2025 NCAA Tournament bracketology: Gonzaga holds top seed in West Region

ESPN’s Joe Lunardi has the Bulldogs as the No. 1 seed in the West Region following 2-0 start to season

Gonzaga forward Braden Huff. / Photo by Erik Smith, Myk Crawford

Back-to-back wins over Big 12 opponents to start the regular season have the Gonzaga men’s basketball team in line early for a top seed in the 2025 NCAA Tournament, according to the latest ESPN Bracketology by Joe Lunardi.

The Bulldogs (2-0) were the West Region’s projected No. 1 seed in Lunardi’s update Tuesday, which came out less than 48 hours after their 88-80 win over Arizona State on Sunday. The 38-point win over then-No. 8 Baylor moved Gonzaga from the 2-seed line to the 1-seed line last week. The thrilling win over the Sun Devils, led by Braden Huff’s 21 points, reaffirmed Mark Few and company’s spot in ESPN’s updated forecast. 

Likewise, Alabama, Duke and Kansas all held their position on the 1-seed line after going through the first week unscathed. The Jayhawks picked up a top -10 win on Friday when they fended off No. 10 North Carolina, 92-89, after blowing a 20-point lead earlier in the game. The Blue Devils have a chance to pick up a ranked win Tuesday as Cooper Flagg and company face No. 19 Kentucky in the Champions Classic (3:30 p.m. PST, ESPN). The Wildcats are a 6-seed according to Lunardi.

Some movement occurred around the 2- and 3-seed lines on ESPN’s projections. Auburn’s dramatic victory over Houston at the Toyota Center last week moved the Tigers up to the 2-seed line, while the Cougars tumbled down to the 3-seed line. Arizona, which heads to Wisconsin this week, climbed to a No. 2 seed in the West Region following a 2-0 start.

Baylor bounced back from its ugly loss to the Zags with a 72-67 win over Arkansas (7-seed), which bumped the Bears up to the 3-seed line in the Midwest Region. UConn is projected to be the No. 2 seed in the Midwest, while another future Gonzaga opponent, UCLA, got pushed down to the 7-seed line in the region following its 72-64 loss to New Mexico on Friday.

The Bruins are one of 10 Big Ten schools featured in Lunardi’s current field of 68. The SEC also has 10, followed by the Big 12 (nine) and the ACC (six). The West Coast Conference is one of just two mid-major leagues with multiple representatives in the field, joining the Atlantic 10 (VCU and Dayton). Lunardi has Saint Mary’s (2-0) on the bubble as a “Last Four Byes” team, along with Rutgers, Ole Miss and Pitt. 

San Diego State, which hosts the Zags in a nonconference matchup on Nov. 18, currently sits on the wrong side of the bubble as one of the “First Four Out” teams, according to Lunardi. The Aztecs lost over three-quarters of their minutes played from last season’s squad that lost to UConn in the Sweet 16. Lamont Butler (Kentucky) and Micah Parrish (Ohio State) left via the transfer portal, while All-American forward Jaedon LeDee suits up for the Iowa Wolves of the NBA G League. Darrion Trammell, who played a key role with 17 points off the bench in last season’s meeting, graduated this spring following a five-year college career.

Another potential Battle 4 Atlantis foe, Indiana, is a No. 5 seed in Lunardi’s forecast. In total the Bulldogs could see up to five teams projected to make the 2025 NCAA Tournament during nonconference play.

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