10 Tips to Fill Out the Perfect NCAA Tournament Bracket in 2025

March is here and the 2025 NCAA Tournament bracket is set. But the madness has already begun, with teams fighting for a spot in the bracket in their conference tournaments last weekend.

As you start scouting for your NCAA Tournament bracket — and maybe entering a PrizePicks Lineup or two — a little strategy for filling out can go a long way to win your bracket pools. 

From team stats to historical trends, there are plenty of ways to fill out your bracket. Whether you're all about the numbers or just picking your favorite mascots, these 10 tips will help you put together your bracket and dominate your bracket pools

Get our printable 2025 NCAA Tournament bracket here, as well as the full schedule for the tournament.

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10 Tips to Fill Out Perfect NCAA Tournament Bracket

Here are 10 facts, tips, and trends to use when cooking up your 2025 NCAA Tournament bracket.

Use Free Research Tools

If you want a winning bracket, you’re going to need to do the research.

A team’s seed number only tells part of the story. While it reflects their overall resume, it doesn’t always capture how good a team really is in certain situations. For deeper insight, check out the NCAA Evaluation Tool (NET) Rankings, especially Quad 1 record, which measures success against top opponents in tough environments. 

KenPom’s offensive and defensive efficiency metrics are also valuable for data-driven analysis. I like to balance stats with matchup-based insights — one team’s strengths compared to the opposing team’s weaknesses — but if picking based on colors is your vibe, let it ride!

No Place Like (Close to) Home

Playing near campus — and in front of hometown fans — is a major advantage that is often overlooked when filling out a bracket. The top 16 overall teams (No. 1-4 seeds) receive geographical preference in the NCAA Tournament.

The top four teams essentially get to choose their region. For example, the Auburn Tigers are in the South Region, which means it could play its Round of 16 and quarterfinals games in Atlanta — less than two hours from their home stadium. The Tigers would also be assigned to the nearest first-weekend site, likely Lexington, Ky.

The top 16 teams also receive geographical preference, with one exception: teams that have played more than three regular-season games in a venue cannot compete there. This rule is expected to impact only Kentucky this year, as Lexington is a host site for the first two rounds.

🏀 Get our Printable 2025 NCAA Tournament bracket and the Round of 64 Schedule

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These Polls Ain’t Loyal

Looking for a hint as to who will win the national championship? Check the Week 6 AP Top 25 poll. While media voters aren’t always spot-on early in the season, each of the last 20 national champions was ranked in the top 12 of the Week 6 poll.

This season, the top 12 on Dec. 9 were Tennessee, Auburn, Iowa State, Duke, Kentucky, Marquette, Alabama, Gonzaga, Florida, Kansas, Purdue, and Oregon.

One and (Probably) Done

In the history of the NCAA Tournament, no team has ever won a national championship after losing its first game in its conference tournament.

Just another reason to lock in for this first leg of the NCAA Tournament.

Double-Digits Dubs

At least one double-digit seed has made the Round of 16 in 16 consecutive tournaments — and 37 of the last 39 overall. 

While last year’s bracket low-key chalked after round one, we still got a Cinderella run from D.J. Burns and North Carolina State, as the Wolfpack rode an ACC Tournament title and automatic bid all the way to the Final Four. 

While we may not see a Cinderella story like that this season, keep an eye on a few double-digit seeds that could bust your bracket. (12) UC San Diego, (11) Drake and (12) McNeese State are among the top small-school teams that could follow this path in this year’s bracket.

Slaying Goliath

Death. Taxes. Gonzaga… sort of. The powerhouse from Spokane, Wash., has been a staple of the NCAA Tournament, making 25 consecutive appearances and reaching the Round of 16 nine consecutive times.

Yet, the Bulldogs are still chasing their first national title — a challenge that extends beyond just them. The last team from outside the Power 5 Conferences — SEC, Big Ten, Big 12, ACC, Big East and the now-defunct Pac-12 — to win it all? The 1990 UNLV Runnin’ Rebels.

The Zags landed as an 8-seed this year, matching up with Georgia in the first round, and getting a touch matchup in 1-seed Houston to get back to the Round of 16.

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I Got 5 on it

A No. 5 seed has never won the national championship — the only seed in the top eight still looking for its first title. They're also a popular upset pick, losing to No. 12 seeds 35.26% of the time. The No. 12 seed is often one of the best small-school teams in the field, making it a dangerous matchup. A No. 12 seed has won at least one game in 33 of 39 tournaments.

Last year, No. 12 Grand Canyon knocked off No. 5 Saint Mary’s, and No. 12 James Madison took down No. 5 Wisconsin.

Not Upset at That

At least one top-four seed has lost in the first round in 15 of the past 16 tournaments. Last year, No. 3 Kentucky and No. 4 Auburn were upset by Oakland and Yale, respectively.

Fading History

Each of the last three seasons, a team that lost its opening NCAA Tournament game the previous year has reached the championship (North Carolina in 2022, UConn in 2023 and Purdue in 2024). Some of this season’s highest-ranked teams that lost in the first round last year are Auburn, Florida, Texas Tech, Wisconsin and Kentucky.

Making the Cut

According to KenPom, 21 of the last 22 national champions have finished top 25 in adjusted offensive and defensive efficiency. This year, Duke, Auburn, Houston, Florida, Tennessee, Iowa State, and Clemson meet this criteria. A few other teams are playing great basketball and could break into this group by the end of the tournament.

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Get CBB Conference Tournament Action on PrizePicks

Looking for a printable NCAA Tournament bracket to fill out? We’ve got you covered here, along with the full schedule for the Round of 64. 

PrizePicks is the easiest way to cash in on college basketball DFS today and through the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament. Just pick more or less on player stat projections across NCAA Tournament games, lock in your Lineups, and win up to 2000x on 6-Pick Lineups!

With games running all day from Thursday to Sunday this week, there are tons CBB DFS picks to consider for your PrizePicks Lineups. So lock in and green out throughout the NCAA Tournament with your college basketball knowledge.

Check out the Playbook for more college basketball picks all the way through the National Championship game.