The two-time reigning and defending national champions, the Connecticut Huskies, are a No. 8 seed in the NCAA tournament and will play No. 9, the Oklahoma Sooners, at 9:25 in the first round. UConn finished third in the Big East with a 23-10 record and has won five of its previous six games. Oklahoma competed in a stacked SEC and ended the season winning three of four games.
Want to approach your March Madness Bracket with the same precision as the top 1% of bracket pool winners? Check out what the PoolGenius optimizer has to offer!
UConn vs. Oklahoma (9:25 p.m. ET)
Although this Huskies team looks different from last season, it still has a very talented core. Solo Ball, Liam McNeeley, and Alex Karaban each average 14 or more points. The problem with this UConn team has been the depth beyond its core. The Huskies are -5.5 favorites in this matchup against Oklahoma on DraftKings Sportsbook.
This is the fifth meeting between UConn and Oklahoma, and the Sooners have the lead at 3-1. This is the first matchup between the two teams since the 2004-05 season. Oklahoma has only two players averaging double-digit points but is led by star freshman Jeremiah Fears, who scores 17 per contest. Fears have improved as the season has gone on, and he has totaled 28-plus points in three of his last four games. UConn will need to contain him to win this game.
Oklahoma finished the season 7-13 and didn’t get enough consistent production from anyone besides Fears. The Huskies seem unlikely to three-peat, but I don’t believe their journey in the 2025 March Madness tournament ends here. With head coach Dan Hurley’s experience and their championship pedigree, I think it will be too much for Oklahoma. UConn has also won their last six games by more than 5.5 points.
College Basketball Pick: UConn -5.5
Want to approach your March Madness Bracket with the same precision as the top 1% of bracket pool winners? Check out what the PoolGenius optimize has to offer!
