NCAA found that the program committed multiple infractions.

In the school’s first season under former Kentucky head coach John Calipari, the Razorbacks earned their first March Madness berth since 2023.

#2 St. John’s vs. #15 Omaha

St. John’s won its first Big East Tournament Championship in 25 years to secure the number-two seed in the West Region. This is the first appearance for the team under former Louisville and Kentucky head coach Rick Pitino, who joined the program last year.

This signifies the first-ever Division I NCAA Tournament berth for Omaha, who has 12 previous Division II NCAA Tournament appearances.

East Region

#1 Duke vs. #16 American or Mount St. Mary’s

Even without future NBA star Cooper Flagg on the court, Duke won the ACC Tournament to earn the number-one seed in the East Region, securing the school’s 47th March Madness bid.

On Sunday, Duke head coach John Scheyer said the team’s goal is to have Flagg play in the squad’s first NCAA Tournament game on Friday.

#8 Mississippi State vs. #9 Baylor

Mississippi State secured its third-straight March Madness bid after making the tournament only 11 times between 1963 and 2019.

Four years removed from the school’s lone NCAA Tournament Championship, Baylor earned its sixth consecutive tourney appearance.

#5 Oregon vs. #12 Liberty

The 23rd-ranked Oregon Ducks ended up being the 19th-ranked team in the 2025 NCAA Tournament. This is the eighth tourney bid under head coach Dana Altman.

Liberty won the CUSA regular season and tournament championships, earning the school its sixth all-time March Madness appearance and its first since 2021.

bio updated pic.twitter.com/o7nELgqyPn

— Liberty Men’s Basketball (@LibertyMBB) March 17, 2025

#4 Arizona vs. #13 Akron

This is the fourth-straight NCAA Tournament bid for the Arizona Wildcats under head coach Tommy Lloyd, who joined the program in 2021. He has twice led Arizona to the Sweet 16 during his short tenure.

The Akron Zips have earned a spot in the Big Dance three times over the last four years. However, they are 0-2 in their previous two appearances.

#6 BYU vs. #11 VCU

Since Kevin Young was hired as the school’s head coach last season, he has led BYU to back-to-back March Madness bids for the first time in ten years.

VCU was able to earn an NCAA Tournament bid for the first time in two years. They secured the berth by beating George Mason 68-63 in the A10 Conference Championship Game.

#3 Wisconsin vs.#14 Montana

Despite losing to Michigan in the Big Ten Tournament Championship, Wisconsin secured a higher seed than the Wolverines, who are the fifth seed in the South Region.

This is the 13th March Madness bid ever in Montana Grizzlies history and their first tournament appearance since 2019.

#7 Saint Mary’s vs. #10 Vanderbilt

Though Saint Mary’s fell to Gonzaga in the WCC Championship, they still earned their fourth consecutive NCAA Tournament berth.

This marks Vanderbilt’s first March Madness appearance in eight years. The last time they made the tourney, they lost to Northwestern 68-66 in the Round of 64.

#2 Alabama vs. #15 Robert Morris

Alabama, who was bounced out of the SEC Tournament Semi-Finals, enters the tourney with the top-ranked offense in the country (91.1 points per game). They’re also the number-one rebounding school in the NCAA (43.1 rebounds per game).

This is the ninth all-time March Madness bid for Robert Morris, who has never won a Round of 64 game.