It’s the most wonderful time of the year: MARCH MADNESS TIME! And who better to help you win some big bucks than the master expert/sports analyst Mercer Aiden Bundis III? So grab a pen and start studying because we are reviewing my picks for this 2025 tournament southern division.
First four:
For the 16 seeds:
#1. Alabama St Vs Saint Francis U- Honestly, this matchup will not matter because whoever wins will get demolished in the first round by Auburn, but for poops and giggles let’s give the dub to Alabama St!
#2. American Vs Mount St. Mary’s- American, in my opinion, has one of the biggest upsides to being a Cinderella story this tournament so let us go with the Eagles.
For the 11 seeds:
#1. Texas Vs Xavier- This one is very tough. Texas has been extremely inconsistent all year, but Xavier is nothing special. Give me Texas in this matchup. After beating their rivals Texas A&M I have full faith that this team deserves to play in the tournament.
#2. UNC Vs San Diego St. – San Diego all the way. UNC doesn’t deserve to be in the tournament. If they lost to Wake Forest last Friday, they wouldn’t have even been in this conversation.
South- Round 1
#1 Auburn Vs #16 Alabama St.- Auburn will demolish Alabama St in this first-round matchup. This final four contender will not even blink an eye. I would bet for a win by at least 20 points.
#8 Louisville Vs #9 Creighton- This is one of the toughest matchups in the first round. However, I am going to have to go with Louisville here. Beating Clemson in the semi-finals in the ACC tournament solidified their dominance as a true contender in this tournament.
#5 Michigan Vs #12 UC San Diego- It is the most wonderful time of the year and this is partly due to the dark horses. Watch, UC San Diego will take this game against Michigan. They match up nicely and Michigan, this year, has struggled against lower-tier out-of-conference teams.
#4 Texas A&M Vs # 13 Yale- Last year we saw huge upsets from Yale, and I do not see why this will not happen again. Texas A&M is a very inconsistent team that tends to play well when they are perceived as the underdog. Yale is this team’s worst nightmare.
#6 Ole Miss Vs #11 San Diego St- San Diego St seems to always perform well in March. I am not going to say this is an easy matchup for either team, but give me the Aztecs.
#3 Iowa St. Vs #14 Lipscomb – Listen to me when I say this, Iowa St will not go far in this tournament. However, Lipscomb is a dog team that will unfortunately get steamrolled.
#7 Marquette Vs #10 New Mexico- New Mexico will be a dark horse for this tournament. They are underappreciated as an overall basketball team; watch them make a huge run this year!
#2 Michigan St Vs #15 Bryant- Michigan St is a good not great team. I do not see Bryant giving them any challenge. It should be a pretty easy game for the Spartans.
Round 2
#1 Auburn Vs #8 Louisville- Look, Louisville is a great team but Auburn has performed outstanding this year. I know they have lost the last couple, but give me them coming out on top.
#12 UC San Diego Vs Yale- This is a matchup of the underdogs here, and I am predicting UC Sand Diego to take the dub. Yale is a good team but they match up better against teams that aren’t used too heavily guarding the perimeter. The two teams have the same playing style, I just think that Yale is a little bit worse.
#11 San Diego St Vs #3 Iowa St- This is a tough decision here. I do not think either teams are that good, but Iowa St will come out on top in this matchup.
#10 New Mexico Vs #2 Michigan St- This will be an excellent matchup. Michigan St is physically a tougher team, but there is something about that underdog mentality that just draws me in. Give me New Mexico in this matchup.
Sweet Sixteen
#1 Auburn Vs #12 UC San Diego- There comes a time when all good things come to an end. Gosh, I love UC San Diego as much as the next person but Auburn is just such a solid team. I think this is where their run comes to an end.
#3 Iowa St Vs #10 New Mexico- I have been preaching this ever since I was a young boy: NEVER BET ON IOWA ST. When March comes around they are always ranked high, and every single year the same thing happens: they lose. Give me New Mexico.
Elite Eight
#1 Auburn Vs #10 New Mexico- New Mexico is good and all, but if Auburn makes it this far, they are going all the way. Give me Auburn to advance to the Final Four.
