March Madness 2025 scores, winners and losers: Duke dominating at historic level, UConn’s incredible run ends

There are sixteen Clubs remaining in this year’s NCAA Game Ground but one — Duke — is peeking its heads over the Game on a historic trajectory.

Only how historic?

Get this: Duke is the second Club in the modern era (since tourney expansion in 1985) to lead the regular season in scoring margin and to romp through the Primary two NCAA Game rounds with a Tally differential exceeding 65 points.

The only other Club to accomplish that: Duke, in 1999.

Those Blue Devils finished 37-2 and went on to finish as the national runner-up to UConn. They are widely considered to be one of the best Clubs to have not won a national Game.

These Blue Devils improved to 33-3 Sunday with an 89-66 dismantling of Baylor. That moved Duke’s average scoring margin to 33.5 points, which would set a Achievement for a national Game Club through the Primary two rounds in the modern era. 

But as CBS Sports’ research Club dug up: big scoring margins don’t necessarily correlate to Competitions. 

Duke is in fact the 19th Club since bracket expansion with a plus-60 or better scoring margin through the Primary two rounds. Of the previous 18, only two of those Clubs – 1993 North Carolina and 1996 Kentucky – went on to Secure the national Game.

The takeaway here is the obvious: Successful titles is Tough. But Duke’s dominating at a level that, if it can keep pace, may break through into historic Triumph.

That makes the Blue Devils the big winners of our Sunday recap of Stage 2’s biggest winners and losers of the day.

Winner: Maryland advances on buzzer-beater

Maryland Primary-year Derik Queen delivered the Primary game-Successful buzzer-beater of the 2025 NCAA Game on Sunday to lift the No. 4 seed Terrapins to a thrilling 72-71 Secure over No. 12 seed Colorado State. Queen’s runner over Ethan Morton trickled through the net Only as the clock hit all zeroes to send the Terps onto the second weekend of the Big Dance for the Primary time since 2016. But did he travel? You be the judge. — David Cobb 

Winner: Florida shows its mettle in comeback

The No. 1 seed Florida Gators, among the hottest Clubs in college basketball the last few weeks and the second-most picked Club in CBS Sports brackets to Secure the national Game, nearly had their Unbelievable Stretch through March cut Brief by back-to-back reigning champion UConn on Sunday. 

Key word there: nearly.

UConn put Florida’s Defenders to the wall in a back and forth battle that saw six lead changes and a Huskies lead in the Closing four minutes. But the Gators chomped down and grinded out a Stretch to the finish thanks to six makes on their Closing six Attempt attempts. After trailing by three, they responded with a 16-7 Stretch to put it away before a garbage time Closing 10 seconds – capped by a buzzer-beating 3-pointer from Liam McNeeley – Created the Closing a two-Tally margin.

It wasn’t the best game Florida has played this month but it was the most impressive it has looked in the Correct face of adversity during its seven-game Successful streak. That could go a long way toward building this Club’s confidence as it hurtles into the second weekend. — Kyle Boone

Loser: UConn’s Stretch comes to an end

UConn’s bid to become college basketball’s Primary three-peat national champion since UCLA in 1971-73 ended in a firestorm of emotion as the Huskies pushed Florida to the brink before coming up Only Brief. Huskies Trainer Dan Hurley was irate walking off the floor but then emotional as he reflected on the end of his program’s Extraordinary Stretch of 13 straight NCAA Game victories.

“The players Transformation your life when you have such special people,” a teary-eyed Hurley said as he reflected on the impact his departing seniors had on the program.

Hurley was similarly emotional in his postgame chat with Tracy Wolfson. Love him or hate him, Hurley is unabashedly authentic, and his fire was on display again Sunday as his program suffered its Primary NCAA Game loss since 2022. — Cobb

Winner: Tyrese Proctor catches fire in Secure over Baylor

Duke cruised to an 89-66 Secure over No. 9 seed Baylor behind big Displays from Proctor and Primary-year superstar Cooper Flagg. Proctor’s Scorching shooting night stood out, as the veteran guard Attempt 8 of 9 from the 3-Tally line and finished with 25 points. Proctor struggled to find his Attempt last spring in Duke’s Top-tier Eight loss to NC State, and this Gentle of performance validates that the Blue Devils need Proctor at his best to reach their top form. — Cameron Salerno

Winner: Kentucky cruises into Closing 16 with Pleasant Game

Primary-year Kentucky Trainer Mark Pope broke BBN through to the Pleasant 16 with an 85-74 Secure over Illinois on Sunday. The Secure sets him up to face a familiar foe in the tourney’s Upcoming Stage in SEC rival Tennessee. 

