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A pair of Big 12 programs will try to erase dubious distinctions in March Madness 2025. BYU has the most NCAA Tournament appearances in college basketball history without making a Final Four at 31. Meanwhile, another group of Cougars, courtesy of Houston, enter the NCAA Tournament bracket 2025 with the record for most Final Four appearances without a national championship at six. The Coogs, and Cougars, are among seven Big 12 teams in the 2025 March Madness bracket, which trails only the SEC (14) and Big Ten (eight).

BYU may have to go through No. 1 Duke and No. 2 Alabama to be the East Region's Final Four representative. As for Houston, its season ending in the Final Four of the 2025 NCAA bracket may be viewed as a disappointment. Before filling out your NCAA Tournament bracket 2025, be sure to see the 2025 March Madness bracket picks from the proven computer model at SportsLine.

SportsLine's proven projection model has simulated every game in the tournament 10,000 times. It has absolutely crushed its March Madness picks recently, beating over 91% of all CBS Sports brackets in four of the past six tournaments. It was all over UConn's championship run a year ago and nailed 13 teams in the Sweet 16. It also nailed Alabama's Cinderella run to the Final Four as a 4-seed.

It knows how to spot an upset as well. The same model has produced brackets that have nailed 24 first-round upsets by double-digit seeds since its inception in 2016.

There's no reason to rely on luck when there's proven technology to help you dominate your 2025 March Madness picks. Now, with the 2025 NCAA bracket revealed, the model is simulating the matchups and its results are in. You can only see it over at SportsLine.

Top 2025 March Madness bracket picks

One of the Midwest Region picks from the model: No. 2 seed Tennessee, despite losing to Kentucky twice this season, beats the Wildcats in the Sweet 16. This isn't the same Wildcats team that knocked off UT twice in a two-week stretch earlier this season. The Wildcats have gone just 5-4 since, and they've lost second-leading scorer, Jaxson Robinson (wrist), for the season, and he dropped 17 in Kentucky's first win over Tennessee. This also isn't the same Vols team, which went 7-2 after that second UK defeat, with an improved offense a reason for its success.

The Volunteers averaged 68.1 points through their first 12 games versus SEC teams, but they've put up 75.9 points over these last nine games, all which also came versus SEC teams. That offensive uptick shouldn't minimize what the defense has done all year as Tennessee ranks among the top eight in Division I in FG percentage allowed, 3P percentage allowed and opposing points per game. Additionally, Kentucky coach, Mark Pope, is 0-2 all-time in March Madness, so a deep tourney run in his first year with UK may be expecting a bit too much.

Another surprise: No. 10 Utah State upsets No. 7 UCLA in the first round of the Midwest. Utah State is one of the most effective teams in the country on the offensive end of the floor. The Aggies rank 12th in effective field goal percentage (.567), which is a big reason why they're scoring 80.9 points per contest.

UCLA is far less efficient on offense, ranking 93rd in effective field goal percentage (.530) and 145th in scoring offense (74.8). The Bruins were held to 70 or fewer points in four of their last six games, losing three of those four contests. UCLA features only three players averaging double-digit points per game, so if they struggle to find open looks, the Aggies could open a lead that's too hard to recover from. You can see the model's 2025 NCAA bracket picks here.

How to make 2025 NCAA bracket predictions

Who wins every tournament-defining matchup, and which teams will make surprising runs through the 2025 NCAA Tournament bracket? With the model's track record of calling bracket-busting upsets, you'll want to see which stunners it's calling this year before locking in any 2025 NCAA bracket picks.

So what's the optimal NCAA Tournament 2025 bracket, and which NCAA Tournament Cinderella teams will shock college basketball? Visit SportsLine now to see which region features three must-have upsets, including a play-in team that absolutely stuns its first-round opponent, all from the model that's beaten 91% of bracket players in four of the last six tournaments.