While some chose to spend their last precious days of spring break lying on a beach or battling the Sunday scaries, others were glued to their computer with a multi-view of the NCAA Division I Basketball Tournament, also known as “March Madness.” Thus far, all of our Sportbook picks are still dancing, yet our underdogs have sadly bit the dust. Moving into the Sweet Sixteen, we have a tight competition for which teams will play in men’s and women’s, respectively.
MEN’S PICKS
For this edition, we are picking our choices for the Final Four. With a record-breaking seven SEC teams left in the tournament, it is not beyond the realm of possibility that we see an all-SEC championship. This year’s Sweet Sixteen has one Cinderella story remaining, with the lowest-ranked team being 10-seeded Arkansas. Despite the more predictable Sweet Sixteen in relation to past years, we expect no reason for all four remaining 1-seeds to prevail in the Final Four.
South: Auburn University Tigers (+550)
While Ole Miss stunned most bettors with their upset win over Iowa State, we still believe Auburn will emerge from the South to secure their spot in the Final Four. Despite trailing Crieghton at halftime, the Tigers’ defense emerged from the locker room with a renewed vigor that led them to victory. Freshman Tahaad Pettiford had one of his best games yet, scoring over half his points in the second half; he and Chad Baker-Mazara combined for 40 of Auburn’s 82 points. Despite their record, Auburn remains behind all other remaining one-seeds for odds; time will tell if taking a chance on the Tigers will be the best payout of the tournament.
East: Duke University Blue Devils (+225)
There’s no denying it: Duke has been the dominant force in this year’s tournament. They are the betting favorite, trailing for all of 101 seconds across their first two games. After defeating Baylor by more than a 20-point margin, we have no doubt they will breeze past Arizona. Junior Tyrese Proctor has been on fire this March, scoring a career-high 25 points in the win over Baylor. This was a massive turnaround after going 0 for 10 on 3-pointers at the start of the ACC tournament. Proctor’s performance and consistent play from Cooper Flagg could just be the combination that secures Duke their first NCAA Championship since 2015.
Midwest: University of Houston Cougars (+500)
Coming off an exciting win over Gonzaga, the Cougars are poised to emerge from the Midwest Region, the only remaining part of the bracket where the one through four seeds are still alive. In their win, Houston simultaneously ended Gonzaga’s nine-season Sweet 16 streak and became the new record holder with 10 straight appearances. LJ Cryer is on another tear, matching his career-high points during the game. If he can keep his momentum going, Cryer could be the spark to power Houston to San Antonio. Paired with the best-scoring defense in the country, the Cougars cannot be overlooked as a lethal two-way team.
West: Texas Tech University Red Raiders (+2000)
The Red Raiders have by far the most challenging path to the Final Four, but it is by no means an unrealistic scenario. As the 3-seed, they must first get through the only remaining double-digit seed in the Arkansas Razorbacks. Arkansas upset St. John’s this past weekend, but we believe the Red Raiders will come up short in their Cinderella story. Moving into the Elite Eight, their defense will have to stand tall against the likes of Florida or Maryland. Tech has a hard road ahead of them, but if these odds were to hit, it would be one of the best bets of this tournament.
WOMEN’S PICKS
Despite Harvard exiting the tournament following a heartbreaking loss to Michigan State, there are still plenty of other teams for Crimson fans to throw their support behind. If fans learned anything from last season, it is that the women’s March Madness bracket can be even more exciting than the men’s: drawing more viewers during last year’s final by more than four million, it could not be clearer that everyone should be watching women’s sports.
Spokane 1: UCLA Bruins (+650)
The Bruins have thus far enjoyed comfortable margins over their first two opponents, but this is unlikely to be the case moving into the Sweet Sixteen. While their first half against Richmond raised some eyebrows, the Bruins shut down any doubters with a dominant second-half performance. Senior Lauren Betts had a record game, becoming the first Bruin in program history to record a 30-10 in the NCAA tournament. Looking ahead, UCLA will roll past Ole Miss and face the winner of the highly contested match between LSU and NC State. We expect UCLA to emerge victorious and reach the Final Four for the first time in program history.
Birmingham 1: USC Gamecocks (+225)
The defending National Champions, the Gamecocks, have again found their way into the Sweet Sixteen. Coming off a perfect season in 2023-2024, they are currently 32-3 and are adequately prepared to face either Duke or UNC after rolling past Maryland. However, they must avoid a disastrous first-half performance like they did against Indiana. The Gamecocks picked it up in the second half and continue to be every oddsmaker’s favorite, but going 10 for 29 is not a recipe for success this weekend. It will be up to the players to keep this from happening again to punch their Final Four ticket.
Spokane 3: UConn Huskies (+250)
There is no denying the dominance of the UConn Huskies under the leadership of Geno Auriemma. For all their storied history, they have failed in recent years to reach the pinnacle of becoming National Champions. From Paige Bueckers’s play thus far, it is clear this is a chip on her shoulder; Bueckers tied her career high of 34 points in the win over South Dakota State. The team is hungry for more, and we believe they will power past Oklahoma. While it is likely they will face the USC Trojans, Juju Watkins’s injury on Monday night begs the question of who UConn will have to defeat in their path to a title this year.
Birmingham 3: TCU Horned Frogs (+3000)
While our previous Sportsbook originally had the Horned Frogs down as a wildcard, their performance thus far has been exceptional. For the first time in program history, they are still dancing into the Sweet Sixteen. TCU already beat Notre Dame in November 2024 but will face an uphill battle against the Texas Longhorns in the case that the two meet in the Elite Eight. If their starters can put up an offensive performance similar to that against Louisville, we believe that they have the potential to keep breaking records all the way to the Final Four.
Regardless of which bracket you are following, tune in this weekend for what is guaranteed to be some of the best collegiate basketball this season. Will records be broken, or will each Final Four be a battle of the 1-seeds? You truly never know what will happen, and that is the magic of March Madness.
Kate Oliver ’26 (koliver@college.harvard.edu) does not personally place sports bets per NCAA regulations.
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