Bracketology: Predicting the 2025 NCAA Tournament Bracket – Passing the Torch

03/11/2025 11:52 AM

Hello friends, and welcome to our latest Bracketology update here at ClutchPoints! Seven teams have already punched their tickets to the 2025 NCAA Tournament, and on Tuesday night, four more teams will ensure that they’re officially part of the Madness that infects every one of us each year around this time.

In today’s edition, we’re keeping things pretty straight-forward. We’ll start with our standard Bracketology bracket update, which will be followed by a breakdown of said bracket, a quick peak at the bubble situation, a look at today’s schedule of games, and then one final And One! prediction of the year, where for the third time this season, I’ll be taking a look at a matchup between the Saint Mary’s Gaels and the Gonzaga Bulldogs… this one for the WCC Tournament crown.

Let’s dive in!

Bracketology Bracket 

Bracketology Breakdown 

Top Seeds: Auburn Tigers (South Region), Duke Blue Devils (East Region), Houston Cougars (Midwest Region), Florida Gators (West Region)

Teams with path to #1 Seed: Alabama Crimson Tide, Tennessee Volunteers, Michigan State Wolverines

Multi-Bid Leagues: ACC (3), Big East (5), Big Ten (10), Big 12 (8), Mountain West (3), SEC (13), WCC (3)

Bracketology Bubble Watch 

Next Four Byes: Creighton, Utah State, West Virginia, Vanderbilt

Last Four Byes: Georgia, Arkansas, Baylor, Indiana

Last Four In: Oklahoma, San Diego State, Xavier, Ohio State

First Four Out: North Carolina, Boise State, Texas, Colorado State

Next Four Out: Villanova, Wake Forest, Dayton, SMU

Tuesday’s Most Intriguing Games 

NEC Championship – CCSU vs. Saint Francis (ESPN2, 7 PM ET)

CAA Championship – UNC Wilmington vs. Delaware (CBS Sports, 7 PM ET)

Horizon League Championship – Robert Morris vs. Youngstown State (ESPN, 7 PM ET)

America East Semifinal – Vermont vs. Maine (ESPN+, 7 PM ET)

Southland Semifinal – McNeese vs. Northwestern State (ESPNU, 7 PM ET)

WCC Championship – Saint Mary's vs. Gonzaga (ESPN, 9 PM ET)

America East Semifinal – Bryant vs. Albany (ESPN2, 9 PM ET)

Big Sky Semifinal – Northern Colorado vs. Montana State (ESPNU, 9 PM ET)

Southland Semifinal – Lamar vs. Nicholls (ESPN+, 9:30 PM ET)

Big Sky Semifinal – Montana vs. Idaho (ESPN2, 11:30 PM ET)

One Final And One! Prediction 

Over 12,000 days had passed between the time that the Saint Mary’s Gaels three-game winning-streak over the Gonzaga Bulldogs began with a win on February 22nd this year, and the last time the Gaels had at least a three-game winning streak versus their WCC opponent. You have to go all the way back to 1990 to find the last time the Gaels could claim to have the leg up on the Bulldogs, and even then, it was Loyola Marymount, Santa Clara and Pepperdine who were sitting atop the conference.

Fast forward 34 years later, and it’s Saint Mary’s and Gonzaga who reign supreme in the West Coast Conference. Either the Bulldogs or Gaels have won the last 16 conference tournaments, and that’s a mark that will extend to 17 on Tuesday night. But of those 16 conference titles, it’s been the Bulldogs who have won 12 of them. Even with a 437-132 record in that 16 year span, nobody has mistaken the WCC as Saint Mary’s conference. After all, Gonzaga is 504-91 in that same span, and they’ve been to the Sweet 16 in each of the last eight NCAA Tournaments, with two title game appearances thrown in there for good measure.

However, the balance of power may officially begin to shift on Tuesday night, when Randy Bennett’s Gaels have the opportunity to beat Mark Few’s Bulldogs for the third time this season and the fourth time in a row overall, dating back to last year’s WCC Tournament. Even with a better overall record this year and a 2-0 edge in the season series, Saint Mary’s is the underdog going into the WCC Tournament final, proving that even Vegas isn’t ready to hand that crown to the Gaels.

However, I am. I’ve been on it all year long, twice picking Saint Mary’s over Gonzaga already. So call it a coronation or a torch passing or whatever you’d like. What I’m choosing to call it is Saint Mary’s will win the WCC Tournament. 

Past And One! Predictions 

11/24/24 – I’ll eat way too much food on Thanksgiving (CORRECT)

12/2/24 – The Big 12 will win the Big East-Big 12 Battle (CORRECT) and the SEC will win the ACC-SEC Challenge (CORRECT)

12/12/24 – At least nine of those 12 SEC teams in the December 12th Bracketology field will be victorious over the weekend (CORRECT)

12/16/24 – Notre Dame, Penn State, Texas and Ohio State will win in the opening round of the College Football Playoff (CORRECT)

12/23/24 – Penn State, Texas, Oregon and Notre Dame will win in the quarterfinals of the College Football Playoff (INCORRECT)

1/2/25 – Florida and Tennessee will both secure SEC wins over the weekend over Kentucky and Arkansas respectively (INCORRECT)

1/6/25 – By mid-February, Arizona will be considered at least a 9-seed by not only myself, but by my fellow Bracketologists as well (CORRECT)

1/13/25 – Tom Izzo and the Michigan State Spartans will win their first Big Ten regular season title since 2020 (CORRECT)

1/20/25 – The Notre Dame Basketball Team will have a better week than the Ohio State Basketball Team (INCORRECT)

1/27/25 – Saint Mary’s will defeat Gonzaga (CORRECT)

2/10/25 – Arizona over Houston (INCORRECT)

2/17/25 – Saint Mary’s will cover AND win outright versus Gonzaga (CORRECT)

3/10/25 – Duke (ACC), St. John’s (Big East), Purdue (Big Ten), Texas Tech (Big 12), and Florida (SEC) will win their conference tournaments

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