Here are the matchups and seeds in the Midwest Region:
- No. 1 Houston vs. No. 16 Southern Illinois University-Edwardsville (playing Thursday)
- No. 8 Gonzaga vs. No. 9 Georgia (playing Thursday)
- No. 5 Clemson vs. No. 12 McNeese (playing Thursday)
- No. 4 Purdue vs. No. 13 High Point (playing Thursday)
- No. 6 Illinois vs No. 11 Texas/Xavier. Those two teams will play in the First Four this week.
- No. 3 Kentucky vs. No. 14 Troy (playing Friday)
- No. 7 UCLA vs. No. 10 Utah State (playing Thursday)
- No. 2 Tennessee vs. No. 15 Wofford (playing Thursday)
Here are the matchups and seeds in the East Region:
- No. 1 Duke vs. No. 16 American/Mount St. Mary’s. Those two teams will play in the First Four this week.
- No. 8 Mississippi State vs. No. 9 Baylor (play Friday)
- No. 5 Oregon vs. No. 12 Liberty (play Friday)
- No. 4 Arizona vs. No. 13 Akron (play Friday)
- No. 6 BYU vs. No. 11 VCU (play Thursday)
- No. 3 Wisconsin vs. No. 14 Montana (play Thursday)
- No. 7 Saint Mary’s vs. No. 10 Vanderbilt (play Friday)
- No. 2 Alabama vs. No. 15 Robert Morris (play Friday)
The University of North Carolina Tar Heels really could have used a win against archrivals Duke in the men’s ACC tournament on Friday – in the worst way. Instead, they lost, in just about the worst way.
Jae-Lyn Withers’ costly mistake – a lane violation on a free throw that would have tied the game against Duke in the final seconds – ended up being the difference in the Tar Heels’ third loss to the top-ranked Blue Devils this season. Withers stepped into the lane as teammate Ven-Allen Lubin sunk a free throw that would have tied the game. Instead of tying the game at 72, the referees waved off the basket. The final score ended up 74-71.
UNC was called for a lane violation on the potential game-tying free throw 😳
Duke won the game to advance to the ACC tournament final. pic.twitter.com/TyaWtF4htu
— ESPN (@espn) March 15, 2025
The Tar Heels were on the edge of their seat. It’s an unusual place for one of the sport’s most successful programs, even if they were there not that long ago – the Tar Heels missed the tournament in 2023 before rebounding the following season to win the ACC and make a run to the Sweet 16.
UNC went 22-13 in the 2024-25 season, including 13-7 in the ACC. They won just one game against Quad 1 teams, teams placed in the top 25% of the NCAA Evaluation Tool that takes into account a number of different factors to rank teams. Down the stretch, UNC has lost 12 Quad 1 games in their last 13 contests, Palm noted.
The Tar Heels only just got into the field of 68. They’ll play San Diego State in the First Four on Wednesday.
Here are the matchups and seeds in the South Region:
- No. 1 Auburn vs. No. 16 Alabama State/Saint Francis. Those two teams will play in the First Four this week.
- No. 8 Louisville vs. No. 9 Creighton (play Thursday)
- No. 5 Michigan vs. No. 12 University of California-San Diego (play Thursday)
- No. 4 Texas A&M vs. No. 13 Yale (play Thursday)
- No. 6 Ole Miss vs. No. 11 San Diego State/North Carolina. Those two teams will play in the First Four this week.
- No. 3 Iowa State vs. No. 14 Lipscomb (play Friday)
- No. 7 Marquette vs. No. 10 New Mexico (play Friday)
- No. 2 Michigan State vs. No. 15 Bryant (play Friday)
CBS honored the late Greg Gumbel to open the Selection Sunday show, following the legendary sportscaster’s death at age 78 on December 28.
“For more than 25 years, Greg Gumbel was the host of March Madness on CBS,” a statement read. “We will miss our dear friend and colleague.”
CBS analysts Clark Kelogg, Jay Wright, Seth Davis and Adam Zucker, who are all wearing special pins during the broadcast, recalled their memories of the late Gumbel before continuing the show.
