In the first game No. 16 St. Francis (PA) will square off with No. 16 Alabama State, with a trip to Kentucky to take on the top overall seed Auburn on the line. In the second game, No. 11 North Carolina — a surprising inclusion in the tournament — takes on No.

When does the March Madness 2025 schedule start, and when are 2025 NCAA Tournament brackets due? The 2025 March Madness bracket begins on Thursday, March 20

Duke is the tournament’s betting favorite thanks to Flagg, the projected No. 1 overall pick in the upcoming NBA draft, and a couple more first-round prospects. The Blue Devils went 19-1 in ACC play and finished the season with the nation’s largest average margin of victory (20.8 points per game). Jon Scheyer’s group is rolling.