The beginning of March marks the start of the excitement for March Madness, the annual single-elimination Division 1 NCAA basketball tournament that captivates the country from its first game on Tuesday, March 17 to its conclusion on Monday, Apr. 6.
People make their bracket predictions based on plenty of reasons: seed numbers, records, the colleges they and their families went to and even the colors of the school. Basketball viewers’ lives revolve around their bracket until their team is ultimately out.
Men’s Tournament
Last year’s tournament was no different from years past with the excitement around the games, but there are a few notable moments that made 2025’s tournament memorable. The University of Florida Gators won the tournament, and were also able to take the No. 1 seed this year in the South Region, possibly getting ready to be repeat champions. Duke University, however, is heavily favored to win the NCAA championship as they were also set as a No. 1 seed on Selection Sunday. Another historic record from last year was that all No. 1 seeds made it to the final four (Florida, Houston, Duke and Auburn) for only the second time in tournament history. Overall, there were considerably fewer upsets than in an average tournament.
Most of the players many people are looking forward to seeing in this upcoming tournament are surprisingly freshmen. Starting off with Cameron Boozer, who is expected to take Duke to the final championship. A player that is a possible rival for Boozer is AJ Dybantsa from Brigham Young University.
After three years of falling short of being entered into the March Madness bracket, Villanova was projected to enter the tournament as a No. 7 seed, and were placed as No. 8 after dismissing coach Kyle Neptune and bringing in Kevin Willard from Maryland. Since the coaching switch was made, Villanova has gained some notable recruits and improved their record for the 2025-2026 season.
Women’s Tournament
As women’s basketball continues to gain traction and recognition, it becomes even more interesting to watch this tournament. Last year, the University of Connecticut Huskies won their 12th tournament title, ending a nine year drought since their four year winning streak in 2013-2016. The 2025 win gave them a hold on their record of most titles won by a team, with 12 titles all under head coach Geno Auriemma. Tennessee follows UConn with eight titles. 2025 was standout player Paige Bueckers’ last year playing as a Husky, who later went on to be the No. 1 draft pick in the 2025 WNBA draft just after taking the NCAA titleThis year, UConn is the No. 1 seed coming into the Big East Tournament, with an undefeated season under their belt. They are heavily favored to win their 13th title this year.
Another team to look out for in this year’s tournament is University of South Carolina. As last year’s runner up, they are looking to add another title for the first time since 2024, when they beat the University of Iowa in the finals. Iowa is another school that many people anticipate watching. After their star, Caitlin Clark, went off to the WNBA draft, Iowa dropped from the No. 1 seed in the tournament to the No. 6 seed in 2025. Last year, they only made it through to the second round where they were defeated by Oklahoma. Iowa is going into this year’s tournament as a No. 2 seed, with hopes of making it further in the tournament, possibly reclaiming their title as the national champion.