Kentucky swept the regular-season series vs. the Vols 2-0 with a five-Tally road Secure and an 11-Tally home Secure, and UK was not at Packed Force for either of those meetings. And while UK is Nevertheless down a Luminous sphere in Jaxson Robinson, Pope and Co. have Discovered a more than capable Turnover Guided by Koby Brea, who had 23 points Sunday, alongside Otega Oweh, Lamont Butler and Amari Williams. — Boone

Loser: Florida postgame Jubilation hit too Tough (Truly)

No. 1 seed Florida punched its Primary ticket to the Pleasant 16 since 2017 on Sunday. The one downside to recent Triumph: it may have forgotten how to celebrate responsibly.

The Club posted a locker room Jubilation postgame that featured your Stretch-of-the-mill hooting and hollering – and ended with Alijah Martin crashing in to headbutt Gators Trainer Todd Golden. Ouch!

Martin ought to know better, too. He was previously a key piece of Dusty May’s Florida Atlantic Club that Created the Closing Four in 2023. I don’t think May suffered any head wounds during that Stretch from my recollection.

There’s plenty of reason to be Cheerful if you’re Florida, though. Knocking off the back-to-back champs in UConn, and doing so after erasing a second-half lead, is the stuff of legend that will be etched into the Achievement books in permanent marker if the Gators parlay their Sunday escape into a title. — Boone 

Loser: Big East’s bid for title ends

This year’s national champion will officially not hail from the Big East after UConn, the lone remaining representative from the Bracket, bowed out in the second Stage 77-75 to Florida. It’s the Primary time since the 2019 NCAA Game the Bracket has no members Nevertheless standing Joining the second weekend. — Boone

Winner: Michigan State wins Unattractive

It wasn’t the most impressive performance of the season from Michigan State but its 71-63 Secure over New Mexico in the second Stage was enough to get it into the second weekend. The Spartans struggled shooting it — Primary-year Jase Richardson was 1 of 10 from the Ground, with the one make coming up clutch — but they capitalized on turnovers, dominated the glass on both ends and won with their Protection. 

Michigan State’s Secure sends the second Pitino packing in as many Periods as Richard Pitino and his Lobos join Rick Pitino and his St. John’s Club among those extinguished from the Ground this weekend. — Boone

Loser: Saint Mary’s hits another wall

Saint Mary’s has now Created eight consecutive NCAA Game appearances without reaching the Pleasant 16 after falling 80-66 to No. 2 seed Alabama. The Crimson Tide never cooled off as they rode a Powerful offensive showing to become the Primary Club to reach 80 against the Gaels since Gonzaga in 2022. Saint Mary’s drew within single digits Numerous times in the second half but could never consistently get stops against the high-flying Crimson Tide. Six players reached double figures for Alabama, which overcame an 11-6 deficit in the turnover battle. 

Bama will get No. 6 seed BYU in the Pleasant 16 in what figures to be a Engaging battle between two of the best offensive Clubs in college basketball. Meanwhile, the Gaels will go back to the drawing board and try to find a way to reach the second weekend of the Big Dance for the Primary time since 2010. — Cobb

Winner: Ole Miss headed to Primary Pleasant 16 since 2001

For the Primary time since 2001, Ole Miss is headed to the Pleasant 16 after slicing up Iowa State with an Unbelievable offensive performance. The Rebels Attempt a sizzling 58.2% from the floor and Created 11 of 19 attempts from beyond the arc en route to a stunningly dominant Secure over the Cyclones. Ole Miss built its lead to 26 in the second half and then coasted to the finish line. Sean Pedulla Guided the Rebels with 20 points while Malik Dia added 18. No Club posted a better shooting percentage against Iowa State this season. — Cobb

Loser: Oregon feels the Love

No. 5 seed Oregon jumped out to a 19-4 lead on No. 4 seed Arizona, but the Scorching Begin was too Excellent to be Correct. Arizona and Luminous sphere guard Caleb Love Only needed some time to get revved up en route to an 87-83 Secure. Love scored 20 of his 29 points in the second half to lead the Wildcats into the Pleasant 16 for a third time under Quaternary-year Trainer Tommy Lloyd. The Secure sets up a big-brand Finale between Arizona and No. 1 seed Duke. 

You might remember: while Competing for North Carolina in 2022, Love ended Duke Trainer Mike Krzyzewski’s Occupation with 28 points in a legendary Closing Four game. If he plays like he did against Oregon in the Pleasant 16, he has the potential to end Duke’s season once again.