| 2025 qualifying teams | |
|---|---|
| Total teams | 68 |
| Automatic bids | 31 |
| At-large bids | 37 |
| Top seed | TBD |
| Champion | TBD |
«2024 2026» | |
A total of 68 teams entered into the 2025 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament. Thirty-one of the teams were qualified via automatic bids, usually earned by winning their conference tournaments, while the remaining 37 teams were selected via "at-large" bids, which were extended by the NCAA Selection Committee. Teams were seeded from 1 to 16 within each of the four regionals, while the Selection Committee also seeded the entire field from 1 to 68.
A total of 31 automatic bids to the tournament are granted to the below listed conferences, normally to the team that wins the conference's championship tournament. [1] [2] Seeds listed reflect seeding within the conference tournaments. Runners-up in boldface later received at-large berths.
| Qualifying school | Record (Conf.) | Seed | Last app. | # of app. | Tournament | Runner-up | Record (Conf.) | Seed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SIU Edwardsville | 22–11 (13–7) | 2 | Never | 1st | Ohio Valley | Southeast Missouri State | 21–12 (15–5) | 1 |
| High Point | 29–5 (15–2) | 1 | Never | 1st | Big South | Winthrop | 23–11 (11–5) | 3 |
| Lipscomb | 25–9 (14–4) | 1 | 2018 | 2nd | ASUN | North Alabama | 24–10 (14–4) | 2 |
| Drake | 30–3 (17–3) | 1 | 2024 | 8th | Missouri Valley | Bradley | 26–8 (15–5) | 2 |
| Omaha [a] | 22–12 (13–3) | 1 | Never | 1st | Summit League | St. Thomas [a] | 24–10 (12–4) | 2 |
| Wofford | 19–15 (10–8) | 6 | 2019 | 6th | SoCon | Furman | 25–9 (11–7) | 5 |
| Troy | 23–10 (13–5) | 3 | 2017 | 3rd | Sun Belt | Arkansas State | 24–10 (13–5) | 4 |
| Saint Francis | 16–17 (8–8) | 3 | 1991 | 2nd | Northeast | Central Connecticut | 25–7 (14–2) | 1 |
| Robert Morris | 26–8 (15–5) | 1 | 2015 | 9th | Horizon | Youngstown State | 21–13 (13–7) | 4 |
| UNC Wilmington | 27–7 (14–4) | 2 | 2017 | 7th | CAA | Delaware | 16–20 (5–13) | 12 |
| Gonzaga | 25–8 (14–4) | 2 | 2024 | 27th | WCC | Saint Mary's | 28–5 (17–1) | 1 |
| McNeese | 27–6 (19–1) | 1 | 2024 | 4th | Southland | Lamar | 20–13 (14–6) | 2 |
| American | 22–12 (13–5) | 2 | 2014 | 4th | Patriot | Navy | 15–19 (10–8) | 5 |
| Montana | 25–9 (15–3) | 2 | 2019 | 13th | Big Sky | Northern Colorado | 25–9 (15–3) | 1 |
| Bryant | 23–11 (14–2) | 1 | 2022 | 2nd | America East | Maine | 20–14 (10–6) | 3 |
| Norfolk State | 24–10 (11–3) | 1 | 2022 | 4th | MEAC | South Carolina State | 20–13 (11–3) | 2 |
| Colorado State | 25–9 (16–4) | 2 | 2024 | 13th | Mountain West | Boise State | 24–10 (14–6) | 5 |
| Houston | 30–4 (19–1) | 1 | 2024 | 26th | Big 12 | Arizona | 22–12 (14–6) | 3 |
| St. John's | 30–4 (18–2) | 1 | 2019 | 31st | Big East | Creighton | 24–10 (15–5) | 2 |
| Akron | 28–6 (17–1) | 1 | 2024 | 7th | MAC | Miami (OH) | 25–9 (14–4) | 2 |
| Mount St. Mary's | 22–12 (12–8) | 6 | 2021 | 7th | MAAC | Iona | 17–17 (12–8) | 4 |
| Duke | 31–3 (19–1) | 1 | 2024 | 47th | ACC | Louisville | 27–7 (18–2) | 2 |
| Liberty | 28–6 (13–5) | 1 | 2021 | 6th | CUSA | Jacksonville State | 22–12 (12–6) | 2 |
| UC San Diego | 30–4 (18–2) | 1 | Never | 1st | Big West | UC Irvine | 28–6 (17–3) | 2 |
| Alabama State | 19–15 (12–6) | 5 | 2011 | 5th | SWAC | Jackson State | 16–18 (14–4) | 2 |
| Grand Canyon | 26–7 (13–3) | 2 | 2024 | 4th | WAC | Utah Valley | 25–8 (15–1) | 1 |
| Yale | 22–7 (13–1) | 1 | 2024 | 8th | Ivy League | Cornell | 18–11 (9–5) | 2 |
| Florida | 30–4 (14–4) | 2 | 2024 | 23rd | SEC | Tennessee | 27–7 (12–6) | 4 |
| VCU | 28–6 (15–3) | 1 | 2023 | 20th | Atlantic 10 | George Mason | 26–8 (15–3) | 2 |
| Michigan | 25–9 (14–6) | 3 | 2022 | 32nd | Big Ten | Wisconsin | 26–9 (13–7) | 5 |
| Memphis | 29–5 (16–2) | 1 | 2023 | 29th | American | UAB | 22–12 (13–5) | 3 |
Thirty-seven at-large teams were determined through the NCAA basketball tournament selection process.
