As the 2025 March Madness tournament begins soon, anticipation is brewing across the country. The past few years of the tournament have provided fans with plenty of upsets and thrills. This past Sunday was Selection Sunday. This is where teams are picked to participate in the tournament. The team matchups have been decided and the games set.

Teams to Watch:

Auburn Tigers: The Auburn Tigers are entering the tournament as the overall #1 seed in the bracket. This seeding is a testament to the success they’ve had this season. Auburn went 14-1 in arguably the most dominating conference in college basketball this season, the SEC. The team is led by senior forward and double-double machine, Johni Broome. He is projected to win College Basketball Player of the Year.

Duke Blue Devils: John Scheyer is still trying to fill Coach K’s shoes at Duke. Duke’s team is set to win it all. This season, they swept their rival, UNC, and made light work of the rest of the ACC. Cooper Flagg, a standout freshman, has been the catalyst in Duke’s lineup. He is projected to be the number one overall pick in this year’s NBA draft and leads Duke in every major stat category. With how they’ve been playing so far, I think they’d be disappointed if they fell short of a National Championship.

St. John’s Red Storm: Coached by Rick Pitino, St. John’s has come back into the spotlight. Their performance this season has been so impressive that they secured the one of #2 seeds in the tournament. Of course there’s a star on every team but with St. John’s, it’s hard to pinpoint exactly who it is. Overall collective effort and the talent throughout the roster propelled St. John’s to an outstanding 27-4 record, highest in recent memory.

Players to Watch:

Walter Clayton Jr. (Florida Gators): Clayton Jr. has been a key player in the success of the Florida Gators this season. The senior guard is averaging 17 points per game (PPG) this season. His leadership and consistent scoring ability have led him to become the face of the Gators this season. Clayton Jr. was named an AP All-American, being the first Gator to receive this award since 2014.

Bennett Stirtz (Drake Bulldogs):

Standing at 6’4, 180 pounds, this junior guard has impacted Drake in monumental ways. Stirtz was a transfer student from Northwest Missouri State. This season he averaged 15 PPG with amazing shooting percentages. Stirtz, although not officially named an All American, has been in many discussions and debates about receiving the award.

Johni Broome (Auburn Tigers): As previously stated, Johni Broome has been a dominant force. Averaging 19 points and 11 rebounds per game, his consistent double-double performances were instrumental in Auburn’s deep playoff run. Broome was unsurprisingly named an AP First-Team All-American this season. It would be surprising if he did not win Player of the Year.

These players and teams exemplify the highest caliber of talent in this year’s March Madness tournament. With many talented teams and players being left out of this article it will be interesting seeing the way that everyone’s brackets play out. Let the brackets begin and happy March Madness!