Feb 28, 2025 - 16:45
By espn.com

The 356 men's basketball teams that won't win the title vs. the 8 that could - ESPN

There is less than three weeks until the field of 68 is set for the 2025 men's NCAA tournament.

With teams on the bubble vying for bids and the race for 1-seeds seemingly wide open, we asked our college basketball experts Jeff Borzello and Myron Medcalf to continue the ESPN tradition of selecting the eight teams they believe have the best chance to win the national title — a process that requires eliminating the other 356 teams from consideration.

They split every Division I men's college basketball team into tiers below, making the cases for the eight with the best chances to cut down the nets in San Antonio on April 7.

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The eight that can win it all | The 22 near-misses

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

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
Ball State Cardinals
Bellarmine Knights
Belmont Bruins
Bethune-Cookman Wildcats
Binghamton Bearcats
Boise State Broncos
Boston College Eagles
Boston University Terriers
Bowling Green Falcons
Bradley Braves
BYU Cougars
Brown Bears
Bryant Bulldogs
Bucknell Bison
Buffalo Bulls
Butler Bulldogs
California Golden Bears
California Baptist Lancers
Cal Poly Mustangs
Cal State Bakersfield Roadrunners
Cal State Fullerton Titans
Cal State Northridge Matadors