2025 Men’s College Basketball Tournament Expert Picks: Champions, Upsets, and Best Bets

With the 2025 Men's College Basketball Tournament just a day away, it's time to put (digital) pen to (digital) paper.

We've had a couple of days to analyze the bracket, tweak things, overthink, and more. But below, FanDuel Research's analysts are going to run through their final answers to key questions around the tournament.

For all of our insights on the tourney, be sure to check out the Men's College Basketball Tournament predictions page on the site. But below, our staff will run through its picks for our favorite first-round upsets, best overall bet, and -- of course -- who we think will cut down the nets.

Here are our favorite predictions for this year's men's tourney.

On top of that, FanDuel Sportsbook is offering a promo for customers betting on an underdog in the tournament!

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Expert Picks for the Men’s College Basketball Tournament

Austin Swaim

National Champion Pick: Auburn

Favorite First Round Upset: 15 Bryant over 2 Michigan State

Favorite Futures Bet: Auburn to Win the South Region (-105)

Auburn seems to have gotten the easiest draw as a 1 seed. Michigan State's overperformance from preseason to a 2 seed and a key Iowa State injury really hurt the upside of both top squads to dispatch them. Even if shots aren't falling from outside, senior Johni Broome provides a good floor of interior buckets, as well.

Aidan Cotter

National Champion Pick: Duke

Favorite First Round Upset: 11 VCU over 6 BYU

Favorite Futures Bet: Kentucky to Make the Round of 8 (+340)

Kentucky's defense scares me, but it's hard to ignore how good of a draw the Wildcats got. Troy is a really uninspiring 14 seed, Illinois is a dangerous but incredibly streaky 6 seed, and then the 2 seed (Tennessee) is someone they've already defeated twice this season. With one of the most explosive and efficent offenses in the field, all we need is UK to get hot for a few games. This section of the Midwest Region leaves a lot to be desired.

Annie Nader

National Champion Pick: Auburn

Favorite First Round Upset: 13 High Point over 4 Purdue

Favorite Futures Bet: BYU to Win the East Region (+1900)

Fourteen of the last 20 region winners entered the tournament with a top-9 adjusted offense (per BartTorvik). Can we get on board with BYU’s seventh-ranked offense? The Cougars have won 9 of their last 10, including dubs over Arizona, Kansas, and Iowa State (twice). The East might be the weakest region, and though I’m not quick to forget that Duke is the only team in the nation with a top-5 adjusted unit on both sides of the ball, Cooper Flagg’s injury concerns at least open the door for a sleeper to emerge.

Riley Thomas

National Champion Pick: Florida

Favorite First Round Upset: 13 High Point over 4 Purdue

Favorite Futures Bet: Gonzaga to Win the Midwest Region (+850)

Our Brandon Gdula revealed the 10 most underrated teams in the men’s college basketball tournament, led by Gonzaga. The Bulldogs have the stuff to make a deep run, ranked 9th overall in KenPom while sitting 9th in adjusted offensive efficiency paired with ranking in the 87th percentile for the quickest adjusted tempos in college basketball. In a region with top teams looking to play slow, defensive games, the Bulldogs’ tempo and scoring could flourish.

Skyler Carlin

National Champion Pick: Houston

Favorite First Round Upset: 13 Yale over 4 Texas A&M

Favorite Futures Bet: Alabama to Win the East Region (+430)

The fact Duke is a popular pick to win it all and standout freshman Cooper Flagg is dealing with an ankle injury entering the tourney is enough for me to fade the Blue Devils. Alabama is fully capable of being crowned the champs in the East Region, ranking 4th in adjusted offensive rating, 32nd in adjusted defensive rating, and 1st in strength of schedule net rating, per KenPom.

Gabby Robles

National Champion Pick: Auburn

Favorite First Round Upset: 12 Colorado State over 5 Memphis

Colorado State may be the lower seed, but they’re far from an underdog. FanDuel lists the Rams as 1.5-point favorites in this matchup. Riding a 10-game winning streak into the tournament, Colorado State has been led by guard Nique Clifford, who’s averaging 19 points per game. With Memphis battling a string of injuries, this could set the stage for the tournament’s first 12-5 upset.

Favorite Futures Bet: Purdue to Reach Round of 8 (+660)

You can also download our FREE college basketball printable bracket.

Which bets stand out to you across the men's tournament? Check out FanDuel Sportsbook's latest college basketball betting odds to see the full menu of options.

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The above author is a FanDuel employee and is not eligible to compete in public daily fantasy contests or place sports betting wagers on FanDuel. The advice provided by the author does not necessarily represent the views of FanDuel. Taking the author's advice will not guarantee a successful outcome. You should use your own judgment when participating in daily fantasy contests or placing sports wagers.

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