New York Yankees legend CC Sabathia has released his March Madness bracket and expert picks for the 2025 NCAA Tournament. The former six-time MLB All-Star has No. 12 Colorado St. upsetting No. 5 Memphis in the First Round, No. 11 Drake advancing to the Sweet 16, and No. 2 Alabama winning the National Championship.
CC Sabathia Picks
- No. 11 Drake to Reach Sweet 16
- No. 12 Colorado St. to Upset No. 5 Memphis
- No. 2 Alabama to Win National Championship
CC Sabathia March Madness Bracket 2025
CC Sabathia’s bracket! ⚾️
Alabama 🏆
Drake 👉 Sweet 16 👀
Colorado State > Memphis 🐏#MarchMadness pic.twitter.com/Qgy47FYuIz— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessMBB) March 18, 2025
CC Sybathia March Madness 2025 Predictions And Picks
CC Sybathia’s Final Four includes No. 1 Auburn, No. 2 St. John’s, No. 2 Alabama, and No. 2 Tennessee.
Sybathia is predicting two upsets in the Elite 8 — No. 2 Tennessee defeating No. 1 Houston and No. 2 St. John’s upsetting No. 1 Florida. He also has No. 3 Kentucky losing to No. 6 Illinois in the Second Round.
No. 11 Drake To Reach Sweet 16
For No. 11 Drake to reach the Sweet 16, the Bulldogs would have to upset No. 6 Missouri in the First Round and No. 3 Texas Tech in the Second Round. Drake finished the regular season 30-3 overall (17-3 in the MWC). CC Sybathia thinks an upset is possible, so there’s that.
The Bulldogs entered the MVC Tournament as the No. 1 seed and defeated Southern Illinois in the quarterfinals round and Belmont in the semifinals, and finally Bradley in the championship game.
Drake is entering the NCAA Tournament on a seven-game win streak. The Bulldogs’ last loss came on Feb. 16, when Bradley defeated them 61-59 on Drake’s home court.
No. 12 Colorado St. To Upset No. 5 Memphis
The 2024-25 Colorado Rams finished the season 25-9 (16-4 in the MW). In the 2023-24 season, the Rams went 25-11 (10–8 in the MW) to finish tied for sixth place. They defeated San Jose State in the first round of the Mountain West Tournament and Nevada in the quarterfinals before losing to New Mexico in the semifinals.
The Rams received an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament as a No. 10 seed in the Midwest Region, where they defeated Virginia in the First Four before losing to Texas in the First Round.
Senior guard Nique Clifford, who leads Colorado St. in points (19), rebounds (9.7), assists (4.4), and steals (1.2) per game, will have to bring his A-game if the Rams plan to defeat No. 5 Memphis.
No. 2 Alabama To Win National Championship
CC Sybathia also has No. 2 Alabama returning to the Final Four and winning its first-ever national championship in men’s basketball. The Crimson Tide finished the 2023-24 season with a record of 25-12 (13-5 in the SEC) and ended up tied for second place.
Alabama was defeated by the Florida Gators in the quarterfinals of the SEC Tournament championship. The Crimson Tide received an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament as the No. 4 seed in the West Region, where they beat Charleston in the First Round, Grand Canyon in the Second Round to advance to the Sweet Sixteen.
In the Sweet 16, they upset No. 1 North Carolina and then advanced to the Final Four for the first time in school history. The Crimson Tide defeated Clemson but were defeated by the eventual national champions, the UConn Huskies.
However, this year’s Crimson Tide have been a bit disappointing. Alabama has lost three of its last five games and went 25-8 (13-5 in the SEC) in the regular season. Perhaps sixth-year head coach Nate Oats will still find a way to lead his team back to the Final Four again.
