Best 2025 NCAA Tournament Bets: Round 2 (Sunday)

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The Madness continues Sunday as we continue with Round 2 of the 2025 NCAA Tournament! With plenty of college basketball on tap Sunday, here are a few of our best bets for Round 2 of the 2025 NCAA Tournament.

March Madness Pick'Em Contest

2025 Men's NCAA Tournament Best Bets: Round 2

No. 3 Iowa State Cyclones vs. No. 6 Ole Miss Rebels

The loss of Keshon Gilbert didn't play a role in their last game as the Cyclones were able to do whatever they wanted inside against Lipscomb. However, Mississippi should provide a much tougher test defensively and is one of the best at creating turnovers in the country with a 20.3% turnover rate. The Rebels also only allow 56.2% of opponent attempts from inside the arc and defend those well, allowing a stifling 51.5% on those attempts.

Iowa State also has a strong defense, ranking in the top eight in KenPom's defensive efficiency metric. They force turnovers at an equally impressive 21.9% rate, but the Rebels are top three in the entire country at taking care of the ball. However, Mississippi doesn't shoot the ball particularly well as evidenced by only scoring 71 in the first round despite eight three-pointers and 15 free throws.

Points in this game may come at a premium. Iowa State is short-handed against a strong foe and Mississippi could struggle against an elite defensive unit. Regardless, this should be an excellent and hard-fought game but expect a low-scoring affair where the under is certainly in play.

Pick: Under 145.5 Points (-115)

No. 2 Michigan State Spartans vs. No. 10 New Mexico Lobos

The biggest question for the Big Ten champ Michigan State Spartans coming into the tournament was if the recent run of strong three-point shooting was real or not. If Friday night was any indication, it's real and it's spectacular. The Spartans went 10-of-26 (38.5%) from deep and it looks like they've cleaned up their biggest weakness headed into a matchup with New Mexico.

The Lobos are led by head coach Richard Pitino who is familiar with Tom Izzo from his days coaching in the Big Ten at Minnesota. This squad went 2-0 against Big Ten opponents during non-conference play, both opponents beat the Spartans. Much like Michigan State, the Lobos are an excellent rebounding team, especially on the defensive end. Additionally, neither team is interested in shooting threes. Instead, both teams are in the top 50 in point distribution from inside the arc.

Both teams like to utilize their athleticism going towards the rim. But that is also where both teams shine defensively. Something has to give here and it's likely the offenses find it a hard time to score. This will be a well-coached battle against two very strong teams. I don't see either giving up much on the defensive end and expect this one to go under.

Pick: Under 147.5 Points (-110)

No. 1 Duke vs No. 9 Baylor

Cooper Flagg and the Blue Devils showed up and showed out in a 44-point stomping of Mount St. Mary's. If you look at Duke’s resume, there are very few flaws. They shoot the ball well, they take care of the ball and they play stout defense. Throw in the fact that they have perhaps the best player in the country, Cooper Flagg, and it's hard to see how Baylor stays in this one.

The Bears give up a lot of three-point attempts and opponents hit them at a high rate. Duke is a 37.7% three-point shooting team which is top 20 in the country while Baylor's offense is an average shooting team all over the floor. Unfortunately for them, Duke is elite and allowing 43.3% from two-point range and 30.4% from deep. Those marks are third and 21st in the country, respectively.

Baylor came into the tournament limping. They went 6-8 down the stretch before their win over Mississippi State. This one should be just another step along the way for a Duke team with championship glory in their sights.

Pick: Duke -11.5 (-110)

No. 2 Alabama vs No. 7 St. Mary's

There couldn't be a bigger contrast in styles between two teams than Alabama and St. Mary's. The Crimson Tide play the fastest tempo in the country while St. Mary's tempo ranks in the bottom five. This could be bad news for Alabama who finished just 2-2, including an overtime win, against teams with average possession lengths in the bottom 100 of the nation.

St. Mary's top 10 defense was on full display in their First Round win over Vanderbilt. They allowed just 40% shooting from the field and yielded just seven free throw attempts. Alabama is a much tougher test, ranked fourth in offensive efficiency and top 10 in eFG%. The Tide also rely heavily on getting to the line. Over 20% of their scoring this season has come at the free throw line. They will find against the Gaels' defense that those attempts will dry up as they give up one of the lowest FTA rates in the country.

Alabama made their mark this season by playing fast and shooting at an elite clip. St. Mary's couldn't be a worse matchup in that respect. The Gaels are disciplined defensively and rarely get sped up. They won't allow Alabama to get the good looks they're accustomed to creating and that could make this game very interesting. Be on the lookout for a big upset in the East Region.

Pick: St. Mary's +5.5 (-110)

No. 4 Arizona vs. No. 5 Oregon

Longtime Pac-12 foes will reunite on Sunday as the Wildcats of Arizona take on the Oregon Ducks. Both teams easily took care of trendy upset picks in Akron and Liberty, respectively. Obviously, both are strong teams given their seeding, but coming into the tournament they were also known to be incredibly streaky.

Arizona has ridden a fast-paced and efficient offense to a 12th-ranked efficiency in Ken Pom's metrics. That was on full display against Akron, dropping 93 points on 56.5% shooting. The concern with Arizona is how they've looked against solid opponents. The Wildcats went 0-4 against major non-conference opponents and finished the Big 12 regular season on a 3-5 skid. Which Arizona team will we see on Sunday?

Oregon got off to a scorching start on the year with wins over Alabama and Texas A&M, but a midseason stretch of five games in 15 days including four on the road halfway across the country saw the Ducks go 0-5, accounting for over half their losses on the season. Outside of that stretch, Oregon has looked like a top-15 team in the country. Dana Altman and the Ducks are familiar with Arizona and should give them everything the inconsistent Wildcats can handle.

Pick: Oregon +4.5 (-110)