Who will win men's March Madness games today? Our expert picks for First Four bracket
On Thursday, the 2025 NCAA men's basketball tournament will get started in full with its customary fireworks, with a dizzying collection of first-round games taking place over a joyfully frenetic 12 hours that starts just after noon on the East Coast and stretches all the way past midnight.
Two days before that, though, a hoops-hungry country will get a tiny appetizer.
Before the maddest days of March get going, the NCAA Tournament will officially begin on Tuesday with the First Four at UD Arena in Dayton, Ohio, where the event's final at-large inclusions and the lowest-rated No. 16 seeds will square off to see whose seasons will get to continue for at least a few more days.
The first game of the evening's doubleheader will pit No. 16 seeds Alabama State and Saint Francis (Pa.) against one another, with the winner advancing to take on No. 1 overall seed Auburn on Thursday in Lexington, Kentucky. Later in the night, North Carolina, which was the last team to make the 68-team field, will take on fellow No. 11 seed San Diego State. The winner of that meeting will move on to face No. 6 seed Ole Miss at Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee on Thursday.
Who will come out on top in each contest? Here's a look at predictions from various writers in the Paste BN Network on who will win Tuesday in the First Four of the NCAA Tournament, as well as information on how to watch the games:
Watch First Four games live with Sling TV
Expert picks for Tuesday First Four games
(16) Alabama State vs. (16) Saint Francis (Pa.)
- Craig Meyer, Paste BN Network: Alabama State 65, Saint Francis 59
- Gentry Estes, The Tennessean: Saint Francis
- Emilee Smarr, Tuscaloosa News: Alabama State
- Jeremy Cluff, Arizona Republic: Alabama State 71, Saint Francis 69
(11) San Diego State vs. (11) North Carolina
- Craig Meyer, Paste BN Network: North Carolina 79, San Diego State 72
- Rodd Baxley, Fayetteville Observer: North Carolina 75, San Diego State 69
- Gentry Estes, The Tennessean: San Diego State
- Emilee Smarr, Tuscaloosa News: San Diego State
- Jeremy Cluff, Arizona Republic: North Carolina 77, San Diego State 70
How to watch Tuesday's First Four games
(16) Alabama State vs. (16) Saint Francis
- Time: 6:40 p.m. ET
- TV: truTV
- Streaming: Sling TV
(11) San Diego State vs. (11) North Carolina
- Time: 9:10 p.m. ET
- TV: truTV
- Streaming: Sling TV
We occasionally recommend interesting products and services. If you make a purchase by clicking one of the links, we may earn an affiliate fee. Paste BN Network newsrooms operate independently, and this doesn’t influence our coverage.