Authentically, there is no event in sports quite like the NCAA men’s basketball tournament. Better known as “March Madness,” 64 universities will soon put it all on the line, yearning to reach the Final Four in San Antonio, Texas.
With St. Patrick’s Day on the horizon, there’s a luxury of on-court storylines this March Madness—there always are. Personally, I’m hoping my alma-mater UC San Diego can go dancing for the first time in school history! For Tritons basketball, this is their inaugural campaign with postseason eligibility at the Division I level. Behind a 28-4 overall record, UCSD has already won the Big West conference.
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It will take skill, grit, discipline and more to reach the Alamodome. Surely, several squads are up to task, but as of March 14, the Auburn Tigers (+350 odds, or a 22.2% implied probability), Duke Blue Devils (+360) and Florida Gators (+700) are listed as the top-three betting favorites at DraftKings Sportsbook to win the 2025 men’s national championship. However, the UConn Huskies are back-to-back defending champions.
In that same vein, the NCAA tournament creates rampant fandom — providing the action to back it up — each and every year. It is a spot on the sporting calendar that seemingly everyone has circled. Heading for March Madness 2025, PLAYBOY’s Gabriel Santiago directly connected with various experts in the fields of sports media and sports betting—let’s see what relevant insights they had to offer.
March Madness 2025
Minty Bets
Like most of us, FanDuel social personality & betting guru Minty Bets is ecstatic for this year’s big dance, informing PLAYBOY, ”I’m most intrigued by the Rick Pitino-led St. Johnnies. He’s had a great history of turning teams around and making a deep postseason run. St. John’s won the Big East Conference for the first time in 40 years and they may be the most talked about team right now. I can’t wait to see how far they go!”
Sara Blake
SEC specialist Sara Blake has mixed feelings on the big dance in 2025. “What the hell is going on with Kansas?! I’ve never seen a Bill Self-coached team be so awful. From there, can anyone challenge Duke or the deep SEC? As a Tennessee homer, I’d love to see Rick Barnes take this Volunteers team all the way.” Sara might be on to something, as the Vols have the sixth-best odds (per DraftKings Sportsbook) to win the upcoming title.
Natalie Bode
Next, Natalie Bode of KOAT echoed some very similar sentiments, also touching on the Pitino family. “I’m looking forward to seeing how far Coach Rick Pitino and St. John’s can go in March. Also, looking forward to watching his son, Richard Pitino, and the Mountain West-leading New Mexico Lobos, who are also hoping to make a run in March,” exclaimed Natalie. “Donovan Dent of UNM is one of the best point guards in the country and I am excited to watch him play on the national stage.”
Lucy Burdge
A betting-industry trendsetter, Lucy Burdge (affiliated with Audacy Sports and BetMGM) is bullish on Duke in 2025. She confidently tells PLAYBOY, “I’m taking Duke to win the whole thing, but no matter what, I’m really hoping for a Cinderella team to make it to the Final Four. It would just make it more intriguing to have a scrappy underdog to root hard for and would be a great story!”
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Lucy also has eyes on a certain powerhouse program from her neck of the woods, stating that she’s “hoping for UConn to make a run in the tournament! They have the best coach in college basketball and it would be fun to see them get to maybe the Final Four.”
Lauren Cowling
To hop back on the Pitino train, Lauren Cowling of Bookit Sports shared that she is ”super excited to see what Rick Pitino and this St. John’s team can do. I’d really like to see them take it all.” Switching gears, Cowling puts her attention on one of the favorites. “I’m also really excited to see Cooper Flagg play in his first and last tournament and see what kind of noise he can make.”
Before parting, Lauren points to an especially interesting potential tournament crop of 64 schools. “I’m excited for this tournament because this field of teams has the most potential for madness in March like we haven’t seen in a long time! It feels like anyone can win it.”
Greg Ivory
Yahoo Sports’ Greg Ivory believes the 2025 NCAA men’s basketball tournament will be one for the dogs—underdogs, that is. He explains to PLAYBOY, “I’m looking forward to that first week of the tournament when there’s going to be a lot of underdogs facing heavy favorites. I’ll be betting every underdog and praying I’m up after the first round. If so, and depending on the odds, maybe I’ll repeat that approach for Round of 32.” It is a bold strategy, but let’s see if it pays off for Ivory.
Bonnie-Jill Laflin
Audacy Dallas host and former assistant GM within the Los Angeles Lakers organization, Bonnie-Jill Laflin, also wanted to get in on the conversation. When PLAYBOY asked she is most excited for this tournament, she exclaimed, “Cooper Flagg! As the NBA’s first female scout, I’ve had the chance to see a lot of emerging talent, but Flagg’s performance this season has truly stood out.
“In Duke’s recent win over Auburn — the reigning number #1 seed — he demonstrated an advanced skill set that further solidifies his status as the top prospect for the 2025 NBA Draft. What’s even more impressive is that he’s only 18 years old and a true freshman!”
Jo Madden
SportsGrid host & analyst Jo Madden was eager to chat on March Madness. “This year, I’m looking forward this to who will be the Cinderella team that busts brackets and makes a deep run. If San Diego State punches their ticket I think they have to opportunity to do just that. They have one of the best defenses in the country and they have had some really impressive wins including a 73-70 win over Houston!”
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Kendra Middleton
Kendra Middleton of Boston’s 98.5 The Sports Hub is targeting a couple squads from down south, claiming, ”I have been telling everyone to get Final Four money in on Houston and Auburn! I think [Auburn] might struggle a little through the gauntlet of the SEC tournament and pick up again in March Madness. I don’t think everyone is as healthy as they’re saying after the last two weeks, so the price might get better.” Middleton also gives an overall tourney assessment, telling PLAYBOY, “Duke, Auburn, Florida, Houston, and maybe Alabama are the cream of the crop. From there, the drop off is huge.”
Tracy Sandler
NFL beat reporter and Fangirl Sports Network founder Tracy Sandler is usually on the gridiron, but for PLAYBOY, she weighed in on this year’s big dance. Sandler states, “I’m hoping that my Michigan Wolverines make it to at least the Sweet 16! Dusty May and friends have been so fun to watch and I would just love to be singing the Victors for another month or so.” Naturally, Tracy never lacks spirit for the NCAA tournament or the Maize & Blue.
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