With the Elite 8 set in the 2025 NCAA Tournament, the title of the nation’s best will fall on one of the eight remaining teams.
With multiple games remaining, who that is remains to be seen, but we at Heartland College Sports don’t want to wait that long, so here is our attempt at ranking the tournament teams from best to worst.
No. 1 – Houston
While the top spot on this list is going to cause some controversy, Kelvin Sampson and the Houston Cougars have been the most dominant team in basketball this season, facing off against the best competition.
Not only did Houston dominate the regular season and win the Big 12 Conference tournament, they’ve also dealt with the toughest path to the Elite 8 of any 1-seed. They throttled SIU Edwardsville in the tournament’s first round, followed by a five-point win over an incredibly underrated Gonzaga team that checked in as the eighth-best team in the country, according to NET Rankings. Then, they outlasted Purdue just an hour away from their campus, which became a glorified home game for the Boilermakers.
No. 2 – Duke
The Duke Blue Devils check in just behind Houston as one of the most popular picks to win it all. Led by the presumed Wooden Award winner Cooper Flagg, Jon Scheyer’s group has positioned themselves in a great spot in the opening rounds of the tournament.
They blew out Mount St. Mary’s before taking down tough Big 12 teams, Baylor and Arizona, in back-to-back outings. Their high-flying offense continues to cause fits for opponents, and they will have their hands full with another incredible offense in the Alabama Crimson Tide, who they are set to square off with in the Elite 8.
No. 3 – Florida
Todd Golden’s Florida Gators have been an incredibly sound basketball team in 2024-25, losing just four games all year. They narrowly missed out on winning the SEC regular season title due to Auburn, who finished one game ahead in league play at 15-3.
While Florida is, without a doubt, one of the best overall teams left in the field, one specific player has been going absolutely nuclear for them. Walter Clayton Jr. is averaging nearly 20 points per game over Florida’s last three games and should be primed for an exciting matchup against Texas Tech on Saturday.
No. 4 – Tennessee
The Tennessee Volunteers have been the model of consistency under Rick Barnes, with his teams going an overall 232-107 since being hired in 2015-2016. This season, it’s been more of the same for Barnes as his Volunteers continue to get the job done.
They’ve had a few tough games in the March Madness bracket, taking down No. 15 Woffard, No. 7 UCLA, and No. 3 Kentucky in their last three games. The Kentucky game, a 78-65 win, was one that many placed the Volunteers on upset alert for, but it never came close to happening.
No. 5 – Alabama
Alabama is in an interesting spot. They have one of the best offenses in the country and continue to win shootouts, but they struggle to limit their opponent’s production. They survived an intense matchup vs. Robert Morris (91-80), followed by wins over St. Mary’s and BYU.
In the game against the Cougars, Mark Sears went off, connecting on 10 of 16 shots from three. In the two games prior, Sears was just 1-9 from three. They are an incredible team to watch, but there isn’t as much room for error as some of the teams listed above have.
No. 6 – Auburn
While slotting the Tigers at No. 6 may seem controversial, the group hasn’t completely passed the eye test in their last few games. Bruce Pearl’s group features some incredible athletes like Johni Broome, Miles Kelly, Chad Baker-Mazara, and more, but they just don’t feel as dominant as others on the list.
For the bulk of the year, Auburn was the best team in basketball, but lately, thins appear to be slowing down ever so slightly. Still, I would expect the group to move on to the Final Four as their matchup in the Elite Eight feels extremely favorable.
No. 7 – Texas Tech
The Texas Tech Red Raiders have been fantastic to watch this season and continue to prove doubters wrong. Their comeback win over Arkansas was one of the most improbable finishes of any game this post-season, and their impressive run continues against Florida.
Led by a trio of incredible players that includes Big 12 Player of the Year JT Toppin, Derrion Williams, and Christian Anderson, Grant McCasland’s group has the depth to beat anyone remaining in the field.
No. 8 – Michigan State
Well, someone had to be last, and in a group that features all four one-seeds, three two-seeds, and a three-seed, being the eighth-best team isn’t so bad. Tom Izzo continues to cement his legacy as a March legend, with his team taking down No. 15 Bryant, No. 10 New Mexico, and No. 6 Ole Miss.
While it shouldn’t come as a slight to any of the teams they beat, the Spartans avoided No. 2 Iowa State and No. 7 Marquette. They haven’t been tested as much as the other seven teams on the list, and for that reason, they sit at No. 8.
