March Madness 2025: Picking every 1st round West Region matchup

The Florida Gators have had their best season since winning back-to-back-to-back national titles. They went 30-4, won the SEC, which might have been the best conference in all of college basketball this season, and spent a good chunk of the year ranked in the top five.

Their reward for that hard work? The one seed in the toughest region in the NCAA Tournament. There is quality and depth from top to bottom, including a two-time defending national champ in UConn, a dominant St. John's team, a true blue blood in Kansas, and elite teams like Texas Tech and Maryland. Even the low seeds figure to put up a heck of a fight.

Can the Gators survive the gauntlet? Or will someone else emerge from a very dangerous field? Let's break it down.

(1) Florida vs. (16) Norfolk State: The resurgent Gators play dominant, unselfish basketball, led by guards Walter Clayton Jr. and Alijah Martin. They have a plethora of scoring options up and down the roster, and can beat you in a variety of ways. With five big men capable of playing at a high level, this team is not one you want to face.

Norfolk State have Cinderella pedigree, but this doesn't feel like the kind of team capable of pulling the stunner. They can't shoot from outside, and turn the ball over far too much.

Pick: Florida. The Gators are too good to go down this early. Anything aftet this though, and all bets are off.

(8) UConn vs. (9) Oklahoma: UConn remains an offensive juggernaut. From Alex Karaban to Liam McNeeley to Solo Ball, the Huskies have plenty of scorers, and when they're humming, they remain one of the absolute best teams in the country on that side of the ball. The problems come on the other side of the ball; Dan Hurley's team struggles with foul problems and has a tendency to leave shooters open from outside. And for as good as the offense is, if you're a physical, defensive-minded team, they can be frustrated and slowed.

Oklahoma's tournament hopes come down to one thing: how are guards Jeremiah Fears and Jalon Moore playing? If they're on, this team is incredibly hard to stop. If they're not...well, things can get messy for Porter Moser's team. They're small, and don't rebound all that well, which could pose problems against a team with UConn's size.

Pick: UConn. As much as I love Fears, and his thermonuclear shooting touch, it's hard to see the Sooners getting a win here against a team with the Huskies' size. If Fears goes full nuclear, though, all things are possible.

(5) Memphis vs. (12) Colorado State: The Memphis Tigers have one of the best backcourts in the country, and they deploy it to full effect. PJ Haggerty is a legitimate star, while Tyrese Hunter and Colby Rogers are the kind of streaky, microwave shooters you need come March. Penny Hardaway's team has some post presence, but they'll go as far as their guards will carry them. That could be a problem if Hunter misses time with a foot injury.

They face a Colorado State team who have been one of the hottest shooting teams in the country this season. The Rams are led by sharpshooting Nique Clifford, and have a cadre of gunners who can score on pretty much anyone. The defense is shaky at best, but the Rams have the scoring to hang with most anyone.

Pick: Colorado State. This goes from a soft pick to a definite pick if Hunter can't play. The Rams have the shooting to hang with Memphis and the size to beat them on the defensive glass.

(4) Maryland vs. (13) Grand Canyon: Maryland might be the most underseeded team in the field this season. They're incredibly talented, and their starting five lacks any kind of real holes or issues. They can shoot, they can defend, they can rebound, and they can run with pretty much anyone. They're not the deepest team out there, but the Terrapins are not to be trifled with.

They face a Grand Canyon Antelopes team with a sitff defense and solid frontcourt, but a severe dearth of shooting from deep. Can Bryce Drew pull another stunner?

Pick: Maryland. In a word, no, he can't. This Maryland team is legit, and everyone's favorite scammy, for-profit college is going home early.

(6) Missouri vs. (11) Drake: If you're looking for a dark horse Final Four contender, look no further than Missouri. The Tigers have a truly elite, balanced offense, and can deploy a wide variety of lineups and looks tailor-made to flummox opposing defenses. Mark Mitchell is a serious matchup nightmare, capable of playing on the wing or in the paint depending on the situation, and the Tigers have scorers aplenty. Sure, the defense isn't great, but when the offense is this much fun, who cares?

They face a Drake team who won't be intimidated, and specialize in taking away what you want to do and driving you insane while doing it. Bennett Stirtz is a stud on both ends of the floor, and while the Bulldogs aren't going to run you off the court, they can knock down threes.

Pick: Missouri in a squeaker. This figures to be a knockdown drag-out fight between two very different teams, and ultimately, I think Mizzou's superior talent wins out. But don't be shocked to see the Bulldogs end the Tigers' March Madness dreams a bit early.

(3) Texas Tech vs. (14) UNC Wilmington: Here's the thing about Texas Tech: they may not be the biggest or most talented team you'll see, but the Red Raiders are as cohesive a team as you'll find in college basketball this season. Big man JT Toppin is the fulcrum from which everything runs; when he's clicking, this team is terrifyingly good, and they have enough shooters to keep them in it even when he's not. They're thin in the front court behind Toppin, who does a good job of avoiding foul trouble, but it is a weakness worth clocking.

Wilmington, on the other hand, is all about depth and rotation. Eight players play 19 minutes or more in this system, and all of them average at least five points per game. Donovan Newby is the heart of the team, but they are deep, and depth is what wins games in March. They work the glass hard, and can push just about anyone with their style of play.

Pick Texas Tech. As much fun as the Seahawks are, the Red Raiders are too good, too cohesive to give them much hope of scoring an upset.

(7) Kansas vs. (10) Arkansas: Let's get this out of the way now: this is the worst team Bill Self has fielded at Kansas. They firmly deserve their seven seed, their lowest during his tenure. They are absolutely stellar defensively, but the offense is a mess. Center Hunter Dickinson is a lousy fit in the Jayhawks' offensive system, and his plodding pace slows everything down considerably. He puts up points, but fails to impress, and outside of him, Self and the Jayhawks have very little in the way of truly reliable offense.

Fortunately for the Jayhawks, they're facing another disappointing team who can't score in Arkansas. John Calipari's debut Razorbacks are super athletic and aggressive defensively, but don't ask them to score consistently or they're going to be in trouble.

Pick: Kansas. In a game that figures to be a rock fight, Dickinson figures to be a difference maker.

(2) St. John's vs. (15) Omaha: If you want a case study in whether a high-level defense trumps a high-octane offense, look no further than this. The St. John's Red Storm are an absolute force of nature defensively. They will choke the life out of you and force turnovers to score points and make your day as miserable as is humanly possible. Rick Pitino's squad is big and athletic, and they thrive on defense. If they could shoot even a little bit, they'd be absolutely unstoppable; alas, they cannot. They want to get as many chances as possible, knowing they're going to miss a fair few.

On the other side, the Omaha Mavericks are long, athletic, and score a LOT. They knock down a fair number of threes, and have the size to hang with just about anyone. Unfortunately for the Mavericks, defense is optional, and by optional, I mean mostly nonexistent.

Pick: St. John's. The Red Storm's defense is truly a thing to behold, and while Omaha has scoring punch, I don't see a path to anything but an ultimately honorable defeat in this one.

Home/CBB