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USA Today
08-04-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Sporting News lists MSU as one of early National Championship favorites for next season
Sporting News lists MSU as one of early National Championship favorites for next season It's super early, but Sporting News considers Michigan State as a National Championship contender next season Longtime college basketball analyst and reporter Mike DeCourcy has Michigan State as a national championship contender next season. Sporting News released their way-too-early top 25 rankings for next season on Monday, and DeCourcy has the Spartans as a top five team as we look ahead to the 2025-26 campaign. DeCourcy listed Michigan State at No. 5 in his early rankings for next year. DeCourcy has only the following teams ahead of the Spartans in his rankings: Duke (No. 1), Arkansas (No. 2), Houston (No. 3) and Florida (No. 4). From the Big Ten, DeCourcy included the following teams behind Michigan State: Purdue (No. 6), Michigan (No. 11), UCLA (No. 14) and Oregon (No. 22). Here's a bit of what DeCourcy had to say about the Spartans: "One of the benefits of such a deep rotation this past season is the Spartans still have a solid core group following a few transfer subtractions. Reserve point guard Tre Holloman would have been a great player to have around another year, but he also might have remained a backup if he'd stuck... The frontcourt is solid, at the very least. This obviously sounds incongruous, but it would help MSU for Tom Izzo to consider adding one serious impact transfer, preferably someone who can operate at a high level on the perimeter." Michigan State appears destined to return at least four guys with starting and key minutes experience in point guard Jeremy Fears Jr., forward Coen Carr, forward Jaxon Kohler and center Carson Cooper. Jase Richardson continues to be the true game-changer for the Spartans because if he returns, you could argue Michigan State should be even higher on this list. But if he leaves, I'd personally drop the Spartans a bit. It'll be interesting over the next few days to see where other college basketball analysts have the Spartans in their super early rankings. This may be the high-point for Michigan State, but it also could be the norm. We will see soon. Contact/Follow us @The SpartansWire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Michigan State news, notes and opinion. You can also follow Robert Bondy on X @RobertBondy5.
Fox News
17-03-2025
- Sport
- Fox News
2025 Men's March Madness odds: Who is favored to make the Final Four?
Before the NCAA men's basketball tournament comes down to one team, it comes down to four. The tournament will begin on March 18, with the Final Four set to begin on April 5. Needless to say, bettors are looking ahead to see which teams will survive all the way to the semifinals. Check out the men's Final Four odds at DraftKings Sportsbook as of March 12. Teams to reach the 2025 Men's Final Four Duke: -150 (bet $10 to win $16.67 total)Auburn: -140 (bet $10 to win $17.14 total)Florida: +140 (bet $10 to win $24 total)Houston: +150 (bet $10 to win $25 total)Alabama: +220 (bet $10 to win $32 total)Tennessee: +300 (bet $10 to win $40 total)Iowa State: +400 (bet $10 to win $50 total)Saint Johns: +400 (bet $10 to win $50 total)Michigan State: +400 (bet $10 to win $50 total)Texas Tech: +600 (bet $10 to win $70 total)Kentucky: +800 (bet $10 to win $90 total)Maryland: +900 (bet $10 to win $100 total)Wisconsin: +900 (bet $10 to win $100 total)Texas A&M: +1000 (bet $10 to win $110 total)Arizona: +1200 (bet $10 to win $130 total)Kansas: +1200 (bet $10 to win $130 total)Gonzaga: +1300 (bet $10 to win $140 total) As of March 12, the four favorites to make the Final Four are No. 1 Duke, No. 3 Auburn, No. 4 Florida and No. 2 Houston, followed by No. 5 Alabama and No. 8 Tennessee, all with odds at +300 or shorter. This past week, Duke received 52 first-place votes in the Associated Press Top 25, after Auburn closed the regular season with back-to-back losses and dropped to No. 3. With that, Duke, as of March 12, is the favorite to win the national title, at +340. The last two Final Fours have been unique in nature in that all four teams haven't been considered basketball powerhouses. In 2024, it was UConn, Purdue, Alabama and NC State. In 2023, it was UConn, San Diego State, Miami and Florida Atlantic. In both of those seasons, UConn emerged as the champion, and the Huskies will try to make it three in a row this year. Currently, UConn is unranked. Its odds to make the Final Four are at +1900. In Mike DeCourcy's latest NCAA bracket projections, he has Auburn, Duke, Houston and Florida as the four No. 1 seeds. Want great stories delivered right to your inbox? Create or log in to your FOX Sports account, and follow leagues, teams and players to receive a personalized newsletter daily!
