The 2025 NCAA Tournament begins its first day of wall-to-wall action on Thursday with first round games from all four regions. Upsets, buzzer beaters and thrilling highlights will fill our day soon, and if your bracket is set to be busted early there’s always chances to get back in the action with some best bets.
On a day loaded with action from the first tip-off between No. 8 Louisville and No. 9 Creighton at 12:15 p.m. ET on CBS to the nightcap between No. 3 Texas Tech and No. 14 UNC Wilmington at 10:10 p.m. ET on TruTV, they’re plenty to choose from when it comes to expert picks. We’ve crunched the numbers, broken down the matchups and found our five favorite bets of the day. They include a couple of underdogs capable of advancing in the bracket, a fan-forward rooting angle for points in an early game and riding a conference tournament champion to keep the momentum going into the Big Dance.
Time is running out for Brackets! Enter your brackets in your pools and play for a Nissan Armada and Final Four® trips by joining our Men’s and Women’s Challenges.
Odds via SportsLine consensus | All times Eastern
2025 NCAA Tournament bracket…
