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ESPN's Jay Bilas Reveals 2025 Final Four Picks

Originally posted on The Spun | By Andrew Gould | Last updated Mar 17, 2025 7:16 PM ET

Jay Bilas doesn't anticipate much madness at the end of the men's NCAA tournament.

On Monday, the ESPN analyst released his predictions for every men's March Madness game. Bilas' bracket may bore fans seeking this year's Cinderella squad.

Bilas envisions the cream of the crop prevailing with all No. 1 and No. 2 seeds making the Elite Eight. If that wasn't chalk enough, he predicted each No. 1 to make the Final Four.

"The last time all four No. 1 seeds reached the Final Four was 2008 ... also in San Antonio," Bilas wrote. "Though it is always unlikely, this could very well be the year that feat is duplicated, and we'll see no upsets in the Elite Eight."

If that forecast happens, Auburn, Duke, Houston, and Florida will go to the Alamodome to vie for the national championship.

Auburn, the bracket's overall top seed, would face Florida in a marquee SEC showdown. The Gators could be a trendy pick to win it all after winning a stacked conference tournament.

Bilas isn't backing away from that buzz. He has Florida, which upset Auburn on the road in February, advancing to the National Championship Game.

"Florida is just so deep, big and talented, and it's on a roll," Bilas wrote.

Meanwhile, the former Duke staffer doesn't see the Blue Devils winning their first title in 10 years. In a rematch of last year's Sweet 16 meeting, Bilas picked a Houston roster "full of grown men" defeating Duke.

That sets up a final showdown between Florida and Houston that may not differentiate Bilas much from other brackets. Each team enters the tournament at 30-4 after seizing a conference crown.

The Gators are No. 1 in KenPom's offensive efficiency, but the Cougars boast the second-best defense behind St. John's. Bilas backed Todd Golden's team to cut down the nets on April 7.

"Florida has the best guards in the country with Clayton, Alijah Martin and Will Richard," Bilas declared. "Florida also has great big men with Alex Condon, Thomas Haugh and Rueben Chinyelu. This will be a battle on the backboards, and Florida is the one team that can match Houston on the glass."

This article first appeared on The Spun and was syndicated with permission.

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