March Madness is upon us, and so is the time to fill out your brackets!
Naturally, fans gravitate toward picking the higher-ranked teams when making NCAA Tournament selections, and reasonably so. The casual college basketball follower isn't keeping tabs on mid-major schools like Robert Morris or High Point.
Instead, many people choose one of the Big Dance's four No. 1 seeds to cut down the nets. In the 2025 men's bracket, Auburn, Duke, Florida and Houston sit atop their respective regions. However, as outstanding as they've been, their paths to the Final Four aren't created equally. Each will have obstacles to overcome, though some are more challenging than others.
With that in mind, let's rank Duke, Auburn, Houston and Florida's prospective voyages to the Final Four in San Antonio from hardest to easiest.
Ranking each No. 1 seed's path to the Final Four from hardest to easiest in the 2025 men's NCAA tournament
4. The Florida Gators must chomp through a crowded West region
Over 21 percent of ESPN's 2025 men's March Madness brackets have Florida as their national champion. And frankly, the public love is warranted, considering the Gators are coming off an impressive SEC Tournament run. Yet, fittingly, the champs of arguably the most dominant conference in college basketball history have the most difficult journey to the Final Four.
Florida will be tested as soon as the second round, assuming they handle business against 16-seed Norfolk State. The Gators will face either the two-time defending national champion UConn Huskies or 9-seed Oklahoma, led by SEC All-Freshman guard Jeremiah Fears. Both squads have the offensive firepower to keep pace with the high-powered Florida attack and are led by head coaches with Final Four experience.
If Florida is fortunate enough to reach the Sweet 16, a possible clash with No. 4 Maryland awaits. All the advanced metrics indicate the Terrapins are as dangerous as anyone and a legitimate title contender. Seeing the winner of that game represent the West Region in the Final Four shouldn't shock anyone.
Getting past UConn/Oklahoma and Maryland would only be the beginning for Florida. Then, 2-seed St. John's or 3-seed Texas Tech are on the opposite side of the regional bracket. The Red Storm boast arguably the best defense in the country and are led by legendary sideline chief Rick Pitino. Meanwhile, the Red Raiders have one of the field of 68's top athletes, 2024-25 Big 12 Player of the Year JT Toppin, plus a fierce defense of their own.
3. Houston has a less-than-ideal draw in the Midwest region
Despite being rewarded with the Midwest's top seed, Houston's potential road to the Final Four is far from a prize.
The level of competition increases dramatically after Houston presumably defeats SIU Edwardsville in the battle of the Cougars. They're staring down the barrel of a second-round meeting with Gonzaga and will be expected to see one of Purdue or Clemson in the Sweet 16.
8-seed Gonzaga has veteran leadership and strong guard play, two vital ingredients to NCAA tournament success. Moreover, they've been one of the premier college hoops programs in the country with head coach Mark Few at the helm. There's no reason to think they shouldn't maintain their lofty standards, regardless of seeding.
Purdue's top three contributors this season, Trey Kaufman-Renn, Braden Smith and Fletcher Loyer, were key cogs in the Boilermakers' runner-up finish in 2024. Clemson also features two catalysts from last year's improbable Elite Eight run, seniors Chase Hunter and Ian Schieffelin.
From there, No. 2 Tennessee is Houston's stiffest challenger. Like the Coogs, the Vols meet the KenPom criteria of over 90 percent of the national champions since 2001, setting up a heavyweight contest in which points would be at a premium.
2. Auburn should have little trouble getting through the South region
Auburn stalled down the stretch of the regular season and the SEC Tournament, dropping three of their last four games. And still, the selection committee deemed them March Madness' No. 1 overall seed. It speaks to the margin of error the Tigers had due to their excellent play up until lately.
The Tigers must put their recent struggles behind them quickly. Fortunately for them, they have a prime opportunity to do so.
A Round of 32 showdown with 8-seed Louisville in Kentucky is intimidating, but nothing the battle-tested Tigers can't handle. They have one of the (if not the) top players in college basketball in fifth-year senior big man Johni Broome. The star center should be highly motivated, knowing he has a chance to build his NBA draft stock.
Iowa State guard Keshon Gilbert's groin injury will keep him sidelined throughout the tournament, making them a less daunting opponent as the 3-seed. 12-seed UC San Diego is a KenPom darling that could do Auburn's dirty work for them by upsetting 5-seed Michigan. Given the circumstances, the runway is clear for the Tigers to duke it out with 2-seed Michigan State for a Final Four bid.
1. Duke's route to the Final Four in the East region is clear as day, regardless of Cooper Flagg's health
Assuming freshman superstar Cooper Flagg's ankle holds up, Duke should cruise to the Final Four. But even if he's not fully healthy or were to suffer an unfortunate setback, the Blue Devils are equipped to withstand it. No one in the West poses a threat to the ACC double crown winners, at least until the Elite Eight.
4-seed Arizona can be a tricky Sweet 16 foe for the Blue Devils, but they perennially disappoint in March. As a transfer from North Carolina, Wildcats standout guard Caleb Love is no stranger to Duke basketball, further adding to the intrigue. Nonetheless, he's never dealt with Flagg.
Alabama's top-ranked offense can give anyone fits. Yet, Mark Sears' right-hand man, Grant Nelson, is tending to a knee issue and is considered questionable for the opening round of the NCAA Tournament. If the latter is physically unable to perform to his capabilities, the Crimson Tide stand little to no chance versus Duke.
Besides Alabama and Arizona, 3-seed Wisconsin is the only team standing in the way of Duke breezing to the Final Four.