How to win your March Madness office bracket pool: Tips and tricks revealed
By JAKE FENNER
The third month of the year is upon us and while for some, that means approaching spring, for many Americans, it means impending insanity.
March Madness is upon us. Every year, the nation is captivated by bracket busters and Cinderella's trying to carve their own little path to the Final Four - held this year in San Antonio.
But the madness can be confusing and infuriating for some. College basketball's season is lengthy and often coincides with other sports, making it a tad hard to follow the whole way through.
So, if you're not a college basketball sicko like this writer (yes, I did in fact stay up until 3:00am the night of Thanksgiving to watch a game in Hawaii), allow this to be a great way to catch you up.
Below, we have the run-down on the favorites in the tournament, what makes them special, and why they're just so dominant. Then, after that, a few upsets for your consideration (because what's the fun in picking nothing but favorites?) to help you (maybe, just maybe) win your bracket pools in your office, your families, or anywhere else you may partake in a little madness of your own.
Here is the DailyMail.com rundown on the favorites to win the title and the upsets that could crash your bracket early. Happy picking!
Stuck on your picks for March Madness? Allow this to guide you through favorites and upsets.
There's good news for people who haven't been following college basketball all year long: picking all the one-seeds could be a legitimately great strategy.
This entire season has been one of the most chaotic in recent memory - partially because no one team has clearly dominated from beginning to end, and the favorites are certainly not without faults.
2025 could go one of two ways. All the teams that are the hottest coming into the tournament could stay hot. Or, those cracks shown earlier in the season could turn into chasms.
A
Auburn's Johni Broome (4) has played like the top star in the sport all season long
Auburn
The number one overall seed actually only owns the least amount of wins among the one-seeds. But if there's been any team consistently toward the top of the sport all season long, it's Bruce Pearl's Auburn Tigers.
Led by one of the two front runners for National Player of the Year in forward Johni Broome, Auburn is primed for a run to win its first ever national title.
Tiger guards Tahaad Pettiford, Denver Jones, Chad Baker-Mazara and Miles Kelly all shoot the ball incredibly well - combining with Broome to all average double-digit points per game.
The one thing that could be their undoing is their tendency to foul and give up a lot of free throws. In each of the five games they lost, Auburn gave up at least 18 shots at the line.
An injury to Duke star Cooper Flagg could be the difference between titles and failure
Duke
We'll leave the biggest cause for the Blue Devils' success last, as he's the biggest wildcard of Duke's tournament run.
Top to bottom, Duke might be the most complete team in college basketball. They shoot well, they hit shots from range, and their defense is suffocating. Duke is the only team in the country to be top-five in offensive and defensive efficiency, according to basketball analytics site KenPom.
Personnel-wise, guards Kon Knueppel and Tyrese Proctor are capable of putting up points while center Khaman Maluach is effective at pulling down rebounds and swatting shots.
Which brings us to Cooper Flagg. The other contender for National Player of the Year has been Duke's best all-around star by far this season and is a shoe-in for the top pick in the NBA Draft (that is, if he decides to go). But an ankle injury in the ACC Tournament is cause for concern going forward. If he misses significant time, the Blue Devils could struggle without him.
Add to that a very tough path to the final and the Blue Devils could trip up some landmines.
Guard LJ Cryer is hoping to lead Houston past the Sweet 16 hurdle they tripped over in 2024
Houston
For the third year in a row, the Houston Cougars are a one-seed in the NCAA Tournament. Much like years past, they have looked the part.
Just like in years past, the Cougars are built on staunch defense - the second-most efficient unit in the country.
Just like in years past, elite guard play got them to this point. LJ Cryer leads the team again in points and is flanked by Emanuel Sharp and Milos Uzan - with forward J'Wan Roberts hauling down boards.
But Houston's not going to want this year to be like years past. Despite being a one-seed in 2023 and 2024, they lost in the Sweet 16 both times. With a path to the Elite Eight that is arguably the easiest among the one-seeds, could this finally be the year they buck that trend?
Walter Clayton Jr. has led a dominant Florida team to a title in the nation's toughest conference
Florida
Florida overcame a false start to their season in the form of a scandal surrounding head coach Todd Golden to win the SEC Tournament - claiming the title of champions in the toughest conference in college basketball this season.
Not only are the Gators the No. 1 offense in the country, but they're also one of the most effective 3-point defenses in the nation as well.
Guard Walter Clayton Jr. has looked like a bonafide superstar all season long. His backcourt mate Alijah Martin has Final Four experience from 2023. Aussie big man Alex Condon and forward Thomas Haugh both clean up the glass to make the Gators a formidable unit.
