NCAA Basketball: SEC Conference Tournament Quarterfinal - Kentucky vs Alabama
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The No. 1 seed Florida Gators (30-4) cruised through the SEC Tournament to capture the league's conference title with three dominant performances. The Gators' three wins came by 14, 22, and 9 points over three ranked teams: Missouri, Alabama, and Tennessee. They have now won six straight games and enter the NCAA Tournament bracket 2025 as winners of 12 of their last 13 games. Florida's reward as the No. 1 seed in the West Region is to face No. 16 Norfolk State, winners of the MEAC. With expectations high after an excellent 2024-25 season, can coach Todd Golden's team live up to the hype as one of the most popular 2025 NCAA Tournament picks? 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 year, beats Kentucky in the Sweet 16. Tennessee is heralded for its effective offense, but the Volunteers have been extremely disruptive on the defensive end of the floor. Tennessee ranks eighth in the nation in scoring defense, giving up just 62.3 points per game. The Vols rank third in field goal percentage defense, limiting opponents to make only 38.02% of their shots.

The Wildcats are far less effective on defense, ranking 177th in college basketball in field goal percentage defense (43.72%). Kentucky is also dealing with injuries late in the season. The Wildcats will be without Jaxson Robinson (wrist) for the remainder of the year. Robinson was Kentucky's second-leading scorer with an average of 13.0 points per game, so his production will be sorely missed in the NCAA Tournament 2025. 

Another surprise: No. 10 Utah State upsets No. 7 UCLA in the first round of the Midwest. The Aggies (26-7) out of the Mountain West are led by guards Ian Martinez (16.7 points per game) and Mason Falslev (14.9 PPG), who helped propel them to a 16-1 start. The Aggies are 2-4 in Quad 1 games and 8-3 in Quad 2 contests this season and sit 37th in the NCAA's NET Rankings.

UCLA (22-10) is 27th in NET but played 17 Quad 1 games in their first year as a member of the Big Ten, going 9-8 in those contests. The Bruins also closed the season with four losses in their last eight games including an 86-70 defeat vs. Wisconsin in the Big Ten quarterfinals. In what should be a game controlled by defense, the Aggies are a live double-digit seed against a fading UCLA team. 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.