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Final Four predictions for 2025 men’s NCAA tournament, from our college basketball expert
The madness returns Thursday night and figures to give us some of the most competitive showdowns we’ve ever seen during the tournament’s second weekend. Let’s make some predictions. East Region Action resumes on Thursday night and the first game to tip-off might be the most entertaining of the entire tournament so far. Alabama and BYU are two of the highest-scoring teams in the sport, and a combined point total of around 200 isn’t off the table in this one. Nate Oats’ team has been here before. Kevin Young’s hasn’t. That proves to be the difference as the Tide pulls away late and wins by a misleadingly solid final margin. In the history of the NCAA Tournament, we’ve never had a scenario where a team lost at home to another team by double-digits in the regular season, and then got revenge in the Big Dance. Arizona, which dropped a 69-55 contest to Duke in Tucson back in November, has an opportunity to change that. They won’t, but they will give Duke the proverbial “big scare game” as the Blue Devils continue their march to the Final Four. Duke wins one of the best games of the tournament. Everyone got excited about the potential of Duke playing ‘Bama in the Elite Eight when the brackets were released. Now that excitement gets to be realized. The game lives up to the hype, but the Blue Devils ultimately make the plays down the stretch to punch their ticket to San Antonio. Prediction: Duke over Alabama West Region Florida feels like the 1-seed that’s in the best position for the regional semifinal round. The matchup with Maryland already seemed to be a favorable one, and now you have Terrapin head coach Kevin Willard seeming to have one and-a-half feet out the door on his way to Villanova. The Gators already got their fear of God game last weekend against UConn. They roll into Elite Eight. In the nightcap, midnight strikes for the least appropriate “Cinderella” in NCAA Tournament history. Arkansas beat St. John’s without having to play particularly well. The same type of effort won’t get it done against Texas Tech. The Red Raiders win and win fairly convincingly to knock the last remaining double-digit seed out of the tournament. Florida-Texas Tech is the regional final everyone says they care the least about and it winds up being a total banger. The Red Raiders have been flying too far under the radar all season long, and they finally make the sports world take notice by opening up a big early lead on the Gators. Walter Clayton Jr. continues his heroic March and saves Florida’s season with an unreal late individual rally. Prediction: Florida over Texas Tech South Region Ole Miss was wildly impressive in its second round victory over Iowa State, and is a team that has serious advantages over Michigan State in areas. Expect the talk about Chris Beard to go from simmering to off the charts as the Rebels pull off the upset and advance to a regional final for the first time in program history. Auburn rolls over Michigan in the second game. By a lot. The Tigers were a bit shaky at times in the first weekend, and now more than a few folks are doubting their status as a national championship favorite. That changes significantly after this performance where the Tigers showcase that when they’re at the top of their game, there’s still no team more dangerous in the sport. The All-SEC regional final is a good one for the first 32 minutes before Auburn pulls away and gets to the spot where it seemed its season was always heading. Prediction: Auburn over Ole Miss Midwest Region Kentucky has already beaten Tennessee twice this season, but finds itself as a 4.5-point underdog heading into Friday night’s regional semifinal. That feels wrong. The Wildcats were wildly impressive in their second round win over Illinois and they’ve got more than enough juice to take down a Volunteer team that seems to get in its own head once it reaches the second weekend. Cats over Vols for a third time this year. Even with a very pro-Purdue crowd at Lucas Oil Stadium, Houston feels like it’s going to be too much for the Boilermakers in the nightcap. Kelvin Sampson’s monster defense suffocates Braden Smith and company, while LJ Cryer does more than enough on the other end to get the Cougars back to the Elite Eight. Houston is the 1-seed everyone seems to have the least confidence in when it comes to their ability to win a national championship. People start questioning whether or not they’ve been wrong to overlook the Cougars after their defense dominates a Kentucky team that had been lighting up the scoreboard through the tournament’s first three rounds. UH gets the job done, and the tournament has four No. 1 seeds headed to the national semifinals for just the second time ever. Prediction: Houston over Kentucky
Can the Colts solve their Anthony Richardson problem?
