Indiana teams that are smart 2025 NCAA Tournament picks
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Purdue is the only Indiana team in the men's tournament this year. Photo: Aaron J. Thornton/Getty Images
The return of March Madness means the return of group chat trash talk among friends and battling for bracket bragging rights with your boss.
Why it matters: Indiana's basketball-loving reputation will also be on the line as four teams from the Hoosier State try to win it all.
Catch up quick: No. 4 seed Purdue is the state's only men's team in the tournament. Their first game is against No. 13 seed High Point Thursday afternoon.
- No. 3 seed Notre Dame will play their first game in the women's tourney at 2pm Friday against No. 14 seed Stephen F. Austin.
- No. 9 seed IU gets started against No. 8 seed Utah at 1:30pm Friday. No. 12 seed Ball State opens against No. 5 seed Ole Miss at 6pm Friday.
What's next: If you're serious about winning this year's office bracket — or the Axios Indianapolis men's and women's brackets — here are a few tips to follow for both tournaments.
Women's Tournament
♥️ Pick the favorites: In 2024, only one double-digit women's seed advanced past the first round. Historically, No. 1 seeds have not only won 32 of 42 national championships, but in 35 tournaments, two or more No. 1 seeds made the semifinals, per the NCAA.
- Wait to pick your upsets until the Sweet 16 or Elite Eight. Lean on the powerhouses early.
⭐ Star power: For everything we just wrote about No. 1 seeds, two non-top seeds — including one from Indiana — have enough talent to potentially go on deep runs.
- Notre Dame is a No. 3 seed, but Olivia Miles and Hannah Hidalgo are two of the best players in the country.
- No. 2 seed UConn is one of the most storied programs in the sport, but this might be the last shot for stars Paige Bueckers and Azzi Fudd to win championships as Huskies.
⛔ Avoid seeds 13-16: If you are compelled to pick a first-round upset, look to a No. 11 or 12 seed. That means it's prime time to hop on the Ball State bandwagon.
- Teams seeded Nos. 14-16 are a combined 1-360 in tournament history, according to the NCAA, but 12 seeds average about one win a year.
Men's Tournament
👑 Commit to a Cinderella: You should still pick upsets in the early rounds. The common advice will be to take No. 12 seeds over No. 5 seeds because they've won 35% of the time in the first round.
- One 12 seed that already looks to be a popular pick: Colorado State over Memphis in Seattle.
- No. 15 seeds have upset No. 2 seeds 11 times since 1985.
🤕 Watch the injuries: Duke, which entered the ACC Tournament No. 1 in the AP Top 25 poll, lost star forwards Cooper Flagg and Maliq Brown to injuries during the tournament.
- The NCAA seemed to have confidence in at least Flagg's return, as the Blue Devils still earned a No. 1 seed, but do you?
3️⃣ Follow the threes: An impressive 290 teams have fired off 20 or more 3-point attempts per game this season, which is 34 more teams than last season and the highest of all time, per the NCAA.
- The intrigue: That could mean more upsets because lower-seeded teams could score in bunches out of nowhere.
- If you want to swim against the current: Michigan State, a No. 2 seed in the South, has now made the NCAA tournament 27 straight times and attempts just over 19 3-pointers per game.
More bracket tips:
A 3-minute cheat sheet for your 2025 men's March Madness bracket
A 3-minute cheat sheet for your 2025 women's March Madness bracket