The biggest problem facing this Florida team is their path to the Final Four. We'll touch on Texas Tech and St. John's in the section below, but four-seed Maryland and six-seed Missouri could also pose problems. Plus, barring a massive upset, it's likely their second game is against the two-time defending national champion UConn Huskies.
RJ Luis Jr of St. John's
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Grant Nelson of Alabama
JT Toppin of Texas Tech
Looking past the top four picks? Consider St. John's, Alabama, or Texas Tech among others
Wildcard teams
No. 2 seed St. John's (West Region): While overall scoring - and especially 3-point shooting - could be this team's downfall, the Red Storm are the best defensive unit in the country and have survived without the long ball. Florida may need to watch out on the interior for Zuby Ejiofor and RJ Luis Jr from the Big East champions.
No. 2 seed Michigan State (South Region): Somewhat copy and paste from St. John's. Awful from deep, but great at guarding 3-pointers and better at scoring. Their path to the Elite Eight could be easy before potentially playing Auburn.
No. 2 seed Alabama (East Region): Last year's Final Four team is mostly still together and they're the quickest team in America. But an injury to big man Grant Nelson could neutralize a man advantage they could have if Cooper Flagg is out for longer than the first weekend for Duke.
No. 3 seed Texas Tech (West Region): Quite possibly the most underrated team in March Madness, the Red Raiders could really shake things up. A well rounded team anchored by star forward JT Toppin could cause Florida problems.
No. 2 seed Tennessee / No. 3 seed Kentucky (Midwest Region): If Houston manages to run to the Elite Eight, they'll most likely bump into one of these two teams - both of whom run hot offenses. Kentucky beat Tennessee twice this season.
Gyasi Powell of Lipscomb
John Poulakidas of Yale
Lipscomb could shock Iowa State and Yale could be magical against a 4-seed once again
The Upsets
We'll pass on the 15-over-2 upset as they rarely happen. That said, remember the chaos I mentioned above? Seeds 5-14 in the tournament all have their advantages over each other that could bust brackets quickly. No need to go overboard, but if there was ever a year to do so, this might be it.
14-seed over 3 seed: Lipscomb over Iowa State Consider Montana over Wisconsin as well, but the Badgers size could pose problems for the Grizzlies on defense. Instead, look to a Lipscomb team that takes care of the ball, doesn't commit a lot of fouls, and hits threes. Iowa State is bigger than them and is very well rounded, but the Bisons could shock the Cyclones.
13-seed over 4-seed: Yale over Texas A&M Last year, James Jones' Yale Bulldogs were put on the 13 line and shocked Auburn. Here they are again. A top-ten 3-point shooting team, the Bulldogs are a subtly good defensive squad who match up well with an Aggies team that has lost five of their last seven games and does not score well. Elsewhere, consider coach Alan Huss and the High Point Panthers to possibly stun Purdue.
Aniwaniwa Tait-Jones of UC San Diego
Sincere Parker of McNeese State
UC San Diego (L) and McNeese State (R) are two 5-12 upsets that could wreck brackets
12-seed over 5-seed: All of them. I'm dead serious. Consider picking all of them. But, maybe don't pick them all. Or do! It's supposed to be fun.
Here's the logic. In UC San Diego-Michigan, the 12 seed Tritons are at a massive height disadvantage against the Wolverines. But UCSD shoots more than half their shots from 3-point land and have the nation's longest winning streak.
Liberty is amazing on both sides of the 3-point line and on the interior. They're the second-shortest team in the tournament, but like UCSD, they may not need it against an Oregon unit that does a lot of things well, but none exceptionally.
McNeese State has been an upset darling for years with an intelligent head coach in Will Wade that is top-five in steals among tournament teams. But Clemson is a very well-rounded unit. Of all the 5-12's, this is probably the least likely to happen.
Then there's Colorado State. After stealing a bid by winning the Mountain West, a balanced offensive unit comes up against an over-seeded Memphis team that commits plenty of errors and may have just lost guard Tyrese Hunter to an injury.
11-seed over 6-seed: VCU over BYU Some will tell you to pick Drake over Missouri. It's a tempting choice and worth consideration, but Mizzou has tested itself against the best and only lost to tournament teams. Some of the teams playing in the First Round in Dayton - like Texas and San Diego State - could pull off upsets, but it's too risky to pick those now. Instead, look to a VCU team that has the best field goal defense in the nation and is solid on offense against the inverse in BYU in what should be the best matchup of the early rounds.
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