No. 11 seed North Carolina made a statement on Tuesday in the First Four with a near record-setting 95-68 win over No. 11 seed San Diego State to advance to the first round of the NCAA Tournament. Despite UNC's controversial inclusion in the tournament over other bubble teams like Indiana,

Madness picks, predictions, odds for North Carolina vs Ole Miss first-round South Region game Friday, March 21, 2025. Who wins?

In the first game No. 16 St. Francis (PA) will square off with No. 16 Alabama State, with a trip to Kentucky to take on the top overall seed Auburn on the line. In the second game, No. 11 North Carolina — a surprising inclusion in the tournament — takes on No.

Madness bracket was officially released on Selection Sunday giving college basketball fans the first look at the field of 68 for the 2025 NCAA Tournament and after one day of the First Four, North Carolina and Alabama State are moving on to the main bracket with another day of First Four action set for Wednesday.

Where the selection committee stumbled a bit: selecting North Carolina over more deserving teams like West Virginia. The Tar Heels snared the final at-large spot in the field despite going 1-12 in Quadrant 1 games and only defeating one at-large-caliber NCAA tournament team.