The 2025 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament field is set, with 68 teams officially in the Big Dance starting with the First Four games on Tuesday night.
However, there are teams that just missed the tournament that will still be in action over the coming weeks. While the NIT continues to be the most-recognized non-NCAA Tournament postseason event, the “College Basketball Crown” Tournament will officially debut this season in Las Vegas.
Presented by FOX Sports and the Anschutz Entertainment Group, the Crown Tournament is aimed at giving teams that didn’t make March Madness a chance to play for a postseason title.
There are guaranteed selections from the Big Ten, Big 12, and Big East among the 16-team field, and in the inaugural event, there are four Big 12 teams, with at least one in each corner of the bracket, and the chance for one all-Big 12 second-round matchup.
Utah makes the field after a 16-16 record in 2024-25 and will face Butler in their first round game on March 31. The Utes (No. 76) and Bulldogs (No. 77) are virtually identical the KenPom ratings and should provide a very competitive game.
Arizona State (13-19) gets a bid and will face Nebraska (17-14) in the opening round of the event, while Colorado (14-20) also earned a bid following their mini-run through the Big 12 Tournament last week. The Buffs will get Villanova (19-14) in their first-round game.
Cincinnati (18-15) was one of a few Big 12 teams that finished just outside of the tournament field and will get a chance to keep their season going with an opening-round matchup against DePaul (14-19). Meanwhile, UCF (17-16) will face Oregon State (20-12) in the same corner of the bracket, giving us a chance at Cincinnati-UCF in the second round.
The entire tournament will be held in Las Vegas, with the first round starting on Monday, March 31, and the Championship Game being held on Sunday, April 6.
More information on the tournament can be found here, at collegebasketballcrown.com.