Things have been rather… interesting for the Indianapolis Colts at the quarterback position since Andrew Luck’s surprise retirement on Aug. 24, 2019 at age 29. Since then, they’ve cycled through Brian Hoyer, Jacoby Brissett, Philip Rivers, Jacob Eason, Sam Ehlinger, Carson Wentz, Nick Foles, Matt Ryan, Gardner Minshew II, and Joe Flacco. Anthony Richardson, selected with the fourth overall pick in the 2023 draft out of Florida, was supposed to stop the maddening churn of mediocrity. The Colts were betting on Richardson’s potential, because he was the starter for just one season (2022) with the Gators, and overall in three collegiate seasons, he completed 213 of 395 passes (53.9%) for 3,107 yards (7.9 yards per attempt), 24 touchdowns, 15 interceptions, and a passer rating of 84.2. Richardson also ran 154 times for 1,189 yards (7.7 yards per carry), and 12 touchdowns. Based on that, and based on the fact that he did show improvement as a pure passer over that one starting season, the Colts took the leap of faith that Richardson could and would become a plus NFL quarterback over time. Because you don’t take a guy that high unless you truly believe that he can tilt the field. The Colts also ostensibly paired Richardson with the perfect head coach and offensive shot-caller in Shane Steichen, the former Philadelphia Eagles offensive coordinator hired after he turned Jalen Hurts into the perfect bridge between Philly’s passing and running games. It’s not been entirely Richardson’s fault, but so far, the results have not been what anybody hoped. In two NFL seasons, Richardson has completed 176 of 348 passes (50.6%) for 2,391 yards (6.9 yards per attempt), 11 touchdowns, 13 interceptions, and a passer rating of 67.8. He’s also run the ball 111 times for 635 yards (5.7 yards per carry), 10 touchdowns… and 12 fumbles. It’s never good when your efficiency metrics plummet in the transition from the NCAA to the NFL; it could also be said that injuries have severely affected Richardson’s transition. He missed all but four games in his rookie campaign due to concussion issues and a Grade 3 AC joint (shoulder) sprain he suffered in Week 5 against the Tennessee Titans. In 2024, Richardson managed 11 games and 11 starts, but things weren’t really rosy out there. He suffered an oblique injury that caused him to miss Weeks 5 and 6, he was benched in favor of Joe Flacco in mid-season, he famously took himself out for a play against the Houston Texans in Week 8 with the explanation that he “needed a breather,” and overall, Season 2 of the Richardson experiment concluded with the Colts convinced that Richardson would need competition for the starting job. The rubber is about to meet the road. Steichen said at his end-of-season presser on Jan. 6 that the idea of Richardson needing competition was a conversation that he and general manager Chris Ballard would be having. By the time the scouting combine rolled around, the decision had been made. “I think it’s good,” Steichen said on February 25 about an open quarterback draw. “I think competition is great for everybody. Any time you have competition at any position, whether it’s the quarterback position or wherever it may be, I think it makes everyone better.” And what did Steichen want to see from Richardson in the future? “Consistency is the biggest thing. We’ve had those conversations... myself and him. Just being consistent. Obviously, he’s been on the field in 15 games in the last two years. He played 11 last year and did some really good things but just looking for consistency. Building on the fundamentals and obviously just continue to work on his passing. Getting the completion percentage up will be big going forward for him.” The Colts signed Daniel Jones to a one-year, $14 million contract with $13.15 million fully guaranteed and a boatload of potential incentives on March 13, so now they’re rolling with two former high first-round picks who have never really lived up to their draft stock. “I’m a natural competitor,” Richardson said in January of the quarterback books opening to just about anybody. “I’ve been competing