March Madness Predictions Heat Up: BetNow Experts Release Latest Bracket

With Selection Sunday just around the corner, the college basketball world is buzzing with anticipation. The DI Men's Basketball Committee's recent top-16 reveal has only intensified the speculation, and BetNow experts are back with their latest 2025 March Madness bracket prediction.

This week's projected field sees Auburn maintaining its grip on the top overall seed. Florida has battled its way back into the No. 1 seed conversation, while BYU makes its debut in the projected field as an 11-seed. The experts at BetNow have meticulously analyzed the current landscape, taking into account recent performances, rankings, and potential matchups to create their updated 68-team bracket.

BetNow's Projected Top Seeds:

• South: Auburn

• West: Florida

• Midwest: Alabama

• East: Duke

  
  

Key Bracket Observations:

• SEC Dominance: The Southeastern Conference leads the way with a staggering 13 teams projected to make the tournament, showcasing the conference's depth and talent.

  
  

• Big Ten Strength: The Big Ten follows closely behind with 10 projected tournament teams, solidifying its position as a national powerhouse.

  
  

• Multiple Bid Conferences:  Several conferences are projected to send multiple teams to the Big Dance, including the Big 12 (8 teams), ACC (4 teams), Big East (4 teams), Mountain West (3 teams), and WCC (2 teams).

  
  

Full Seed List (1-68):  (See table below for full bracket)

Conferences with Multiple Teams:

• SEC (13)

• Big Ten (10)

• Big 12 (8)

• ACC (4)

• Big East (4)

• Mountain West (3)

• WCC (2)

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Next Group:  SMU, VCU, Arkansas, North Carolina, Indiana, UC Irvine, Xavier, Cincinnati, Pitt, Kansas State, Boise State, USC, Villanova

SEED	SOUTH	WEST	MIDWEST	EAST
1	Auburn	Florida	Alabama	Duke
16	SEMO/American	Southern	Bryant	Quinnipiac/Omaha
8	Baylor	Saint Mary's	Oregon	New Mexico
9	UConn	Ohio State	Gonzaga	West Virginia
5	Marquette	Ole Miss	Kansas	Missouri
12	George Mason	UC San Diego	Yale	McNeese
4	Michigan	Arizona	St. John's	Michigan State
13	High Point	Lipscomb	Akron	Arkansas State
6	UCLA	Maryland	Clemson	Illinois
11	Wake Forest/GA	Drake	Oklahoma/SDSU	BYU
3	Iowa State	Kentucky	Purdue	Texas Tech
14	Utah Valley	Chattanooga	Jacksonville St.	Montana
7	Memphis	Creighton	Mississippi St.	Louisville
10	Utah State	Vanderbilt	Nebraska	Texas
2	Texas A&M	Wisconsin	Houston	Tennessee
15	Norfolk State	Central Conn.	Cleveland St.	Towson

This bracket prediction from BetNow experts provides a glimpse into the potential matchups and storylines of the upcoming tournament. However, with the regular season still in full swing, expect plenty of changes and surprises in the weeks leading up to Selection Sunday. Stay tuned for further updates and analysis as March Madness draws closer.

When Does March Madness Start?

March Madness unofficially begins on Sunday, March 16, for both the men's and women's tournaments this season with Selection Sunday.

When is the NCAA Men's Tournament Bracket Announced?

As tradition holds, the full field of 68 for the 2025 NCAA Men's Tournament will be unveiled on Sunday, March 16, following the conclusion of the Big Ten basketball tournament on CBS.

Full Men's March Madness Schedule 2025:

• Start date: Tuesday, March 18 (First Four)   

• End date: Monday, April 7 (national championship)   

  
  

The 2025 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament begins on Tuesday, March 18 in Dayton, Ohio at UD Arena with the First Four. The first day of first-round games is two days later on Thursday, March 20.

The national championship game will take place on Monday, April 7 inside the Alamodome in San Antonio.   

Here is the full schedule breakdown for the men's NCAA tournament:

• First Four: Tuesday, March 18 and Wednesday, March 19

• Round of 64: Thursday, March 20 and Friday, March 21

  
  

• Round of 32: Saturday, March 22 and Sunday, March 23

  
  

• Sweet 16: Thursday, March 27 and Friday, March 28

• Elite Eight: Saturday, March 29 and Sunday, March 30

• Final Four: Saturday, April 5

  
  

• National Championship: Monday, April 7

Men's March Madness Site Locations:

With the field of 68, the men's March Madness tournament will once again take place at 14 different arenas and stadiums from start to finish.

The Final Four this year will be in San Antonio at the Alamodome, the first time the Final Four is returning to San Antonio since 2018 when Villanova won its second national championship title in three years.

Here is a full breakdown of which sites and locations will host the men's NCAA Tournament this year:

• First Four: UD Arena (Dayton, Ohio)  

• Rounds 1-2:

  
  

  •   Rupp Arena (Lexington, Kentucky)   

  • Amica Mutual Pavilion (Providence, Rhode Island)

  •   Climate Pledge Arena (Seattle)   

  • Intrust Bank Arena (Wichita, Kansas)

  •   Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse (Cleveland)   

  •   Ball Arena (Denver)   

  •   Fiserv Forum (Milwaukee)   

  • PNC Arena (Raleigh, North Carolina)

    
    

• Sweet 16 and Elite 8:

  
  

  •   East Regional: Prudential Center (Newark, New Jersey)   

  •   South Regional: State Farm Arena (Atlanta)   

  •   Midwest Regional: Lucas Oil Stadium (Indianapolis)   

  •   West Regional: Chase Center (San Francisco)   

    
    

•   Final Four: Alamodome (San Antonio)