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March Madness is here, ladies and gentlemen. The nation's best sporting event tips off this week. We are here to cover everything about the NCAA Tournament, including odds and predictions. We will also share a few sleeper picks and make a pick on who will win the whole thing.
Looking at the entire NCAA Tournament field, a few things stand out: The No. 1 seeds were obvious choices, and this may be the strongest group of No. 2 seeds in recent memory.
The first round starts on Thursday, and the First Four will play two games on Tuesday and another two on Wednesday in Dayton. Since the First Four started in 2011, there has been only one time when at least one first-four team hasn't won a first-round game.
The tournament culminates with the Final Four in San Antonio, April 5 and 7.
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Now, let's dig into the NCAA Tournament field and make a few predictions about this year's edition of March Madness.
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Odds to win March Madness 2025
Here are live odds from top sportsbooks to win this year's NCAA Tournament.
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March Madness sleeper picks
We are picking one sleeper from each region and will share why we think they have a chance for a Cinderella run to win it all.
South Region:Iowa State Cyclones
A true sleeper pick, as the Cyclones did not finish the season very strong, losing three of their last six games. A good reason for that is the health of their star guards, Curtis Jones (17.1 PPG) and Keshon Gilbert (13.4 PPG & 4.1 APG). They are good, experienced players and poised to play in the NCAA Tournament. They are seniors making their last run at a title, and each has proven they can take and make tough shots.
Add in two solid forwards, Joshua Jefferson (13 PPG & 7.4 RPG) and Milan Momcilovic (11.4 PPG & 40.6% 3P%), and Iowa State can hurt opponents inside and out. They rank in the top ten in Kenpom for adjusted defensive efficiency rating and can avoid early upsets.
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East Region:Wisconsin Badgers
The Badgers are a tough team to guard. They put five players on the court who can all shoot the three, but their front-court players still have good size and can rebound. Max Klesmit got healthy towards the end of the season, and that gives the Badgers some of their backcourt depth back, which could be crucial to making a run.
Most importantly, though, the Badgers have one of the best guards in the country, John Tonje, who was red-hot before cooling down on Sunday. Tonje scored 18, 26, and 32 points in the first three rounds of the Big Ten tournament, but scored only nine in a loss in the championship game to Michigan. Four games in fourdays is a tough task, and getting some rest should lead to Tonje being able to fill it up for the Badgers, which could help to a deep run.
Midwest Region:Georgia Bulldogs
This is our biggest sleeper pick, for sure, but the Bulldogs have proven they can play with and beat the best teams in the country. They have wins against Florida, Kentucky, and St. John's while playing teams like Auburn, Ole Miss, and Marquette in really tight games.
Georgia has the size inside to contend with anyone, with freshman Asa Newell (15.3 PPG & 6.8 RPG) leading the team in scoring and rebounding. Add in five guards who are all 6-foot-4 or bigger, and its ability to play physically and impose a lot of length on opponents makes the Dawgs a tough matchup for anyone.
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West Region:Memphis Tigers
If you are looking for a team outside the power conferences that can make a run, the Memphis Tigers are a good choice. They are volatile and could lose in the first round or make a run to win the whole thing. They have some bad losses but also have wins over tournament teams like Michigan State, Missouri, UConn, Clemson, and Ole Miss.
Perhaps most importantly, they have one of the best guards in the country, PJ Haggerty, who is third in the country in scoring at 21.8 PPG. Haggerty can put the Tigers on his back in any matchup and carry them to a win. He proved that in the AAC Tournament when he scored 42 points in the quarterfinal in a win over Wichita State.
2025 March Madness prediction: Why the Florida Gators will win NCAA Tournament
The Gators have been one of the best teams in college basketball this season and have a deep team. They finished the season strong, winning the SEC Tournament. Many say guards win in March, and the Gators have some good ones. Senior Walter Clayton Jr. leads the way, scoring 17.4 PPG, and is simply an elite shotmaker. Two other seniors, Alijah Martin (14.6 PPG) and Will Richard (13.5 PPG), add a lot of secondary scoring behind Clayton Jr.
The Gators also have solid post players. They go four deep with front-court players who have excellent size, are great rebounders, and are strong defenders, too. Two of the four can stretch the floor and hit the three. If the Gators keep playing the way they finished the season, there may not beanyone who can slow them down.
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Caleb Tallman is an experienced Sports Betting & iGaming Writer. He also serves as a public address announcer for his local high school football team and loves the Detroit Lions and Michigan State Spartans. Caleb graduated from Western Carolina University in 2017.
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