Fox Sports
17-03-2025
- Sport
- Fox Sports
2025 Men's March Madness odds: Who is favored to make the Final Four?
Before the NCAA men's basketball tournament comes down to one team, it comes down to four. The tournament will begin on March 18, with the Final Four set to begin on April 5. Needless to say, bettors are looking ahead to see which teams will survive all the way to the semifinals. Check out the men's Final Four odds at DraftKings Sportsbook as of March 12. Teams to reach the 2025 Men's Final Four Duke: -150 (bet $10 to win $16.67 total) Auburn: -140 (bet $10 to win $17.14 total) Florida: +140 (bet $10 to win $24 total) Houston: +150 (bet $10 to win $25 total) Alabama: +220 (bet $10 to win $32 total) Tennessee: +300 (bet $10 to win $40 total) Iowa State: +400 (bet $10 to win $50 total) Saint Johns: +400 (bet $10 to win $50 total) Michigan State: +400 (bet $10 to win $50 total) Texas Tech: +600 (bet $10 to win $70 total) Kentucky: +800 (bet $10 to win $90 total) Maryland: +900 (bet $10 to win $100 total) Wisconsin: +900 (bet $10 to win $100 total) Texas A&M: +1000 (bet $10 to win $110 total) Arizona: +1200 (bet $10 to win $130 total) Kansas: +1200 (bet $10 to win $130 total) Gonzaga: +1300 (bet $10 to win $140 total) As of March 12, the four favorites to make the Final Four are No. 1 Duke, No. 3 Auburn, No. 4 Florida and No. 2 Houston, followed by No. 5 Alabama and No. 8 Tennessee, all with odds at +300 or shorter. This past week, Duke received 52 first-place votes in the Associated Press Top 25, after Auburn closed the regular season with back-to-back losses and dropped to No. 3. With that, Duke, as of March 12, is the favorite to win the national title, at +340. The last two Final Fours have been unique in nature in that all four teams haven't been considered basketball powerhouses. In 2024, it was UConn, Purdue, Alabama and NC State. In 2023, it was UConn, San Diego State, Miami and Florida Atlantic. In both of those seasons, UConn emerged as the champion, and the Huskies will try to make it three in a row this year. Currently, UConn is unranked. Its odds to make the Final Four are at +1900. In Mike DeCourcy's latest NCAA bracket projections, he has Auburn, Duke, Houston and Florida as the four No. 1 seeds. Want great stories delivered right to your inbox? Create or log in to your FOX Sports account, and follow leagues, teams and players to receive a personalized newsletter daily! recommended Get more from College Basketball Follow your favorites to get information about games, news and more
Fox News
15-03-2025
- Sport
- Fox News
Bubble Watch: Where things stand with 12 NCAA Tournament hopefuls
With Selection Sunday just around the corner, teams will soon learn their NCAA Tournament fate. Have they built a compelling enough case for an at-large bid? Will they need to bolster their résumé with conference tournament wins? Or do they need an automatic bid to qualify for the Big Dance? All will be decided soon enough. Heading into Friday, FOX Sports bracket forecaster Mike DeCourcy had San Diego State, Indiana, North Carolina and Texas as his last four teams to get into the tournament, while Xavier, Ohio State, Boise State and UC Irvine were DeCourcy's first four teams out. Dayton, Colorado State, George Mason and San Francisco were listed as DeCourcy's next four teams out of the NCAA Tournament. Here's how things stand with those 12 bubble teams as of Friday evening. Record: 21-9Conference Tournament result: Lost to Boise State (62-52) What it means: San Diego State is at the committee's mercy. The Aztecs and Broncos were each fighting to get off the bubble, and there's probably one spot between the two teams. The Aztecs have to hope their two regular-season wins over Boise State are more valuable than Thursday's Mountain West Tournament loss. The Aztecs also have more quality wins than the Broncos, including a 73-70 victory over No. 3 Houston on Nov. 30. If the Aztecs had beaten the Broncos, they probably would have clinched a trip to March Madness, so this result