2025 March Madness expert picks
Looking for March Madness picks? We've got you covered.
theScore basketball writers Dane Belbeck, Chicco Nacion, and Thomas Tittley are joined by betting writer Sam Oshtry and ball-knowers Tyler MacKillop and Levi Smith from our social team to dish out their selections for the Elite Eight, the Final Four, and the national champion.
Elite Eight
The first three regions follow the chalk with the 1- and 2- seeds all making it through to the Elite Eight. The Midwest is where the chaos truly hits with No. 8 Gonzaga taking out top-seeded Houston and No. 3 Kentucky knocking out No. 2 Tennessee. The Bulldogs are one of the few teams with the backcourt talent to protect the ball against the Cougars' defense and score enough to keep up with Houston's hot-shooting potential. The Wildcats taking out the Volunteers shouldn't come as much of a shock - that result's already happened twice this year. - Belbeck
Auburn's recent slump shouldn't overshadow its historically strong resume. The Tigers won 16 Quad 1 matchups, and their upcoming opponents won't have the same level of familiarity as their SEC foes. Michigan State coach Tom Izzo just gets the job done at this time of the year. The Spartans have a fairly manageable path, especially with Iowa State losing Keshon Gilbert for the season. Duke shouldn't have much trouble getting to the Elite Eight, even with Cooper Flagg potentially not at 100%. BYU has a chance to make a deep run with Grant Nelson's status uncertain for 2-seed Alabama. Houston has a potentially tough Round of 32 tilt against Gonzaga, but Kelvin Sampson has the best offensive unit of his Cougars tenure. Tennessee's stingy defense should get the Volunteers through to at least another second weekend. - Nacion
Peaking at the right time matters, and losing three of your last four contests is a horrible omen for top-ranked Auburn. A potential second-round game with Creighton's Ryan Kalkbrenner is a nightmare matchup for Player of the Year candidate Johni Broome. Michigan State's top-five defense should carry it through a relatively easy side of the bracket as second-leading Iowa State scorer Gilbert will miss the entire tournament with a groin injury. The West is set up to be relatively chalky. Florida and St. John's are both primed to overwhelm their opponents with size and speed, setting up a dream matchup in the Elite Eight. Alabama's Nelson is seeing a knee specialist and his injury could derail the Crimson Tide's hopes, opening the door for a high-scoring Wisconsin squad fresh off an impressive Big Ten Tournament. - Tittley
Final Four
Given the SEC's dominance this season, it's only fitting that three of the Final Four's participants come from that conference. Florida and Auburn met once this season with the Gators pulling off a huge road upset. No team has looked stronger in recent weeks, and Florida's offense seemed virtually unstoppable most of the time. Duke making it this far assumes Flagg is healthy and at his best - a scenario that will likely be too much for Kentucky's struggling defense. - Belbeck
Auburn's offensive weapons will overwhelm Michigan State and send the Tigers to their second Final Four under Bruce Pearl. Rick Pitino's legend will continue to grow as the physicality and suffocating defense of St. John's will end Florida's red-hot run. BYU won't have an answer for Duke's talent and elite defensive play. The trio of LJ Cryer, Emanuel Sharp, and Milos Uzan will supply enough offense to help Houston battle past Tennessee. - Nacion
Ten of the past 11 Final Fours have featured a 7-seed or lower. This year, it will be Creighton, which is underseeded after finishing with the second-best record in the Big East. The Bluejays could easily be sent home before the second weekend, but their defensive identity can stump Auburn's offense. Florida has a daunting path in the most difficult region of the four, but the Gators have won 12 of their last 13 games. Eleven of those games were against tournament teams, and seven of those wins came against ranked teams. The competitive SEC has prepared Florida for this path. Duke has lost one game since December, winning 27 of its last 28, including two games without Flagg against tournament teams over the weekend. Flagg is expected back for the tournament, and Duke has a relatively easy path. Houston's success has been similarly impressive despite a much more challenging schedule. Since starting the season 4-3, Houston has won 26 of its last 27 games. - Oshtry
Creighton's offense tends to have sporadic off nights, and Izzo is the perfect coach to game plan around that. St. John's has awesome guards, but Florida's are better, and the Gators will make the Final Four for the first time since the 2014 tourney. Houston's defense is, as usual, a buzz saw, and Illinois will inevitably have one of its 0-for-a-million shooting nights. A rematch of the 2015 title game will unfortunately end the same way for Wisconsin. Watching Steven Crowl try to stop Khaman Maluach's lobs around the rim will certainly be entertaining. - Tittley
Championship
A Florida-Duke title game would be incredible theater with NBA talent all over the floor and two of the nation's three best offensive units in action. I'll give the nod to the Gators with Walter Clayton Jr., Alex Condon, and Will Richard outshining Flagg, Kon Knueppel, and Tyrese Proctor. - Belbeck
Houston will cut down the nets in San Antonio and end the school's chase for an elusive national championship. Under Sampson, the Cougars have always rebounded well and defended at an elite level; now they have the offensive weapons to match up. St. John's will make Broome work for every basket, and that will go a long way in helping the Red Storm beat Auburn. However, their magical season will come up one win short after a gritty affair against the Cougars. - Nacion
Houston appears immune to upsets, and the Cougars have the veteran experience necessary to cut down the nets in April. Sampson's squad will always defend at a high level, but this team also has one of the nation's most efficient offenses, with Cryer, Sharp, and Uzan leading the scoring efforts. The Cougars will need J'Wan Roberts back at some point during their run (he's day-to-day entering the tournament with an ankle injury), but he's likely to return. - Oshtry
The nation's hottest team versus its most talented: a dream matchup for casual fans and a fitting finish to a rather chalky tournament. Florida will spoil Duke's inaugural final without Coach K and capture the program's third NCAA Tournament title, its first since going back-to-back nearly 20 years ago. The Gators are probably the only team with the size to throw at Flagg, and their three-headed monster of Clayton, Richard, and Alijah Martin will put the Blue Devils' young stars in a blender. - Tittley