Viewer's guide to March Madness 2025 - ESPN

The first round of the men's 2025 NCAA tournament tips off Thursday, and we're here to help you get ready.

This college basketball campaign has been full of intrigue — from upstart conferences to old-school coaches, a disappointing regular season for the defending champs and a freshman class for the ages. Whether you've watched college basketball every day or are preparing to watch your first game this week, we're here to catch you up.

Here are 10 pressing questions that will help any viewer get ready for this weekend's action.

The projected No. 1 pick in June's NBA draft and national player of the year favorite hasn't played since spraining his ankle in the first half of Duke's ACC tournament quarterfinal win over Georgia Tech, but Blue Devils head coach Jon Scheyer told ESPN's Bracketology show that Flagg is «full steam ahead» for a return in Friday's first-round matchup.

Although the Blue Devils won the ACC tournament without him, Flagg's availability will be vital to the pursuit of their first national championship since 2015, when Mike Krzyzewski won his final title with a group of freshmen: Jahlil Okafor, Justise Winslow and Tyus Jones, who, like Flagg and Kon Knueppel are projected to be, were first-round NBA picks.

Maybe. While Flagg is ready to go, his teammate Maliq Brown (1.3 SPG) — an important presence for one of America's elite defenses — could miss a significant stretch with a shoulder injury. That will hurt Duke's depth in the NCAA tournament, but the Blue Devils are not the only contender with injury concerns.

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Alabama star forward Grant Nelson, who scored 19 points in last year's Final Four loss to