makes the committee's decision difficult. Record: 19-13Conference Tournament result: Lost to No. 23 Oregon (72-59) What it means: Indiana will be sweating it out on Selection Sunday. It could go either way for the Hoosiers, who could have potentially sewn up a spot in the tourney with a win or two in the conference tournament. Instead, they will have to wait to see how a few other bubble teams fare. Record: 21-11Conference Tournament result: Lost to No. 25 Marquette (89-87) What it means: The Musketeers had ripped off seven wins heading into the Big East Tournament, albeit none of them were Quad 1 victories. A two-point loss to a tournament-caliber team in Marquette shouldn't hurt the Musketeers much, but a win would have stamped their trip to the Big Dance. Instead, it will be a close call for Sean Miller's team on Selection Sunday. Record: 22-13Conference Tournament results: Beat Notre Dame (76-56) and Wake Forest (68-59); Lost to No. 1 Duke (74-71) What it means: UNC had a chance to strengthen its NCAA Tournament résumé against a Duke team that was without star Cooper Flagg. The Tar Heels, though, couldn't get the best of the Blue Devils in their third crack at them this season. While a win on Friday wouldn't have guaranteed a trip to the Big Dance, it would have sent UNC to the ACC Tournament title with a chance to earn an automatic bid. Instead, the Tar Heels will have to hope their wins over Wake Forest and Notre Dame earlier this week will be enough to earn an at-large bid. Record: 19-15Conference Tournament results: Beat Vanderbilt (79-72) and No. 14 Texas A&M (94-89, 2OT); Lost to No. 8 Tennessee (83-72) What it means: Texas helped its NCAA Tournament case with hard-fought wins over Vanderbilt and Texas A&M in the SEC Tournament. However, the Longhorns stumbled against Tennessee on Friday and now will have to rely on the committee to reward them with an at-large bid. Their deep run in the SEC Tournament might give them the nod over fellow bubble teams in their conference that didn't fare as well this past week, such as Oklahoma, Georgia and Vanderbilt. Record: 17-15Conference Tournament result: Lost to Iowa (77-70) What it means: The Buckeyes, who lost five of their final seven games, have a win this season over one of their fellow bubble teams (Texas). Is that, along with key victories over Purdue and Kentucky, enough for them to sneak into the tournament? Probably not. Record: 28-5Conference Tournament result: Beat Cal Poly (96-78) What it means: The Anteaters have constructed a sturdy case for an at-large bid. Unfortunately for them, their Big West rival, UC San Diego, might have a more convincing one. The two teams will meet in the Big West Championship Game on Saturday night with an automatic bid to the Big Dance on the line. Record: 22-9Conference Tournament result: Lost to Saint Joseph's (73-68) What it means: Dayton's hopes of an NCAA Tournament bid presumably came to an end on Friday following a 73-68 loss to Saint Joseph's in an A-10 quarterfinal matchup. The Flyers finished third in a mid-major conference behind VCU and George Mason. Record: 24-9Conference Tournament results: Beat San Diego State (62-52); Beat New Mexico (72-69) What it means: The Broncos' win over the Aztecs heavily boosted their case for a spot in the Big Dance as both teams are on the bubble. Boise State had won five of its last six coming into the Mountain West Tournament. The win over the Mountain West regular-season champions, New Mexico, should help the Broncos, but if they want to ensure a spot in March Madness, they'll probably have to win the conference tournament. Record: 24-9Conference Tournament results: Beat Nevada (67-59); Beat Utah State (83-72) What it means: Winners of their final seven regular-season games, the Rams are one of the hottest teams in the nation. They put themselves in a hole earlier this season when they lost consecutive games to UC Riverside and Washington, and haven't had a ton of opportunities to dig themselves out as they've played just six Quad 1 