The St. John’s men’s basketball team and head coach Rick Pitino are poised to make the NCAA tournament after a big year where the Red Storm won the Big East Conference title for the first time since 2000.
“We’re excited,” Pitino told the CBS broadcast before the Selection Sunday show. “Madison Square Garden last night was electric, really proud of our guys – proud of everybody. It was a packed house, nothing better than a big east semifinal and final game.”
After tallying 30 wins for the third time in program history, Pitino said he’s most focused on having his team prepared as they return to the tournament for the first time since 2019.
“I think from a coaching standpoint it’s all about preparation just every underneath out of bounds, plays, every press offense they may run against our pressure defense,” Pitino said.
25 years in the making 🏆 pic.twitter.com/adG2UQ543P
— BIG EAST MBB (@BIGEASTMBB) March 16, 2025
“And then I think you have to make subtle changes. Right now, they’re going to have 34 films on us, so we’ve got to make changes that they’re not ready for they’re probably gonna make changes as well, so we really have to adapt on the fly certain games. But you got to be ready for the unexpected. Maybe the team does not play any zone the whole year they think you’re a little bit more talented, they come with the zone. So you must be prepared for everything.”
Three of the four top seeds in the men’s tournament, the crucial No. 1 teams who will have the smoothest path to the Final Four, appear set in stone at this point.
Auburn, which won the regular season championship in the SEC and spent much of the late season as the AP’s No. 1 team, seems like a lock to get one of the top spots even though they lost to Tennessee in the semifinals of the SEC on Saturday. Houston won the Big 12 tournament championship on Saturday after wrapping up the regular season championship one week earlier. The Cougars are looking to win their school’s first-ever national championship. And Duke, who won the ACC regular season championship, seems like a lock for another top spot after a 73-62 win over Louisville Saturday in the title game. Florida’s SEC title win surely locked in a No. 1 spot.
Good night from Kansas City 🏆#ForTheCity x #GoCoogs pic.twitter.com/C5oPRUwihv
— Houston Men’s Hoops 🏀 🐾 (@UHCougarMBK) March 16, 2025
On the women’s side, the spots seem solid. ESPN’s Creme has the University of South Carolina, the University of Texas, the University of Southern California, and the University of California-Los Angeles in the top spots. All those teams wrapped up their conference tournaments days ago.
The University of Florida might have just locked up one of the four top seeds in the men’s tournament with a dominant performance in the Southeastern Conference final.
The Gators chomped Tennessee 86-77, taking the lead about halfway through the first half and never looking back. In a year where the SEC is considered the cream of the crop in college basketball, the Gators have had a strong season by finishing second in the conference regular season and winning the tournament. With their win on Sunday, they joined Duke, Houston, Drake, UC San Diego and St. John’s as the only teams with 30 wins heading into the tournament.
this moment 🥹 pic.twitter.com/avcXWvrRMB
— Florida Gators Men’s Basketball (@GatorsMBK) March 16, 2025
The SEC final between Tennessee felt likely to decide who would get the fourth No. 1 seed in the tournament, with Duke, Houston and SEC regular-season champions Auburn taking the other three.
It’s a return to glory for a program that won back-to-back national championships in the mid-2000s but hadn’t done too much in recent seasons. The Gators were knocked out in the first round last year, which had been their first trip to the NCAA tournament since 2017.
No ladder necessary for 7’9” Olivier Rioux 🚫🪜
He had no problems cutting the net for the @GatorsMBK 😭
(via @SECNetwork)
— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessMBB) March 16, 2025
Wisconsin’s John Tonje takes the inbounds pass and drives but misses!
The ball bounces off the rim and once again it’s a tightly contested rebound. Tonje and Vladislav Goldin fight over it and the ball squirts out of bounds. The officials review it again and the ball stays with the Badgers.
There’s 30.9 seconds to play and the Wolverines have a 2-point lead.
Tonje gets the ball and drives again but this time he kicks it out to John Blackwell, who misses! The Wolverines get the rebound, Wisconsin fouls and if Michigan can hit their free throws then they’re going to take home the championship.
