2025 NCAA Tournament Survivor Pool Advice: Round 2 (Saturday)

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Aside from No. 12 seed McNeese beating No. 5 Clemson on Thursday, the first day of the NCAA Tournament was devoid of the huge upsets we have grown accustomed to in recent memory. While that meant our two picks from Thursday (Wisconsin and Purdue) helped us advance in our survivor pools easily, it also means the task gets tougher in survivor pools starting with Saturday’s second-round action.

Throughout the tournament, one has to make eight picks - two from the first round (one for each day played), two from the second round (one for each day played) and one from the Sweet 16, Elite 8, Final Four and National Championship.

Each round, we will provide our analysis broken down by the following categories: Best Picks, Favorites on Upset Alert and Teams That Should be Saved for Later Use.

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2025 March Madness Survivor Pool Advice: Round 2 (Saturday)

Here is a list of odds (via DraftKings Sportsbook) for all the favorites to win their second-round matchups on Saturday:

(odds courtesy of DraftKings Sportsbook)

Best Round 2 Survivor Picks for Saturday

My survivor pick of Texas Tech in the second round is heavily predicated on Chance McMillian’s injury, as the guard missed the team’s first tournament game with an upper-body injury. McMillian is one of three Red Raiders averaging at least 14.2 points per game.

It is unsustainable for Texas Tech to continue to rely on getting 27 points and eight three-pointers from Kerwin Walton, especially when the competition gets tougher. Either way, Texas Tech should prove to be a much more difficult matchup for Drake than Missouri was, especially since the Red Raiders are a much better defensive team (Missouri was 70th in adjusted defensive efficiency).

St. John’s overcame a sluggish start, trailing Omaha by six with eight minutes left in the first half, to steamroll and eventually win by 30 points. The Red Storm continue to be a team few can keep up with in the second half, as they out-scored opponents by an average of nine points after halftime all season.

Arkansas got back Boogie Fland last game, but his six points in 24 minutes suggest he has a long way to go before being declared fully healthy. John Calipari’s inability to solve Kansas’ zone on Thursday suggests Rick Pitino will be able to outclass Calipari from a coaching standpoint.

My two survivor picks are on a collision course to meet in the Sweet 16 in a game that would very much feel like a coin flip. After that, if seeding held, each would likely be underdogs in every game they play going forward. That makes them wise selections to use now in survivor pools.

Favorites on Upset Alert

Teams That Should Be Saved for Later

Auburn is a legitimate National Championship contender, while the opponents Houston and Tennessee face in Gonzaga and UCLA, respectively, in the second round may end up being tougher competition than their Sweet 16 opponents.

Mike Spector is a featured writer at BettingPros. For more from Mike, check out his archive and follow him @MikeSpector01.