Hello friends, and welcome to a Holy Hell, Selection Sunday is less than one week away edition of Bracketology here at ClutchPoints! So the title of today’s Bracketology update is ‘A Championship Week Challenge’ and in this case, the word ‘challenge’ has three different meanings.
First, I’d like to remind you that you can see how my Bracketology projections stack up to every other Bracketologist out there — and there are quite a few — on the Bracket Project’s Bracket Matrix. After Selection Sunday, once the bracket is released, each and every Bracketologist is ranked in terms of their accuracy forecasting the field, and this is where I’m obligated to tell you that last year, yours truly posted a better score than ESPN’s Joe Lunardi.
Second, at the conclusion of this update, I’ll be making my final And One! predictions of the year, as I pick the championship matchups of the ACC, Big East, Big 12, Big Ten and SEC Tournaments.
Third, this week will provide me with a unique Bracketology challenge, as I’ll be away at a bachelor party over the weekend for my longtime best friend Collin, who still has no idea where we’re going for said party. Even with the pre-wedding festivities on the horizon, I’ll be providing Bracketology updates this week on Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday and about an hour ahead of the bracket reveal on Selection Sunday, regardless of my physical well-being, which I anticipate will be abysmal by that time.
I figured upping the degree of difficult and making this more of a challenge for myself would be the only way for our buddy Joey Brackets to stand a chance this year. That’s right, I’m calling you out, Lunardi! What do you have to say about that?
All trash talk aside, let’s get to the latest Bracketology update.
Bracketology Bracket
Bracketology Breakdown
Top Seeds: Auburn Tigers (South Region), Duke Blue Devils (East Region), Houston Cougars (Midwest Region), Florida Gators (West Region)
Multi-Bid Leagues: ACC (3), Big East (5), Big Ten (10), Big 12 (8), Mountain West (3), SEC (13), WCC (3)
Bracketology Bubble Watch
Next Four Byes: Creighton, Utah State, West Virginia, Vanderbilt
Last Four Byes: Georgia, Arkansas, Baylor, Indiana
Last Four In: Oklahoma, San Diego State, Xavier, Ohio State
First Six Out: North Carolina, Boise State, Texas, Colorado State, Villanova, Wake Forest
Note: Nebraska didn’t qualify for the Big Ten Tournament (finished 16th in the conference), so even though their resume does current warrant consideration, with no path toward improving their standing — and bid stealers likely to snatch up a bid or two away from at-large candidates — I’m officially removing the Cornhuskers from consideration. By my estimation, there are only six teams currently on the outside of the field who could conceivably play their way into the NCAA Tournament field without winning their conference tournament.
Monday’s Most Intriguing Games
CAA Semifinal – Towson vs. Delaware (CBS Sports, 6 PM ET)
Sun Belt Championship – Troy vs. Arkansas State (ESPN+, 7 PM ET)
SoCon Championship – Furman vs. Wofford (ESPN2, 7 PM ET)
Horizon League Semifinal – Robert Morris vs. Oakland (ESPNU, 7 PM ET)
CAA Semifinal – UNC-Wilmington vs. Charleston (CBS Sports, 8:30 PM ET)
WCC Semifinal – Saint Mary’s vs. Pepperdine (ESPN, 9 PM ET)
Horizon League Semifinal – Cleveland State vs. Youngstown State (ESPN2, 9:30 PM ET)
WCC Semifinal – Gonzaga vs. San Francisco (ESPN2, 11:30 PM ET)
And One! (x5)
ACC Conference Tournament
Dates: March 11-15
Top Seed: Duke
Defending Champion: NC State
The Pick: Duke over Clemson
Big East Conference Tournament
Dates: March 12-15
Top Seed: St. John’s
Defending Champion: UConn
The Pick: St. John’s over UConn
Big Ten Conference Tournament
Dates: March 12-16
Top Seed: Michigan State
Defending Champion: Illinois
The Pick: Purdue over Michigan State
Big 12 Conference Tournament
Dates: March 11-15
Top Seed: Houston
Defending Champion: Iowa State
The Pick: Texas Tech over Houston
SEC Conference Tournament
Dates: March 12-16
Top Seed: Auburn
Defending Champion: Auburn
The Pick: Florida over Auburn
The post Bracketology: Predicting the 2025 NCAA Tournament Bracket – A Championship Week Challenge appeared first on ClutchPoints.
