Men's Bracketology: 2025 NCAA Tournament

By Joe Lunardi Updated: 9/24/2024 at 10:20 a.m. ET

The countdown to opening night on Nov. 4 has ticked under six weeks. The Bracketology schedule picks up accordingly, as we monitor news and practice reports from around the nation to keep you up to date through the new-look exhibition schedule and earlier-than-ever start of the regular season.

Bracket Watch

By the time the 2025 national champion is determined, it will have been a quarter-century since a Big Ten team won the NCAA title. It is one of those hard-to-believe streaks that's even crazier when you consider the conference has placed a best-in-the-nation 144 teams in the NCAA tournament since Michigan State hoisted the league's last trophy in 2000. Twenty-five years later, opportunity is once again knocking for the Big Ten. Not only are nine league members listed in our latest bracket, but every one of the First Four Out group -- Nebraska, Maryland, Wisconsin and USC -- are Big Ten members. Conference realignment and expansion are a part of that, for sure, but the Big Ten has never lacked for its quantity of contenders. Quality at times is another matter, and it could be again this year as the top Big Ten team on our seed list -- Purdue -- is only a No. 4. In the meantime, the Big East record of 11 tournament bids (2011) is very much in jeopardy. And the Big Ten is the most likely conference to break it, national championship or not.

On the Bubble

Last Four Byes

Last Four In

First Four Out

Next Four Out

68-Team Bracket

MIDWEST (INDIANAPOLIS)

Wichita

Cleveland

Denver

Lexington

EAST (NEWARK)

Raleigh

Cleveland

Milwaukee

Providence

WEST (SAN FRANCISCO)

Wichita

Seattle

Denver

Seattle

SOUTH (ATLANTA)

Lexington

Providence

Raleigh

Milwaukee

Conference Breakdown

Conference

Team

Photo illo by ESPN Illustration, additional photos courtesy of Getty Images, Associated Press, Imagn, USA TODAY Sports, Icon Sportswire, EPA/Shutterstock

RULES

ESPN's Bracketology efforts are focused on projecting the NCAA tournament field just as we expect the NCAA Division I basketball committee to select the field in March. ESPN bracketologist Joe Lunardi uses the same data points favored by the committee, including strength of schedule and other season-long indicators, including the NET and team-sheet data similar to what is available to the NCAA, in his projections of the field. Visit the NCAA's website for a fuller understanding of NCAA selection criteria.

68-Team Bracket

The 68-team bracket is the standard version of the NCAA tournament field that has been in place since 2011. If the 2021 field is comprised of 68 teams, there will be some key differences to past years, however.

The primary adjustment from a normal year is, of course, the playing of the entire NCAA tournament at a single site. This eliminates the need for geographical considerations in seeding. Additionally, there will be at least one fewer automatic qualifier this season, as the Ivy League's decision to forgo the 2020-21 season reduces the number of AQ entries to 31 for this season.

48-Team Bracket

In this projection, a condensed selection process would reduce the field by 10 at-large teams and 10 automatic qualifiers (the latter of which still receive a revenue unit). The top four seeds in each region would receive a bye into the second round, with four first-round games per region - 5 vs. 12, 6 vs. 11, 7 vs. 10 and 8 vs. 9 - being played without fans on the higher seed's home court.

To minimize travel, first-round pairings will be guided by geography to the greatest extent possible. And the reduced field results in only 32 teams competing at the central site. All participants must post a minimum .500 conference record - the "Lunardi Rule" - for at-large consideration.

16-Team Bracket

In this projection, the committee selects and seeds the 16 best available teams. There are no automatic qualifiers, although all non-competing conference champions receive the designated revenue unit.

To maintain some sense of national balance, conference participation is capped at four teams. And no region shall have more than one team from the same conference.

ESPN

Bracket Watch

Top Overall Seed

First Team Out

Last Team In

On the Bubble

Last Four Byes

Last Four In

First Four Out

Next Four Out

68-Team Bracket

MIDWEST (INDIANAPOLIS)

Wichita

Cleveland

Denver

Lexington

EAST (NEWARK)

Raleigh

Cleveland

Milwaukee

Providence

WEST (SAN FRANCISCO)

Wichita

Seattle

Denver

Seattle

SOUTH (ATLANTA)

Lexington

Providence

Raleigh

Milwaukee

Conference Breakdown

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