By Ben Morse, Jacob Lev, Wayne Sterling and Kevin Dotson, CNN
(CNN) — It’s that time of year again. A time for teams to embark on Cinderella runs and players to become college basketball legends.
March Madness is almost here as the season comes to a crescendo with 68 teams vying to lift that storied trophy.
Here’s who booked their spot in the 2025 NCAA men’s basketball tournament.
West Region matchups and seeds
- No. 1 Florida vs. No. 16 Norfolk State (play Friday)
- No. 8 UConn vs. No. 9 Oklahoma (play Friday)
- No. 5 Memphis vs. No. 12 Colorado State (play Friday)
- No. 4 Maryland vs. No. 13 Grand Canyon (play Friday)
- No. 6 Missouri vs. No. 11 Drake (play Thursday)
- No. 3 Texas Tech vs No. 14 UNC-Wilmington (play Thursday)
- No. 7 Kansas vs. No. 10 Arkansas (play Thursday)
- No. 2 St. John’s vs. No. 15 Omaha (play Thursday)
Midwest Region matchup and seeds
- 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)
East Region matchup and seeds
- 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)
South Region matchup and seeds
- 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)
How teams qualify
There are different methods by which teams can make the bracket.
One avenue is by becoming an automatic qualifier. A team can do this by winning its respective conference tournament, which guarantees a place in March Madness.
A total of 31 teams book their spots via this method. The other 37 spots in the bracket were filled by the at-large teams, with a selection committee deciding who makes the cut.
This story has been updated with the field of 68 for the 2025 NCAA men’s basketball tournament.
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Source: Seattle Medium