opponents and are 1-5 in those games. Colorado State will take on Boise State in Saturday's Mountain West Championship Game for a spot in the NCAA Tournament. Record: 25-7Conference Tournament result: Beat George Washington (80-65) What it means: The Patriots' record might seem impressive, but their résumé is not. Any slip-up in the A-10 Tournament will likely take them out of contention for the NCAA Tournament. They kept their hopes alive with a dominant performance against George Washington and will have to continue to string together victories to earn an auto- bid. Record: 24-9Conference Tournament result: Lost to Gonzaga (85-76) What it means: The Dons fell to Gonzaga in the WCC semifinals last weekend and finished conference play with a 13-5 mark. They own wins over Boise State and Saint Mary's, but their loss to the Bulldogs in the conference tournament marked their third defeat to them this season. Want great stories delivered right to your inbox? 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Fox Sports
14-03-2025
- Sport
- Fox Sports
Bubble Watch: Where things stand with 12 NCAA Tournament hopefuls
College Basketball Bubble Watch: Where things stand with 12 NCAA Tournament hopefuls Published Mar. 14, 2025 12:30 a.m. ET share facebook x reddit link With Selection Sunday around the corner, teams will soon learn their fate. Have they built a compelling enough case for an at-large bid? Will they need to bolster their résumé with conference tournament wins? Or do they need an automatic bid to qualify for the Big Dance? All will be decided soon enough. Heading into Thursday, FOX Sports bracket forecaster Mike DeCourcy had San Diego State, Indiana , Xavier and North Carolina as his last four teams to get into the tournament, while Texas , Ohio State , Wake Forest and UC Irvine were DeCourcy's first four teams out. Dayton, Boise State, Colorado State and George Mason were listed as DeCourcy's next four teams out of the NCAA Tournament. ADVERTISEMENT Here's how things stand with those 12 bubble teams as of Thursday night. Record: 21-9 Conference Tournament result: Lost to Boise State (62-52) What it means: San Diego State is at the committee's mercy. The Aztecs and Broncos were each fighting to get off the bubble and there's probably one spot between the two teams. The Aztecs have to hope their two regular-season wins over Boise State are more valuable than Thursday's Mountain West Tournament loss. The Aztecs also have more quality wins than the Broncos, including a 73-70 victory over No. 3 Houston on Nov. 30. If the Aztecs had beaten the Broncos, they probably would have clinched a trip to March Madness, so this result makes the committee's decision difficult. Record: 19-13 Conference Tournament result: Lost to No. 23 Oregon (72-59) What it means: Indiana will be sweating it out on Selection Sunday. It could go either way for the Hoosiers, who could have potentially sewn up a spot in the tourney with a win or two in the conference tournament. Instead, they will have to wait to see how a few other bubble teams fare. No. 9 Indiana vs. No. 8 Oregon Highlights | Big Ten Tournament Record: 21-11 Conference Tournament result: Lost to No. 25 Marquette (89-87) What it means: The Musketeers had ripped off seven wins heading into the Big East Tournament, albeit none of them were Quad 1 victories. A two-point loss to a tournament-caliber team in Marquette shouldn't hurt the Musketeers much, but a win would have stamped their trip to the Big Dance. Instead, it will be a close call for Sean Miller's team on Selection Sunday. Record: 22-12 Conference Tournament results: Beat Notre Dame (76-56) and Wake Forest (68-59); will play No. 1 Duke on Friday What it means: After seemingly being on the outside looking in after losing 82-69 to Duke on Saturday, the Tar Heels might have pushed themselves off the bubble with a pair of wins to open the ACC Tournament. They have another crack at the Blue Devils, who could be without star Cooper Flagg. That game will presumably determine UNC's NCAA