Auburn is the overall No. 1 seed, yet the path isn’t tailor-made for a Final Four run. The Tigers potentially must deal with eighth-seeded Louisville in its backyard of Lexington, Ky., in the second round, followed by a battle-tested and talented upper-echelon SEC school that just beat them, No. 4 Texas A&M, in the Sweet 16. And No. 2 Michigan State, the Big Ten regular-season champion, is lurking. Bruce Pearl’s Tigers have shown slippage of late, losing three of their past four games, and the selection committee didn’t do them any favors.
Bracket Buster
No. 11 North Carolina: No, I didn’t think the Tar Heels deserved a bid after going 1-12 in Quad 1 games, but I love their draw. They have lost just twice — both times to Duke — since Feb. 10, and they can absolutely get past San Diego State in the First Four and up-and-down Ole Miss, the sixth seed in the first round. Third-seeded Iowa State will be without top guard Keshon Gilbert (groin) in the tournament, making the Cyclones beatable.
First-Round Upset Watch
No. 13 Yale over No. 4 Texas A&M: Yale was in this exact spot last year, and stunned Auburn. They can do it again to another SEC power. Forward Nick Townsend and guards John Poulakidas and Bez Mbeng are back from that group, and each took significant steps forward this season.
The Post has you covered with a printable NCAA bracket featuring the full 68-team March Madness 2025 field.
Best First-Round Matchup
No. 7 Marquette vs. No. 10 New Mexico: There isn’t a better backcourt matchup than Kam Jones against Donovan Dent — two lead guards who make others around them better and can fill it up. I’ll have my popcorn ready.
