The Houston Cougars fell short of the Final Four in each of the last two years after seizing a No. 1 seed in the men's NCAA tournament. Kelvin Sampson 's squad now hopes to avoid a three-peat as the No. 1 seed in the Midwest Region for the 2025 edition of March Madness.

It was Thanksgiving week, and the University of Houston men’s basketball team had little to be thankful after losing two of three games at the Players Era Festival. One of the headliners in the NIL-backed event,

With NCAA tournament First Four games beginning Tuesday, March Madness is here. And that means it's time for some predictions. Who will advance out of each region and get to the Final Four in San Antonio?

After a brief career as a basketball coach, Vitale transitioned into sports media, where he has worked as a college basketball commentator with ESPN for 41 years. Vitale recently overcame his fourth battle with cancer, and returned to the booth for ESPN back in February.

Last season was a chalky NCAA tournament. I think we're in for another one. I hope I'm wrong. Here are my picks for each region and the Final Four. I'll be rooting for this not to happen — or at least for some good chaos in the early rounds.