all my life. I love competing. So, if the team feels like that’s the right direction we want to go in, I’m all for it. I’m competing. If not, I’m still here competing, working. Working my tail off to be the best version I can for this team. So I can’t really control everything that comes with the NFL, but I know I can control what I can and I’m going to do my part to be the best version of myself for this organization.” So, if Steichen and his staff are to maximize Richardson’s attributes and cut down on the liabilities, how exactly do they do that… or is the Anthony Richardson decision just going to be one of those mistakes that every team makes from time to time? The answer isn’t schematically simple. Unlike a lot of developmental quarterbacks, Richardson doesn’t have the One Magical Thing that can be unlocked with the cunning and increased use of play-action, pre-snap motion, condensed formations, or one certain route concept. Richardson struggled more than he should have with those quarterback helpers last season, so we’re really talking about a fundamental improvement that begins with Richardson. Play-action does help Richardson in the abstract because defenses have to be aware of him as a runner, so play-fakes will suck linebackers in and give Richardson the easy reads he needs at this point in his career. But even when he had the benefit of run/pass option, Richardson completed just nine of 16 passes for 68 yards, 5 air yards, one touchdown, two interceptions, and a passer rating of 47.9. Steichen is a master at designing the second- and third-level RPO in which receivers are open downfield, and Richardson was pretty spotty on some really simple stuff. When you see a second-year NFL quarterback who threatens as a runner struggling with simple RPO passing concepts... that is indeed a problem. pic.twitter.com/w6eTeKBFuw— Doug Farrar ✍ (@NFL_DougFarrar) March 27, 2025 Steichen also gave Richardson quick, easy first reads with pre-snap motion that changed the defense’s passing strength, with mixed results. With plays like this, you understand the frustration. So, it’s also not as simple as “Hey, just give Richardson the first read open” – the thing that Sean McVay used to save Jared Goff’s career back in the day. Steichen and his people have already done that. Richardson’s average time to throw of 2.76 seconds tied him with (you’ll pardon the expression) Deshaun Watson for the NFL’s sixth-highest among quarterbacks who took at least 20% of their teams’ snaps in 2024, but even on quick stuff like easy screens, it was hit-and-miss at best, as we’ve already seen. Plus, if you reduce Anthony Richardson to a chuck-and-duck quarterback, you take away the one force-multiplier factor that does show up on tape. There are times when Richardson can make truly transcendent deep throws, and deep throws take time. The Colts may be greasing the skids for the inevitable exit. Highlight throws only hold one’s interest for so long, and the timeline becomes seriously compressed when a quarterback struggles with the basics. The Durham Bulls had one job: To turn Ebby Calvin ‘Nuke’ LaLoosh’s demon arm into something that was Major League-ready. That LaLoosh struck out 18 batters (a new league record) didn’t matter as much as the 18 batters he walked (another new league record!) in his first game. So far, Anthony Richardson has not found his Crash Davis – the wizard mentor who could unlock his rare potential. And given how the Colts have opened the door to any competition, it would appear that Steichen and Ballard are preparing for the possibility that their movie has a more unpleasant ending. That makes 2025 a true make-or-break season for Richardson. His team has done everything possible to lay the groundwork for his NFL success. But at some point, the player must meet the challenge. If that doesn’t happen in the upcoming season, and Daniel Jones is throwing ducks by Week 8, it’s hard to blame the Colts for blowing the whole thing up and starting from scratch if that’s what they do.. (All advanced metrics courtesy of Pro Football Focus and Sports Info Solutions).
