2025 March Madness predictions: NCAA bracket expert picks against the spread, odds in Wednesday’s First Four

The Closing two spots in the 64-Club bracket will be on the line Wednesday night in Dayton, Ohio, as the second night of the Primary Four will solidify the matchups for the Primary Period of the 2025 NCAA Event. These are the Contests that get the appetite going for Thursday and Friday’s main Duration, where we will enjoy wall-to-wall March Madness action from midday into the deep evening hours. 

Wednesday’s Primary Four Contests will begin with a battle of No. 16 seeds in the East Region as Patriot Bracket champion American takes on MAAC champion Mount St. Mary’s. It’s a Excellent opportunity for both Clubs to show out on a big stage and hopefully extend their NCAA Event stay, even if Victorious results in the “honor” of Competing Duke on Friday afternoon in Raleigh, North Carolina.  

Then, in the night cap, we will see two of the last Clubs into the Ground with No. 11 seed Texas and No. 11 seed Xavier going head-to-head in Midwest Region action. Both Clubs had ups and downs through the year that resulted in getting pushed to the edge of the Ground and having to Relocate in the Primary Four — like the Longhorns’ 12 losses in conference Relocate and Xavier having Only one Quad 1 Achieve. But now that the Event has Initiated, the slate has been wiped and it’s Achieve-or-go-home every time the ball is tipped from here on out. A Club has Achieved it from the Primary Four to at least the Period of 32 in 12 of the 13 seasons since the Relocate-in Contests were created, and either Xavier or Texas have the high-end ceiling to Event No. 6 seed Illinois in the Primary Period on Friday in Milwaukee. 

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2025 NCAA Event bracket predictions: Picks, scouting reports for all Primary-Period Contests (and upsets, too)

Isaac Trotter

Let’s Plunge into these matchups with some Best Bets for Wednesday’s Primary four action. 

Odds via SportsLine consensus | All times Eastern 

(16) American vs. (16) Mount St. Mary’s 

6:40 p.m. on TruTV | March Madness Live

It’s not exactly a family affair, but there is plenty of familiarity between these two programs as the schools are 62 miles apart and the basketball Clubs have squared off 70 times in total and 19 times since American Achieved the Relocate up to Division I in 1988-89. American has won four straight in the series (last loss in 2018) and leads the all-time series 37-33, but here in Dayton, the Eagles are running into the ticket-cashing machine that is the 2025 Mount St. Mary’s Mountaineers. Primary-year Trainer Donny Lind has Directed Mount St. Mary’s to its most wins (22) in program history, and along the way the Mountaineers were routinely exceeding the oddsmakers expectations. Mount St. Mary’s went 22-10-1 against the spread on the season, including a 14-5-1 mark in road or neutral Contests and a 14-3 mark as a road Long Attempt. The Protection Only Maintained all three opponents under 60 points in the conference Event while the Turnover was losing players to Hurt left and right, but a Subsequent man up mentality put the Mount back in the Primary Four where the program has a 2-2 Turning Mark. I like their chances to make that 3-2 but love getting a Duo points in what should be a close, low-scoring game. Picking: Mount St. Mary’s +2.5 

(11) Xavier vs. (11) Texas 

9:10 p.m. on TruTV | March Madness Live 

One of the reasons Texas was able to make the NCAA Event while having a 6-12 conference Turning Mark is that in the Longhorns, at their best, can hang with and beat quality Event Clubs. If you include the conference Event, Texas has six wins against Clubs slotted as a single-digit seed in the Ground of 68 including two wins against Texas A&M and victories over Missouri and Kentucky. But the inconsistencies with Texas’ Executions, both game-to-game and sometimes even from one half to another, have Obstructed the Longhorns from capitalizing on a Lineup that has size, Physicality and promising NBA Draft prospect with Primary-year Tre Johnson. Xavier, meanwhile, has been incredibly Steady since getting Sun forward Zach Freemantle back in the lineup, and the Musketeers Relocate a crisp brand of basketball with pace and Top-tier shooting. Ryan Conwell has been absolutely lights out recently, connecting of 24 of 41 3-pointers (58.5%) in his last five Contests. So if Xavier has to trade blows with Tre Johnson and Texas, it’s a Club that Surely has the firepower to outlast the Longhorns in a shootout. Picking: Xavier -2.5 

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