Tournament fate. North Carolina and Xavier have very similar résumés, as each only has one win against Quad 1 opponents. Therefore, even with a loss to Duke, the Tar Heels' success in the ACC Tournament could give them a leg up on the Musketeers and other bubble teams that lost early in conference tournament play. Record: 19-14 Conference Tournament results: Beat Vanderbilt (79-72) and No. 14 Texas A&M (94-89, 2OT); will play No. 8 Tennessee on Friday What it means: Texas earned a hard-fought win over Texas A&M in double overtime. The Longhorns' record in conference play was just 6-12, but they impressed by advancing to the quarterfinals of the SEC Tournament. A win over the Volunteers would all but guarantee Texas' invite to the dance, but the Longhorns have a strong case even if they lose on Friday. Record: 17-15 Conference Tournament result: Lost to Iowa (77-70) What it means: The Buckeyes, who lost five of their final seven games, have a win this season over one of their fellow bubble teams (Texas). Is that, along with key victories over Purdue and Kentucky, enough for them to sneak into the tournament? Probably not. Record: 21-11 Conference Tournament result: Lost to North Carolina (68-59) What it means: The Demon Deacons don't have much of an argument and their loss to fellow bubble-mate North Carolina doesn't help. Barring a surprise, Wake Forest will end up on the wrong side of the bubble. Record: 27-5 Conference Tournament result: Will play the winner of Cal Poly-UC Riverside on Friday What it means: The Anteaters have constructed a sturdy case for an at-large bid. Unfortunately for them, their Big West rival, UC San Diego, might have a more convincing one. The Tritons won the regular-season league title and are the one seed in the Big West Tournament. The Anteaters most likely have to win the tournament and earn an automatic bid, which could lead to both teams making the NCAA Tournament. Record: 22-9 Conference Tournament result: Will play Saint Joseph's on Friday What it means: Finishing third in the A-10 puts the Flyers at a disadvantage, and in a spot where they'll probably have to win the conference tournament to make the NCAA Tournament. Dayton did, however, beat VCU, the A-10 regular-season champs, on March 7 in the season finale. If the Flyers can replicate that performance, the A-10 could also be a two-bid league. Record: 23-9 Conference Tournament results: Beat San Diego State (62-52); will play New Mexico on Friday What it means: The Broncos' win over the Aztecs heavily boosted their case for a spot in the Big Dance as both teams are on the bubble. Boise State had won five of its last six coming into the Mountain West Tournament. A win over the Mountain West regular-season champions, New Mexico, would help the Broncos, but if they want to ensure a spot in March Madness, they'll probably have to win the conference tournament. Record: 23-9 Conference Tournament results: Beat Nevada (67-59); will play the winner of Utah State-UNLV on Friday What it means: Winners of their final seven regular-season games, the Rams are one of the hottest teams in the nation. They put themselves in a hole earlier this season when they lost consecutive games to UC Riverside and Washington, and haven't had a ton of opportunities to dig themselves out as they've played just six Quad 1 opponents and are 1-5 in those games. Colorado State, like Boise State, might have to win the Mountain West Tournament to lock up a spot in the NCAA Tournament, and if those two teams face one another on Saturday, it would make for an enticing battle. Record: 24-7 Conference Tournament result: Will play George Washington on Friday What it means: The Patriots' record might seem impressive, but their résumé is not. Any slip-up in the A-10 Tournament will likely take George Mason out of contention for the NCAA Tournament. Want great stories delivered right to your inbox? Create or log in to your FOX Sports account , and follow leagues, teams and players to receive a personalized newsletter daily! share
