2025 NCAA Tournament Stars: Top Teams, Players from Opening Weekend

The first two rounds of the NCAA Tournament are in the book, and a majority of the higher seeds advanced to the Round of 16 this week. The top teams showed they’re here for a reason, with all four 1-seeds and three 2-seeds advancing.

Didn’t get a chance to lock in on all the college basketball action this weekend? We’ve got you. Check out who were the top players and teams from the opening weekend of the NCAA Tournament below.

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Let’s take a glance at five teams that showed out and five players who balled out.

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2025 NCAA Tournament: 5 Teams that Impressed

Here are five teams that stole the show in the First and Second Round of the 2025 NCAA Tournament.

Arkansas Razorbacks (10-seed)

Last March, John Calipari coached his final game at Kentucky as the Wildcats were stunned by Oakland in the First Round. Calipari stayed in the SEC as he moved to Arkansas and started 0-5 in SEC play this year.

However, the Razorbacks rebounded to capture an NCAA Tournament berth and knocked off Kansas and St. John’s during the opening weekend. Arkansas stunned second-seed St. John’s, 75-66, to advance to the Round of 16 for the fourth time in five seasons.

BYU Cougars (6-seed)

It seemed like BYU was forgotten when mentioning the top teams in the Big 12. Nevertheless, the Cougars picked up a pair of impressive tournament victories over VCU and Wisconsin in Kevin Young’s first season as head coach.

BYU owns one of the top offenses in the country, ranking sixth in 2-point percentage and 28th in 3-point percentage. The key to the two tournament games in Denver was rebounding, as the Cougars pulled down more than 40 rebounds in each win. It should be run-and-gun in the Round of 16 when BYU draws Alabama on Thursday.

Maryland Terrapins (4-seed)

The first buzzer-beater of the Big Dance came courtesy of Maryland big man Derik Queen in Sunday’s triumph over Colorado State. Although there was controversy if he traveled, Queen still knocked down the game-winning jumper off glass to propel the Terps to the Round of 16.

Maryland draws top-seeded Florida on Thursday, the first Round of 16 appearance for the school since 2016. Queen led the Terps with 17 points in the Colorado State win, as all five Maryland starters scored in double-figures.

Ole Miss Rebels (6-seed)

The SEC started the NCAA Tournament with 14 teams, and half of them made it through the first weekend — an incredible feat. Ole Miss lost four of six games down the stretch and was bounced in the SEC tournament quarterfinals.

However, Chris Beard’s squad knocked out North Carolina in the first round, followed by an impressive showing in a 91-78 victory over Iowa State. In the two wins, the Rebels shot a scorching 19-of-39 from 3-point range. Next up for Ole Miss is Michigan State, in only the second Round of 16 appearance in school history.

Purdue Boilermakers (4-seed)

It will be tough for Purdue to live down its first round loss to 16th-seeded Fairleigh Dickinson in 2023. However, the Boilermakers advanced to the National Championship game last season before falling short to UConn.

Purdue has posted a pair of impressive showings in the first two wins over High Point and McNeese. The Boilermakers won both games by double-digits and are one of four Big Ten teams remaining in the tournament. This marks the first time since before the pandemic that Purdue has moved to the Round of 16 in consecutive seasons.

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2025 NCAA Tournament: 5 Players that Impressed

Here are five players who dominated in the First and Second Round of the 2025 NCAA Tournament. You can win real money by picking college basketball players on PrizePicks throughout the NCAA Tournament — including the players listed below. 

Duke G Tyrese Proctor

Duke is the only ACC team remaining in the Big Dance, but the Blue Devils may also be the best team overall that’s still standing. We all know about Cooper Flagg’s impact and his projection as the top player in the NBA Draft.

However, G Tyrese Proctor lit it up in the first two rounds for the Blue Devils. Proctor torched Mount St. Mary’s in the first round for 19 points on 6-of-8 shooting from 3-point range. The junior took it up a notch in Sunday’s rout of Baylor by knocking down 7-of-8 attempts from downtown for 25 points.

Florida G Walter Clayton, Jr.

Florida survived a scare in Sunday’s win over two-time defending champion UConn. The Gators trailed by six points with nine minutes remaining but outscored the Huskies, 31-23 down the stretch to advance to the Round of 16 against Maryland.

The hero was G Walter Clayton, Jr., who scored 13 of those 31 points and finished with 23 points. Clayton, Jr. drilled five 3-pointers and has scored more than 22 points in five of the last six games.

Houston G L.J. Cryer

For the fifth consecutive season, Houston has advanced to the Round of 16. The Cougars led Gonzaga from start to finish in Saturday’s 81-76 triumph in spite of the Bulldogs’ late comeback.

Houston senior G L.J. Cryer tied a season-high with 30 points in the Gonzaga win as he drilled six 3-pointers. Cryer busted out after scoring less than 20 points in each of the previous four games. The Cougars improved to 13-1 this season when Cryer shoots at least 50% from the floor.

Michigan C Vladislav Goldin

Coach Dusty May pulled off one of the great tournament runs with FAU two seasons ago, taking the Owls to the Final Four. In May’s first season at Michigan, he has revived the Wolverines’ program from an 8-25 team to a Round of 16 squad.

One of the keys to the resurgence is C Vladislav Goldin, who was a key part of FAU’s Final Four squad in 2023. Goldin posted his seventh double-double of the season in Saturday’s win over Texas A&M. The big man scored 23 points and pulled down 12 rebounds in the win. Michigan will square off with top-seeded Auburn on Friday.

Tennessee G Chaz Lanier

Among all the discussion surrounding the likes of Florida, Auburn, and Alabama, it feels like Tennessee is being forgotten. The Volunteers were the top team in the country from December through the beginning of January and finished the season at 27-7.

Tennessee’s defense limited Wofford to 62 points and UCLA to 58 points in its first two tournament victories. G Chaz Lanier lit up Wofford for 29 points in the opening round and followed it up with a 20-point effort against UCLA. Lanier is making the most of his first NCAA Tournament appearance, coming off a career season at North Florida in 2024. 

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Get NCAA Tournament Action on PrizePicks

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Check out the Playbook for more college basketball picks all the way through the NCAA Tournament and cash in on the real-money action.