Tre Donaldson hits two to make it a 4-point lead. Blackwell brings it back down the court, misses a jumper and then misses a 3-pointer and it’s basically over. Michigan has the ball with less than a second on the clock and is shooting free throws.
Danny Wolf makes both his free throws and it’s all over – Michigan is the Big Ten tournament champion!
MICHIGAN ARE CHAMPIONS!!! #B1GMBBT x @umichbball pic.twitter.com/qSqXgBexiU
— Big Ten Conference (@bigten) March 16, 2025
Final score: Michigan 59, Wisconsin 53
The Memphis Tigers pulled away in the second half to take down the No. 3 seed UAB, 84-72 to clinch the American Athletic Conference title on Sunday.
AAC Player of the Year PJ Haggerty scored 23 points with seven rebounds for the Tigers, while Dain Dainja added 22 points, 12 rebounds, five blocks, and four assists as Memphis erased a 3-point deficit at halftime in the come-from-behind-victory.
PJ AND-1 💪 @HaggertyPj #AmericanWay x @Memphis_MBB pic.twitter.com/AGei9RFBeQ
— The American (@American_Conf) March 16, 2025
The Penny Hardaway-led Tigers will now head to the NCAA tournament having won 16 of their last 17 games.
Wisconsin gets a big defensive stop on Michigan and the officials have a tough decision to make – who did the ball touch last as Michigan’s Danny Wolf lost the ball on a strip by Wisconsin’s John Blackwell?
It looked close but the slow-mo replay shows that the ball just went off Blackwell’s fingertips. It’s Michigan’s ball with nine seconds on the shot clock and 1:06 to play.
Michigan inbounds the ball from the near sideline to Tre Donaldson. He fires up a three that hits the front of the rim and the rebound is fought over under the basket. It looks once again like the ball will go to the maize and blue after it bounces off a Wisconsin player’s leg.
Now with 18 seconds on the shot clock, the Wolverines in bound the ball from the baseline. It’s Vladislav Goldin in the post going for a turnaround jump hook. The shot misses but he’s fouled.
Goldin hits both free throws and Michigan is up 55-53 with 46.6 seconds to play. The Badgers have missed their last five shots – that cold snap needs to end now.
Donaldson. Clutch. @umichbball pic.twitter.com/sidu3C4ptR
— CBS Sports College Basketball 🏀 (@CBSSportsCBB) March 16, 2025
The top-seeded Tigers are playing some inspired basketball down the stretch in this second half against the Blazers.
With just over four minutes left, Memphis finshed off an 8-0 run to build their lead to double-digits 71-61 with just over five minutes left in the American Athletic Conference championship game.
BOOOOOOOM 💦@_colbyrogers knocks down his 3rd trey! pic.twitter.com/ViIJS0bDKu
— Memphis Basketball (@Memphis_MBB) March 16, 2025
The rock fight in Indianapolis is exciting, even if both teams have only just broken the 50-point barrier.
Wisconsin has finally had the lights come on with a few big shots and dunks pacing them to a lead that they can’t exactly hold as Michigan answers back over and over.
John Tonje explodes for the @BadgerMBB two-handed flush 🔨#B1GMBBT on CBS 📺 pic.twitter.com/5Dlyx1Mxbq
— Big Ten Network (@BigTenNetwork) March 16, 2025
Wisconsin held a one-point lead, 51-50, at a media timeout with under four minutes remaining. The score stayed the same for most of the next couple minutes until Michigan’s Tre Donaldson hit a big three to take the lead with 1:54 to go.
Wisconsin tied the game back up with two free throws, and Michigan has the ball with a little more than a minute to play in Indy.
An incredibly fun Atlantic 10 tournament came to an end with an incredibly fun championship game as Virginia Commonwealth University edged out George Mason, 66-63.
The game was rocking from the start as the two Virginia schools stayed close throughout the first half. VCU took a 10-point lead about halfway through the second half, but a quick George Mason run set the two teams up for a nail-biting end to the game.
