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The Alabama Crimson Tide advanced to the Final Four for the first time in school history a season ago and now head coach Nate Oats has even loftier aspirations for the 2025 NCAA Tournament. Alabama received the No. 2 seed in the East Region of the 2025 March Madness bracket after a 25-8 season in which the Crimson Tide led the nation in scoring (91.1 points per game). The 2025 NCAA Tournament bracket sends Alabama to Cleveland for a first-round matchup against No. 15 seed Robert Morris on Friday. Can Oats further establish the Crimson Tide as national title-contenders with another deep run or will their 356th-ranked scoring defense (81.4 points per game allowed) come back to haunt them? Dominating your 2025 NCAA Tournament picks is all about finding answers to those questions before locking in your 2025 March Madness projections. 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 have one of the best defenses in college basketball, and they are led by an experienced point guard in Zakai Zeigler. They won 13 of their final 19 games in the regular season before upsetting Auburn in the SEC Tournament semifinals.

The Vols advanced to the Sweet 16 in 2023 and the Elite Eight in 2024 before bringing in multiple key transfers last offseason. They came up short in both regular-season meetings with Kentucky, which is entering the tournament without second-leading scorer Jaxson Robinson due to a season-ending wrist injury. He had 17 points in one of the regular-season wins in this rivalry, so his absence is one reason why the Vols will be in a better position for the potential rematch. 

Another surprise: No. 10 Utah State upsets No. 7 UCLA in the first round of the Midwest Region. This 7 vs. 10 matchup is set for 9:45 p.m. ET on Thursday night in Lexington and the crowd will have to gear back up for one of the most compelling stylistic battles in this region. Utah State ranks 17th in the nation in KenPom adjusted offensive efficiency and is middle of the pack in Division I when it comes to pace while UCLA ranks 17th in adjusted defensive efficiency and ranks 301st nationally in pace.

The Bruins were run out of the gym by John Tonje and Wisconsin in their only Big Ten Tournament game and now they'll have a couple more dynamic scoring guards to contend with. Ian Martinez averages 16.8 points per game and create shots for himself at every level while Mason Falsley averages 14.9 points per game, led his conference in steals (2.3 per game) and shot 40.0% from the 3-point line. The model predicts that pair helps make the UCLA defense uncomfortable enough to pull off the upset and win an NCAA Tournament game for a second season in a row. 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.