Sweet 16 2025: Schedule, scores, TV and more for men’s NCAA tournament
The dust has settled and the Sweet 16 is upon us. Over the next two nights, 16 men’s college basketball teams will vie for spots in the Final Four, set for the Alamodome in San Antonio. All four No. 1 seeds — Florida, Duke, Auburn, and Houston — remain alive in the Sweet 16. The strength of those teams make it possible that for the first time since 2008, and for just the second time in the history of the tournament, all four will reach the Final Four. But there is some business to take care of first, starting tonight when two of those No. 1 seeds will be in action. In the West Region Florida will tangle with Maryland and the “Crab Five,” while Duke squares off with Arizona in the East Region. In the other two games on Thursday No. 6 BYU will face No. 2 Alabama in the East while No. 3 Texas Tech takes on No. 10 Arkansas (the only double-digit seed to reach the Sweet 16) in the West. Here is the schedule and TV information for the 2025 men’s Sweet 16. Sweet 16 schedule by day Thursday, March 27 No. 6 BYU vs. No. 2 Alabama, 7:09 p.m. ET, CBSNo. 4 Maryland vs. No. 1 Florida, 7:39 p.m. ET, TBS/truTVNo. 4 Arizona vs. No. 1 Duke, 9:39 p.m. ET, CBSNo. 10 Arkansas vs. No. 3 Texas Tech, 10:09 p.m. ET, TBS/truTV Friday, March 28 No. 6 Mississippi vs. No. 2 Michigan State, 7:09 p.m. ET, CBSNo. 3 Kentucky vs. No. 2 Tennessee, 7:39 p.m. ET, TBS/truTVNo. 5 Michigan vs. No. 1 Auburn, 9:39 p.m. ET, CBSNo. 4 Purdue vs. No. 1 Houston, 10:09 p.m. ET, TBS/truTV Sweet 16 schedule by region East Region No. 6 BYU vs. No. 2 Alabama, 7:09 p.m. ET, CBS, ThursdayNo. 4 Arizona vs. No. 1 Duke, 9:39 p.m. ET, CBS, Thursday West Region No. 4 Maryland vs. No. 1 Florida, 7:39 p.m. ET, TBS/truTV, FridayNo. 10 Arkansas vs. No. 3 Texas Tech, 10:09 p.m. ET, TBS/truTV South Region No. 6 Mississippi vs. No. 2 Michigan State, 7:09 p.m. ET, CBS, FridayNo. 5 Michigan vs. No. 1 Auburn, 9:39 p.m. ET, CBS, Friday Midwest Region No. 3 Kentucky vs. No. 2 Tennessee, 7:39 p.m. ET, TBS/truTV, FridayNo. 4 Purdue vs. No. 1 Houston, 10:09 p.m. ET, TBS/truTV, Friday
Liam Lawson delivered ‘too little’ at Red Bull says Helmut Marko of shock driver switch
The matter of paddock “speculation” at Red Bull has become official. The team announced ahead of the Formula 1 Japanese Grand Prix that Liam Lawson would be demoted after just two races, moving to Visa Cash App Racing Bulls in a switch with Yuki Tsunoda. The veteran driver will realize his long-desired promotion to Red Bull, just in time for his home race. Speaking with Austrian outlet OE24 before the official announcement, Red Bull senior advisor Dr. Helmut Marko addressed the young driver’s slow start as well as the team’s struggles with the RB21, Red Bull’s challenger for the 2025 season. “Things have been better. Although our result was worse than our performance,” said Marko regarding the Chinese Grand Prix. “Max was too cautious with the medium tires; with the hard ones, he was able to keep up with the McLarens anyway.” The discussion quickly turned to Lawson, and Marko conceded that the driver was contributing “too little” for Red Bull to achieve their goals as a team, and to assist with team tactics. “In Australia, he had a turbo failure in the third practice session. The kilometers he lost as a result are taking their toll on him,” described Marko. “What he’s done so far has obviously been too little. We need a strong second driver, if only for the team’s tactics.” Regarding Red Bull’s initial decision to promote Lawson over Tsunoda, Marko pointed to the veteran driver’s inconsistency as a reason the team “unanimously” picked Lawson. “Yuki was too inconsistent. That’s why we unanimously decided on Lawson. But under the increased pressure, he couldn’t deliver, right from the first day in Australia,” said Marko. “Then he went into a downward spiral. It’s like