Max Shulga makes contested step back threes look easy 😳 @VCU_Hoops pic.twitter.com/rO3p8g0Yyu
— CBS Sports College Basketball 🏀 (@CBSSportsCBB) March 16, 2025
VCU’s Max Shulga made two free throws to put the Rams up 66-61 with 52 seconds to play, but the Patriots’ Jalen Haynes made a quick layup to put George Mason within striking distance with less than 30 seconds to play. The Patriots got the stop they needed and drove down the court with a chance to tie the game.
Zach Anderson’s 3-point try rattled around the rim and bounced out, and VCU grabbed the rebound. A couple of free throws later and the Rams had won the A-10 tournament for the third time since joining the conference.
VCU BACK ON TOP 🏆@VCU_Hoops are your 2024-25 #A10MBB Champions!!! pic.twitter.com/TROOyVGzaL
— Atlantic 10 MBB (@A10MBB) March 16, 2025
The result likely means George Mason will miss out on a tournament berth.
Life on the bubble isn’t easy and some teams didn’t do themselves any favors during their conference tournaments.
On the men’s side, Indiana will be hoping its up-and-down season can keep going with into the Big Dance. ESPN’s Joe Lunardi’s bracketology has the Hoosiers as one of the first four teams OUT while CBS’ Jerry Palm has Indiana as one of his last four teams IN. The Hoosiers needed a win in the Big Ten tournament to bolster their resume but lost to Oregon in the opening contest.
Threeshawn 😴
— Oregon Men’s Basketball (@OregonMBB) March 13, 2025
Other teams to watch on the men’s side are Vanderbilt, San Diego State, Xavier, Boise State, Texas, Dayton, West Virginia, Wake Forest and North Carolina.
Yale University is once again looking to play spoiler in the Big Dance.
The Bulldogs booked another trip to the NCAA men’s basketball tournament with a 90-84 victory over Cornell in the Ivy League final, the day’s first conference championship game.
That moment win….🏆🌿🏀@YaleMBasketball #IvyMadness | @TIAA pic.twitter.com/5cFyQSvp3t
— Ivy League (@IvyLeague) March 16, 2025
Yale defeated Auburn in the opening round last year in one of the 2024 tournament’s biggest upsets. The Bulldogs program has become a quiet powerhouse, having either won the Ivy League’s tournament or regular season championship in each of the last six seasons.
There are still two games in progress as we head into the final hour before the Selection Sunday show gets underway.
In the Big Ten, Michigan and Wisconsin are locked in a low-scoring affair that is going into the final minutes. It’s been a pretty brutal watch as the teams failed to score a combined 50 points in the first half. The second half has been better, but not exactly scintillating basketball.
Danny Wolf ties things up 😲 @umichbball#B1GMBBT on CBS 📺 pic.twitter.com/ixWdEGlxBX
— Big Ten Men’s Basketball (@B1GMBBall) March 16, 2025
In the American Athletic Conference final, the University of Alabama-Birmingham and Memphis are also battling down the stretch. Memphis is a likely lock for the tournament, but UAB could steal a spot from another school if they pull off the upset and win the final.
PJ AND-1 💪 @HaggertyPj #AmericanWay x @Memphis_MBB pic.twitter.com/AGei9RFBeQ
— The American (@American_Conf) March 16, 2025
Stay tuned here as those two games go down the stretch.
For teams all across the nation, it all comes down to this: Selection Sunday is here.
Only 136 teams will get the opportunity to play in the NCAA men’s and women’s basketball tournaments that tip off next week, 68 in each bracket. It’s one of the signature events of the sporting calendar and the reason that March is just so, so mad.
The men’s bracket will be unveiled at 6 p.m. ET on CBS and the women’s bracket is revealed starting at 8 p.m. ET on ESPN.
Teams get an automatic bid to The Big Dance by winning their conference tournament. Here’s who is in so far:
- Southern Illinois University-Edwardsville
- Lipscomb University
- High Point University
- Drake University
- Wofford University
- Troy University
- Omaha Mavericks
- University of North Carolina-Wilmington
- Saint Francis University
- Robert Morris University
- Gonzaga University
- McNeese State University
- American University
- University of Montana
- Norfolk State University
- Bryant University
- Colorado State University
- University of Houston
- St. John’s University
- Mount St. Mary’s
- Duke
- Yale
- Florida
- VCU
