March Madness: Here’s where Alabama and Auburn are going in the NCAA Tournament

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March 17, 2025

After last night’s release of the NCAA Tournament bracket, the best two weekends of the year for the sport of basketball are officially upon us.

With the Yellowhammer State suddenly turning into the basketball capitol of the entire nation, and the SEC becoming the best conference in the sport, it comes as no surprise that fans across the South will see many familiar teams featured prominently in the bracket.

The SEC shattered the record for most bids for a conference with a staggering 14 of the 16 teams making the field, breaking a 2011 mark from the Big East who got 11 teams in.

Despite losing on Saturday to Tennessee in the SEC Tournament, the Auburn Tigers still received the No. 1 overall seed in the field. They will face off against the winner of Alabama State and Saint Francis in their first round game in Lexington at 1:50 p.m. CST.

If Auburn were to win, they would face the winner of Creighton against Louisville with a trip to the Sweet Sixteen on the line in Atlanta for the South Region. The No. 2 seed in their region is the Michigan State Spartans and other potential tough outs include No. 3 seed Iowa State, No. 4 seed Texas A&M, and No. 5 seed Michigan.

The Alabama Crimson Tide, defeated by Florida on Saturday in Nashville, secured a No. 2 seed in the East Region, the upper right quadrant of the bracket. The Tide takes on Robert Morris on Friday afternoon in Cleveland at 11:40 a.m. CST and would face the winner of St. Mary’s against Vanderbilt should they advance.

If Alabama advances to the Sweet Sixteen, they would be headed up North to Newark. In terms of challenging teams within their region, the Tide is looking at No. 1 seed Duke, No. 3 seed Wisconsin, No. 4 seed Arizona, and No. 5 seed Oregon.

The madness officially begins Thursday afternoon as fans prepare for what promises to be one of the most thrilling NCAA Tournaments in recent memory.

Michael Brauner is a Senior Sports Analyst and Contributing Writer for Yellowhammer News. You can follow him on Twitter @MBraunerWNSP and hear him every weekday morning from 6 to 9 a.m. on “The Opening Kickoff” on WNSP-FM 105.5, available free online.