The 2025 NCAA Tournament is approaching an exciting finish to its second round of March Madness, featuring an intriguing eight-game slate filled with opportunities for surprises.
After carefully analyzing each matchup, I've found three underdog teams that could potentially deliver an upset this Sunday.
Read on for my March Madness picks for Sunday, March 23.
March Madness upset predictions
UConn moneyline (+390 at bet365)
The Connecticut Huskies have given us no reason to believe they can or will beat the Florida Gators.
UConn has underwhelmed for much of this season. KenPom says the Huskies have been unlucky, and the pundits say they are overrated.
The Huskies have had some good wins during the past 10, including home and away victories against Marquette and a good road win against Creighton.
Connecticut can score, but its Achilles Heel is its three-point defense, which is essentially non-existent.
Danny Hurley’s crew needs to figure out how to slow Walter Clayton Jr. and the Florida three-point barrage to have a chance to win.
The Huskies are 13-2 SU in their last 15 but have allowed 70 ppg across the previous 10. This UConn team has underwhelmed at times but boasts talented offensive players.
UConn is a two-time defending champ, and its roster includes men with championship experience. They've allowed 66 points per game in their last 10.
The Huskies are large underdogs for a reason. If UConn can contain Clayton's long-range droppings, it has enough size to compete on the glass and the experience to pull off a major upset.
Cash your March Madness ML bets quicker with bet365's early win payout
Take advantage of the early win payout at bet365, where any pre-game CBB moneyline bet gets paid out as a winner if your school goes up by 18+ points!
Learn more about this feature, and all of bet365's offerings, with our comprehensive bet365 review.
21+. Gambling problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER.
Kentucky moneyline (+105 at bet365)
The atmosphere will be fantastic. Two of the most rabid fanbases in college hoops with teams near their home cities could turn this second-rounder into a March Madness classic.
The Kentucky Wildcats defeating the Illinois Fighting Illini would be a short upset, but with all the chalk on this slate, Kentucky may pull it off.
When Illinois looks good, it looks good. The Fighting Illini looked stout against Xavier, but they can get into trouble when they don't land their threes or defend the arc.
When they don't make their threes, they lose to the Maryland, Duke, and Michigan State Spartans of the world.
The teams above aren't playing today, but Kentucky defends the perimeter at a high level while finishing second in the SEC in cleaning the glass on the defensive end.
Defending the triple is necessary, but if Kentucky drains its threes, it can win this game.
The Wildcats led the SEC in three-point percentage and face a sometimes lackadaisical perimeter defense Kentucky can succeed against.
Oregon moneyline (+145 at bet365)
The Oregon Ducks were a highly ranked team and a possible Big Ten contender.
Instead, the Ducks went through a tough stretch, losing five consecutive games and falling from the Top 25. Never mind that four of the five losses were away from Eugene.
Oregon ramped up its stop unit and has won nine of its last ten games, including an overtime win in Wisconsin.
The Ducks allowed fewer than 73 points in seven of 10. They've won nine of 10 behind its defense and can beat the Arizona Wildcats.
Arizona shot 57% from the field and 48% from long range in their 28-point victory over Akron. The Wildcats got whatever they wanted on the offensive end and used their size to thwart the Akron three-point barrage.
The Wildcats won't have it so easy against Oregon. The Ducks have the size across the board to compete with Arizona and are the better defensive group.
Arizona is playing .500 ball across its last 12. They got a gift drawing the smaller Zips, but Oregon isn't Akron.
The Ducks have won nine of 10 and can pull off the upset.
