Over the last 39 NCAA Tournaments, at least one No. 13 has beaten a 4-seed 28 times. All of the 4 vs 13 matchups in 2025 March Madness pit power conference teams versus mid-majors, with many circling No. 4 Maryland vs. No. 13 Grand Canyon as a contest to keep an eye on. The Terrapins will have to fly cross-country for the game in Seattle, while GCU, located in Phoenix, has much less distance to travel. Grand Canyon also enters the 2025 NCAA Tournament after an impressive showing in last year's tournament, defeating 5-seed Saint Mary's in the opening round as a 12-seed.
The Big Ten expansion meant that Maryland has already played West Coast games this year at Oregon and at Washington. The Terps lost both, so they can't be thrilled with the location of their March Madness 2025 first-round matchup. Can Maryland overcome its West Coast woes in order to see the second round? 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. The Vols finished fourth in the SEC behind Auburn, Florida and Alabama, but they beat all three of those teams at some point this season. They advanced to the second Elite Eight in school history last year, and transfer Chaz Lanier (17.7 ppg) has stepped up as the leading scorer this season.
He joins veteran guard Zakai Zeigler to spearhead a balanced offense to complement Tennessee's top-ranked defense. Meanwhile, Kentucky is playing without second-leading scorer Jaxson Robinson, who is out for the season due to a wrist injury. The Wildcats were hot from the perimeter in both regular-season meetings with Tennessee, but the model expects some regression if they meet for a third time.
Another surprise: No. 5 Clemson takes down No. 4 Purdue in the second round of the Midwest. Unfortunately, Purdue fans are used to being upset come tourney time as the Boilermakers have been knocked out by double-digit seeds in three of the last four NCAA Tournaments. A fifth-seeded Clemson squad is more talented than any of those previous opponents, and it's peaking with 15 wins over its last 17 games. Those only two defeats came by three points each, and the Tigers have tourney experience after an Elite Eight appearance last year.
Clemson is one of seven teams in college basketball that slot among the top 25 in both KenPom's offensive and defensive rankings. Purdue sits outside the top 60 on the defensive end as Zach Edey no longer being around has decimated Purdue's interior defense. Only four teams (out of 364) average fewer blocks than the Boilermakers as Purdue allows the 10th-highest 2P percentage in Division I. Purdue also has a losing record away from home (8-9), while Clemson is a sterling 12-4 in road/neutral-site games. 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.