March Madness: Auburn earns top seed, UNC sparks controversy, and Cinderella picks to watch

Drew Smith
March 17, 2025
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And just like that, March Madness begins. The field is set, the debates are raging, and people are already yelling at their TVs about who got in, who got snubbed, and why the NCAA Selection Committee might be conspiring against them personally.

March Madness No. 1 Seeds: Auburn, Duke, Houston, and Florida

Auburn lands the No. 1 overall seed for the second time in school history, and the SEC flexes its muscles with a record 14 teams in the tournament. The conference that was once mocked for being a football-first league with a couple of decent hoops teams now runs college basketball, at least for this year.

While Auburn’s dominance is well-earned, Florida might be the hottest team in the country, steamrolling through February and March like they’re on a mission. Meanwhile, Houston quietly lurks as a defensive nightmare for anyone who crosses their path.

And then there’s Duke, which might as well rename itself “Cooper Flagg University” at this point. The entire tournament runs through the Blue Devils, and Flagg—the projected No. 1 pick in the 2025 NBA Draft—is poised to put on a show that will hopefully, land him in the NBA Draft and in Philadelphia when it’s all said and done this Summer.

March Madness Upset Picks: San Diego State & VCU

It’s Cinderella season, and two No. 11 seeds—San Diego State and VCU—are the early favorites to crash the party. San Diego State has to win a play-in game first, but if they get past North Carolina, they’ll have a shot at Ole Miss. VCU, meanwhile, draws BYU in the first round, a classic 11-over-6 upset waiting to happen.

If history tells us anything, at least one 11-seed will make a run to the Sweet 16 or beyond, and both of these teams have the metrics, matchups, and momentum to do it.

The Biggest Controversy: Somehow, North Carolina Gets To Dance?

Look, we all knew something fishy was going to happen—this is March Madness, after all. But UNC making the field as a First Four team with a 1-12 Quad 1 record? That’s a stretch.

The Tar Heels finished 22-13 overall.
Their only Quad 1 win came against UCLA in December.
The committee’s chair is literally UNC athletic director Bubba Cunningham.

Yeah, that last part doesn’t exactly scream “integrity”. The selection process was always going to be under scrutiny, but handing UNC a ticket to the tournament while teams with objectively better résumés got left out is… interesting, to say the least.

Sure, UNC is a blueblood that will bring in big ratings. But was that really the deciding factor? I would hate for that to be the case, even more so with my West Virginia University Mountaineers being the biggest SNUB of the entire selection committee.

The Biggest Snubs: West Virginia & Indiana

If you’re a West Virginia or Indiana fan, today is pure misery. West Virginia put together SIX Quad 1 wins and still got left out of the big dance. Indiana wasn’t far behind, notching four Quad 1 wins of their own, yet somehow UNC with just ONE Quad 1 win made the cut instead.

Go figure…

Were either of these teams world-beaters? No of course not, but were they were undoubtedly more deserving than North Carolina.

March Madness: Who’s Actually Favored to Win It All?

Duke (+300) – If you’re filling out a bracket today, this is probably the pick. Cooper Flagg is a generational talent, and Duke has the easiest path to the Final Four.
Florida (+350) – Red-hot entering the tournament, they’re the “analytics darling” pick that could steamroll their way to a title.
Auburn (+400) – If there’s any team mad about being overlooked, it’s Auburn. Top overall seed, yet no one is picking them to win? Expect Bruce Pearl to use that as bulletin board material.

Final Thoughts

Duke will probably live up to the hype but I would keep an eye on Florida to ride their current wave of momentum the whole way to a title. As for UNC, I think the entire country should be hoping they get bounced in humiliating fashion.

Give me VCU over BYU as the 11-seed upset in the first round.