Mar 15, 2025; Charlotte, NC, USA; Duke Blue Devils forward Cooper Flagg (2) and head coach Jon Scheyer celebrate after winning the 2025 ACC Conference Championship game against the Louisville Cardinals at Spectrum Center. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-Imagn Images / Bob Donnan-Imagn Images
Selection Sunday has arrived, meaning the NCAA Tournament for men’s college basketball bracket will be announced at 3 p.m. PT on CBS. With teams like the Auburn Tigers, Alabama Crimson Tide, and Michigan State Spartans losing in their respective conference tournaments, how much will the seeding change from previous projections?
Unlike the Big Ten and the SEC Tournaments… the ACC, Big 12, and Big East Tournaments were won by the No. 1 seed. St. John’s cruised past Creighton on Saturday, while the Duke Blue Devils survived the conference tournament without star forward Cooper Flagg, beating Louisville 73-62 in the championship game. In the Big 12, the Houston Cougars held off Arizona to win the conference title.
The injury update on Flagg is he will be available for the NCAA Tournament. Flagg sprained his left ankle during Duke’s win against Georgia Tech in the ACC Tournament on Thursday, and even required wheelchair assistance. He was able to walk on his own shortly after, but he missed the rest of the tournament after his injury.
Teams like the Kentucky Wildcats, Wisconsin Badgers, Texas Tech Red Raiders, Arizona Wildcats, Michigan Wolverines, Oregon Ducks, Clemson Tigers and more are expected to be some of the top at-large teams behind the No. 1 seeds.
Mar 15, 2025; Charlotte, NC, USA; ACC Commissioner Jim Phillips hands the championship trophy to Duke Blue Devils head coach Jon Scheyer after the 2025 ACC Conference Championship game against the Louisville Cardinals at Spectrum Center. / Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images
According to ESPN’s Joe Lunardi, the top overall seed in this year’s NCAA Tournament will be Auburn. Joining the Tigers as No. 1 seeds, Lunardi projects Duke, Houston, and the Florida Gators. In CBS Sports’ Jerry Palm’s bracket project, has the same No. 1 seeds.
Palm and Lunardi agree on a number of the top seed lines, but they disagree on teams such as Oregon, Iowa State, Michigan. Palm has the Ducks, Cyclones, and Wolverines all on a higher seed line than Lunardi.
Palm has Oregon on the No. 4 seed line, while Lunardi has the Ducks at No. 5. Lunardi seems to reward Michigan for the Big Ten Tournament run, giving the Wolverines a No. 4 seed, compared to a No. 3 seed in Palm’s projection. While
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What about teams on the bubble? With some conference championships still being decided on Sunday, programs like Indiana, North Carolina, and Boise State will have a close eye on a few of the day’s games.
Potential bid stealers are still alive like George Mason, who faces VCU in the Atlantic 10 Conference Championship. Additionally, the UAB Blazers could knock out a bubble team if they are able to upset Memphis in the American Athletic Conference Championship on Sunday. On Saturday night, UC Irvine Anteaters had a chance to earn an automatic bid if they won the Big West Conference, but they lost to UC San Diego in the title game.
According to Lunardi’s latest projection, the first four teams to miss tournament field are Ohio State, Texas, North Carolina, and Boise State. Lunardi’s last four teams to make March Madness are Vanderbilt, San Diego State, Xavier, and Indiana.
Indiana Hoosiers forward Malik Reneau (5) loses the ball Thursday, March 13, 2025, against the Oregon Ducks during the 2025 TIAA Big Ten Men’s Basketball Tournament at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis. / Mykal McEldowney/IndyStar / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
The resumes of both Indiana and North Carolina have been heavily debated, with the Tar Heels only having one Quad 1 win compared to the Hoosier’s four Quad 1 wins. Will Indiana make it off the bubble over North Carolina?
The NCAA Tournament bracket will be officially revealed on CBS, starting at 3 p.m. PT. The first round of March Madness will begin on Thursday, March 20. The ‘First Four’ will play games on Tuesday and Wednesday, before the Round of 64.
The Final Four games will take place on April 5 with the National Championship on April 7. Who will be the one to cut down the nets?