| Team | Conference | Last appearance | # of appearances |
|---|---|---|---|
| Clemson | ACC | 2024 | 15th |
| Louisville | 2019 | 40th | |
| North Carolina | 2024 | 54th | |
| Creighton | Big East | 2024 | 26th |
| Marquette | 2024 | 37th | |
| UConn | 2024 | 38th | |
| Xavier | 2023 | 30th | |
| Arizona | Big 12 | 2024 | 39th |
| Baylor | 2024 | 17th | |
| BYU | 2024 | 32nd | |
| Iowa State | 2024 | 24th | |
| Kansas | 2024 | 53rd | |
| Texas Tech | 2024 | 21st | |
| Illinois | Big Ten | 2024 | 35th |
| Maryland | 2023 | 30th | |
| Michigan State | 2024 | 38th | |
| Oregon | 2024 | 19th | |
| Purdue | 2024 | 36th | |
| UCLA | 2023 | 51st | |
| Wisconsin | 2024 | 28th | |
| New Mexico | Mountain West | 2024 | 17th |
| San Diego State | 2024 | 17th | |
| Utah State | 2024 | 25th | |
| Alabama | SEC | 2024 | 26th |
| Arkansas | 2023 | 36th | |
| Auburn | 2024 | 14th | |
| Georgia | 2015 | 11th | |
| Kentucky | 2024 | 63rd | |
| Mississippi State | 2024 | 14th | |
| Missouri | 2023 | 29th | |
| Oklahoma | 2021 | 34th | |
| Ole Miss | 2019 | 10th | |
| Tennessee | 2024 | 27th | |
| Texas | 2024 | 39th | |
| Texas A&M | 2024 | 17th | |
| Vanderbilt | 2017 | 16th | |
| Saint Mary's | WCC | 2024 | 13th |
The inclusion of North Carolina caused some controversy, as the team had an overall record of 22–13 and was 1–12 in Quadrant 1 games. Bubba Cunningham, North Carolina's athletic director, is the chairman of the selection committee, though he said he was not in the room for the vote on North Carolina, as rules require committee members associated with any schools being discussed to recuse themselves. [3] [4] In addition, the exclusion of West Virginia was seen as a surprise by commentators, as 111 out of 111 bracketologists had projected the team to make the tournament. [5] West Virginia Governor Patrick Morrisey threatened to take legal action against the NCAA, saying he asked attorney general JB McCuskey to investigate whether there was "any backroom deals, corruption, bribes or any nefarious activity" involved in the selection process. [6]
The tournament seeds and regions are determined through the NCAA basketball tournament selection process and were published by the selection committee after the brackets are released on March 16.
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
*See First Four
Source: [7]
Teams in boldface won their conference tournament and received the conference's automatic bid.
| Bids | Conference | Schools |
|---|---|---|
| 14 | SEC | Alabama, Arkansas, Auburn, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi State, Missouri, Oklahoma, Ole Miss, Tennessee, Texas, Texas A&M, Vanderbilt |
| 8 | Big Ten | Illinois, Maryland, Michigan, Michigan State, Oregon, Purdue, UCLA, Wisconsin |
| 7 | Big 12 | Arizona, Baylor, BYU, Houston, Iowa State, Kansas, Texas Tech |
| 5 | Big East | Creighton, Marquette, St. John's, UConn, Xavier |
| 4 | ACC | Clemson, Duke, Louisville, North Carolina |
| Mountain West | Colorado State, New Mexico, San Diego State, Utah State | |
| 2 | West Coast | Gonzaga, Saint Mary's |
| Bids | State | Schools |
|---|---|---|
| 4 | Alabama | Alabama, Alabama State, Auburn, Troy |
| 1 | Arkansas | Arkansas |
| 2 | Arizona | Arizona, Grand Canyon |
| 4 | California | Saint Mary's, San Diego State, UCLA, UC San Diego |
| 1 | Colorado | Colorado State |
| 2 | Connecticut | UConn, Yale |
| 1 | Florida | Florida |
| 1 | Georgia | Georgia |
| 1 | Indiana | Purdue |
| 2 | Illinois | Illinois, SIU Edwardsville |
| 2 | Iowa | Drake, Iowa State |
| 1 | Kansas | Kansas |
| 2 | Kentucky | Louisville, Kentucky |
| 1 | Louisiana | McNeese |
| 2 | Maryland | Maryland, Mount St. Mary's |
| 2 | Michigan | Michigan, Michigan State |
| 1 | Missouri | Missouri |
| 2 | Mississippi | Mississippi State, Ole Miss |
| 1 | Montana | Montana |
| 2 | Nebraska | Creighton, Omaha |
| 1 | New Mexico | New Mexico |
| 1 | New York | St. John's |
| 4 | North Carolina | Duke, High Point, North Carolina, UNC Wilmington |
| 2 | Ohio | Akron, Xavier |
| 1 | Oklahoma | Oklahoma |
| 1 | Oregon | Oregon |
| 2 | Pennsylvania | Robert Morris, Saint Francis |
| 1 | Rhode Island | Bryant |
| 2 | South Carolina | Clemson, Wofford |
| 4 | Tennessee | Lipscomb, Memphis, Tennessee, Vanderbilt |
| 5 | Texas | Baylor, Houston, Texas, Texas A&M, Texas Tech |
| 2 | Utah | BYU, Utah State |
| 3 | Virginia | Liberty, Norfolk State, VCU |
| 1 | Washington, D.C. | American |
| 1 | Washington | Gonzaga |
| 2 | Wisconsin | Marquette, Wisconsin |