The countdown is on with less than three weeks until the selection of the 68 teams for the 2025 men’s NCAA tournament.

As various teams battle for playoff spots and the race for coveted No. 1 seeds heats up, we tasked our college basketball analysts, Jeff Borzello and Myron Medcalf, to uphold ESPN’s tradition by identifying the eight teams positioned best to seize the national championship title — a process that entails excluding the other 356 teams from consideration.

They categorized every Division I men’s basketball team into tiers listed below, presenting the rationale for the eight teams with the highest odds of claiming victory in San Antonio on April 7.

Jump to:
The eight that can clinch victory | The 22 near-misses

The 9 non-eligible teams

East Texas A&M Lions
Le Moyne Dolphins
Lindenwood Lions
Mercyhurst Lakers
Queens University Royals
St. Thomas-Minnesota Tommies
Southern Indiana Screaming Eagles
Stonehill Skyhawks
West Georgia Wolves

The 325 teams with no clear road ahead

Abilene Christian Wildcats
Air Force Falcons
Akron Zips
Alabama A&M Bulldogs
Alabama State Hornets
UAlbany Great Danes
Alcorn State Braves
American University Eagles
App State Mountaineers
Arizona State Sun Devils
Arkansas Razorbacks
Arkansas-Pine Bluff Golden Lions
Arkansas State Red Wolves
Army Black Knights
Austin Peay Governors