Every year, millions of brackets are filled out with the hopes of recording the perfect one — a feat that has a billion-dollar prize from Kalshi, a sports prediction market platform. Other apps, such as ESPN and CBS Sports, also offer cash rewards in the event of a perfectly filled bracket. However, the odds of a complete, verified bracket are about one in 9.2 quintillion.
From the 68 teams competing to win the NCAA Men’s National Tournament, the Final Four will feature the following teams.
East Region: No. 5 St. John’s
No. 5 St. John’s will come out of the East region in the March Madness tournament. While they have arguably the hardest path to the Final Four, head coach Rick Pitino has his squad ready to bounce back after the second-round exit to John Calipari’s Razorbacks in the Round of 32 last year.
While they will most likely have to face Bill Self’s No. 4 Kansas Jayhawks in the second round and the top-seeded, banged-up Duke Blue Devils in the Sweet 16, if there’s any team that can do it, it’d be St. John’s. After winning the Big East regular-season title and blowing out Dan Hurley’s No. 2 UConn Huskies in the Big East Tournament, St. John’s has all the momentum heading into the dance.
Big East Player of the Year Zuby Ejiofor is a leading force for the Johnnies throughout the season, recording seven double-doubles, including a dominant performance in the Big East Tournament Final at Madison Square Garden. He recorded 18 points on 63.6% shooting from the field with nine rebounds and seven blocks. They face Northern Iowa on March 20 at 7:10 p.m. on CBS.
South Region: No. 2 Houston Cougars
Houston head coach Kelvin Sampson and his Cougars are no strangers to the Final Four or long runs in March. Last year, they made a deep run to the Championship in San Antonio before coming up short against the Florida Gators. Along the road to the Alamodome, Houston beat some of the best overall teams in the country, including Gonzaga, Purdue, Tennessee and a top-seeded, Cooper Flagg-led Duke Blue Devils.
This year, No. 2 Houston has a relatively simple path to the Final Four. After playing No. 15 Idaho Vandals, the Cougars will face the winner of St. Mary’s vs. Texas A&M. After advancing to the Sweet 16, Houston will meet the three-seed Illinois, before potentially playing Florida — a rematch from last year’s championship. Houston finished second in the Big 12 Standings and has elite guard play, a massive factor in making a run to the championship game.
First-year guard Kingston Flemings and senior guard Emanuel Sharp hold down Houston’s backcourt. Flemings leads the team with 16.4 points per game and Sharp has several prior years of experience in the dance. Houston will beat Florida in the Elite 8 to advance to the Final Four. Their first match is on March 19 at 10:10 p.m. on truTV.
West Region: No. 6 BYU
Since April 2024, Kevin Young has coached BYU. The Salt Lake City native is an experienced coach and former player. He also spent some time as an NBA Assistant and Associate head coach for the Philadelphia 76ers, working with talented professionals like Joel Embiid.
In two seasons as head coach of BYU, Young led his squad to March Madness as the six-seed in both seasons. This year, in the first round, BYU is set to face the winner of the 11-seed first-four game between Texas and NC State. First-year sensation A.J. Dybantsa leads all Division I programs with 25.3 points per game. His ability to move off the ball and create separation between defenders sets him apart from all other players. Despite only one year of experience, Dybantsa has established himself as a prolific scorer and team player as he looks to take his team on a deep run this March.
Robert Wright III and Richie Saunders are both guards who averaged over 18 points per game this season on the road to the dance. They both had major impacts on a BYU squad that averaged 83.9 points per game. Down the road, they will probably end up facing top-seed and division rival Arizona, whom they lost to twice during the regular season. They can advance because anything can happen in March. BYU’s Round of 64 game is March 19 at 7:25 p.m. on TBS.
Midwest Region: No. 2 Iowa State
No. 2 Iowa State Cyclones have arguably the easiest path to the Final Four of all the regions. The other top seeds in this region all have had extremely pivotal, flawed moments this season and in recent news.
Michigan, the top-seed of the Midwest region, fell to Purdue 80-72 in the Big Ten Championship. While they are the one-seed, the Wolverines have lost momentum heading into the big dance.
No. 3 Virginia lost the ACC Championship against Duke. Not only did they lose to Duke in the ACC Final, but the Cavaliers also lost to Butler late in the season, and Butler ended 16-16.
Despite finishing the season 23-9 and second in the SEC, No. 4 Alabama will play this tournament without star guard Aden Holloway, who was arrested on a felony drug possession charge earlier this week. This season, in 28 games played, Holloway averaged 16.8 points per game while playing just over 28 minutes per game. Alabama will struggle to advance without Holloway, leaving a slightly easier path for Iowa State.
Iowa State finished third in the Big 12 standings, only behind No. 1 Arizona and No. 2 Houston. They will cruise past Tennessee State in the first round and make the Final Four. Iowa State kicks off its March Madness tournament on March 20 at 2:50 p.m. on CBS.