a battered boxer; it’s very difficult to get out of it. In that sense, it was a mistake [to promote Lawson].” The Red Bull senior figure then outlined the struggles the team has seen with the RB21 this season. “It’s true that the RB21 is difficult to drive,” said Marko. “The Racing Bull is easier to handle and very fast on a qualifying lap. But in the race, it lags significantly behind the Red Bull Racing car.” Marko’s comments are all well and good but for many, they crystalize the ongoing frustration with the second seat at Red Bull. As has been covered here and elsewhere Tsunoda will be the sixth teammate of Verstappen’s since 2016, as the team has cycled through option after option alongside the four-time champion. While some drivers, such as Sergio Pérez, were afforded significant time to settle into the seat others were not afforded such grace. Lawson leaving after just two races represented the quickest decision by Red Bull to part with one of Verstappen’s teammates, ahead of Pierre Gasly (12 races) and Alex Albon (26). Another layer of frustration with this move stems from the larger context around Lawson’s start to the season. As you can see here, Lawson ran the second-fewest laps during pre-season testing, due to an engine issue on the second day. Only Lance Stroll — who missed part of testing due to an illness —completed fewer laps: Then consider the circumstances of the first two race weekends. Lawson arrived in Melbourne — a track where he had never raced before — and after missing time in the third practice as well as enduring a tough qualifying session, was forced to race in wet conditions that proved treacherous for several drivers, including veterans such as Carlos Sainz Jr. Then it was on to Shanghai for the Chinese Grand Prix — another track where he had never raced before — for an F1 Sprint race weekend. That gave Lawson just one hour of practice in the RB21, a car Marko concedes is “difficult” to drive, before the first qualifying session of the weekend. Red Bull Team Principal Christian Horner noted that Lawson would be headed to some circuits where he had experience in the upcoming weeks following the Chinese Grand Prix. “It was a tough day for him because losing [final practice] at a track that he’s never raced at – he’s the only driver on the grid not to have raced here – immediately put him on the back foot,” Horner told the official F1 channel after qualifying in Melbourne. “He’s had a really difficult run so far. Let’s see about the race tomorrow, and then of course, as we get to tracks that he starts to know, I think he’ll start to come alive.” Lawson will indeed get that chance to “come alive.” But at VCARB, and not Red Bull.
Complete March Madness schedule for the men’s 2025 NCAA tournament
March Madness 2025 is here. Between the bracket busters, Cinderellas and viral moments — the NCAA tournament never seems to disappoint. In the 2024 NCAA tournament, UConn looked dominant all season and won the championship again, after earning the trophy in 2023 as well. However this season, it’s the SEC who looks more dominant than ever, and could potentially have a record-number teams in the NCAA tournament field this year. A total of 68 teams will make the tournament field. Of those 64, 31 are automatic qualifiers from conference tournament winners. Here is a list of every automatic bid who has already qualified for the 2025 tournament. The road to the Final Four this year ends in San Antonio, Texas. Those semifinal games are set for the the first weekend of April. The first games of the tournament will start on Tuesday, March 18 when teams battle in the First Four games and the first round games will begin on Thursday, March 20. After Selection Sunday the complete bracket was revealed and the matchups are officially set. Duke, Houston, Auburn and Florida were named the No. 1 seeds in the 2025 NCAA tournament. Below is the complete schedule for the 2025 NCAA tournament: Complete schedule for March Madness 2025: Selection Sunday: Sunday, March 16 First Four: March 18-19 First round: March 20-21 Second round: March 22-23 Sweet 16: March 27-28 Elite Eight: March 29-30 Final Four: Saturday, April 5 at Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas NCAA championship game: Monday, April 7 at Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas Sweet 16 Thursday, March 27 No. 2 Alabama vs. No. 6 BYU, 7:09 p.m. ET | CBS No. 1 Florida vs. No. 4 Maryland, 7:39 p.m. ET | TBS No. 1 Duke vs. No 4 Arizona, 9:39 p.m. ET | CBS No. 3 Texas Tech vs. No. 10 Arkansas, 10:09 p.m. ET | TBS Friday, March 28 No. 2 Michigan State vs. No. 6 Ole Miss, 7:09 p.m. ET | CBS No. 2 Tennessee vs. No. 3 Kentucky, 7:39 p.m. ET | TBS No. 1 Auburn vs. No. 5 Michigan, 9:39 p.m. ET | CBS No. 1 Houston vs. No. 4 Purdue, 10:09 p.m. ET | TBS Second Round Sunday, March 23 (1) Florida 77, (8) UConn 75 (1) Duke 89, (9) Baylor 66 (3) Kentucky 84, (6) Illinois 75 (2) Alabama 80, (7) Saint Mary’s 66 (4) Maryland 72, (12) Colorado State 71 (6) Ole Miss 91, (3) Iowa State 78 (2) Michigan State 71, (10) New Mexico 63 (4) Arizona 87, (5) Oregon 83 Saturday, March 22 (4) Purdue 76, (12) McNeese 62 (10) Arkansas 75, (2) St. John’s 66 (5) Michigan 91, (4) Texas A&M 79 (3) Texas Tech 77, (11) Drake 64 (1) Auburn 82, (9) Creighton 70 (6) BYU 91, (3) Wisconsin 89 (1) Houston 81, (8) Gonzaga 76 (2) Tennessee 67, (7) UCLA 58 First Round Friday, March 21 (9) Baylor 75, (8) Mississippi State 72 (2) Alabama 90, (15) Robert Morris 81 (3) Iowa State 82, (14) Lipscomb 55 (12) Colorado State 78, (5) Memphis 70 (1) Duke 93, (16) Mount St. Mary’s 49 (7) Saint Mary’s 59, (10) Vanderbilt 56 (6) Ole Miss 71, (11) North Carolina 64 (4) Maryland 81, (13) Grand Canyon 49 (1) Florida 95, (16) Norfolk State 69 (3) Kentucky 76, (14) Troy 57 (10) New Mexico 75, (7) Marquette 66 (4) Arizona 93, (13) Akron 65 (8) UConn 67, (9) Oklahoma 59 (6) Illinois 86, (11) Xavier 73 (2) Michigan State 87, (15) Bryant 62 (5) Oregon 81, (12) Liberty 52 Thursday, March 20 (9) Creighton 89, (8) Louisville 75 (4) Purdue 75, (13) High Point 63 (3) Wisconsin 85, (14) Montana 66 (1) Houston 78, (16) SIU Edwardsville 40 (1) Auburn 83, (16) Alabama State 63 (12) McNeese 69, (5) Clemson 67 (6) BYU 80, (11) VCU 71 (8) Gonzaga 89, (9) Georgia 68 (2) Tennessee 77, (15) Wofford 62 (10) Arkansas 79, (7) Kansas 72 (4) Texas A&M 80, (13) Yale 71 (11) Drake 67, (6) Missouri 57 (7) UCLA 72, (10) Utah State 47 (2) St. John’s 83, (15) Omaha 53 (5) Michigan 68, (12) UC San Diego 65 (3) Texas Tech 82, (14) UNC Wilmington 72 First Four Tuesday, March 18 (16) Alabama State 70, (16) Saint Francis 68 (11) North Carolina 95, (11) San Diego State 68 Wednesday, March 19 (16) Mount St. Mary’s 83, (16) American University 72 (11) Xavier 86, (11) Texas 80 This year’s tournament will take place in 14 different locations. 2025 NCAA men’s tournament locations Round Location Venue Dates Round Location Venue Dates First Four Dayton, Ohio UD Arena March 18 - 19 First/Second Lexington, KY Rupp Arena March 20 -22 First/Second Providence, RI Amica Mutual Pavilion March 20 - 22 First/Second Seattle, WA Climate Pledge Arena March 21 - 23 First/Second Wichita, KS Intrust Bank Arena March 20 - 22 First/Second Cleveland, OH Rocket Arena March 21 - 23 First/Second Denver, CO Ball Arena March 20 - 22 First/Second Milwaukee, WI Fiserv Forum March 21 - 23 First/Second Raleigh, NC Lenovo Center March 21 - 23 East Regional Newark, NJ Prudential Center March 27 - 29 West Regional San Francisco, CA Chase Center March 27 - 29 South Regional Atlanta, GA State Farm Arena March 28 - 30 Midwest Regional Indianapolis, IN Lucas Oil Stadium March 28 - 30 Final Four San Antonio, TX Alamodome April 5 & 7 You can bet on every NCAA tournament game by checking out FanDuel Sportsbook.
