NCAA Tournament No. 1 and 2 Seeds West and East Region Profiles - Duke, Florida, Alabama, St. John's

The biggest sporting event of the year has arrived, and March Madness betting at leading online sportsbooks is most popular for the opening weekend of men’s NCAA Tournament games. It’s major college basketball watch and wager action as teams shoot for a spot in the Sweet Sixteen. The No. 1 seeds in the East and West regions are also the two favorites to cut down the nets and win the national championship with the Duke Blue Devils and Florida Gators the teams to beat with each team also off ACC tournament and SEC tournament titles. 

The No. 2 seeds in the East and West includes Big East tournament champion St. John's and another SEC team in Alabama, who leads the nation in scoring offense averaging 91.1 points per game. 

Duke and Florida are joined by the Midwest and South top seeds Houston Cougars and Auburn Tigers. Those four teams also top the NET rankings, which takes into account game results, strength of schedule, game location, scoring margin, net offensive and defensive efficiency, and the quality of wins and losses. 

As the tourney tips off and the First Round of wall-to-wall basketball action begins Thursday, be sure to get in the game and enter the free Offshore Gaming Association's 23rd annual March Madness Bracket Challenge with cash prize playouts. For a bigger score, you can enter many leading online sportsbooks NCAA Tournament contests with bonuses and prizes. BetOnline has one of the biggest offers with the $200,000 Bracket Madness Contest with as little as a $25 entry and $50,000 first place that pays prized to more than 1,200 entries. 

Key stats to picking an NCAA Tournament champion

When evaluating the KenPom advanced stats, know that 21 of the last 22 National Champions have finished in the Top 20 in both offensive and defensive adjusted efficiency. This year's teams include: 

- Florida (1 offense, 10 defense)
- Auburn (2,12)
- Tennessee (18,3)
- Duke (3,4) from ACC
- Houston (10,2) from Big 12
- Iowa State (20,9) from Big 12 

Three SEC teams top the charts with more stats and streaks outlined in my March Madness coverage in Forbes as a record 14 SEC teams selected for 2025 NCAA Tournament. 

Keys to NCAA Tournament success

Other teams and top-5 seeds to watch and their offensive/defensive stats profiles include:

- Alabama (4,32), St. John's (65,1), Michigan State (27,5), Texas Tech (6,37), Wisconsin (13,27), Kentucky (8, 56), Texas A&M (44,7), Maryland (6,56), Arizona (12,33), Purdue (7,63), Clemson (24,16), Oregon (39,31) Michigan (47,14), Memphis (72,40) and somehow low 8-seed Gonzaga (9,29) with 2-time defending national champion Connecticut (14,94) also an 8-seed.

NCAA Tournament Top 50 Players

As you review more March Madness matchups and make your bets, check back ahead of and during the NCAA Tournament for more content, stats, odds updates from BetOnline and information you can bet on. 

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No. 1 and No. 2 Seeds East Region

No. 1 Duke Blue Devils 

Record: 31-3
Key Wins: Auburn, at Arizona, Illinois (N), Louisville (2x), North Carolina (2x)
Key Losses: Kentucky (N), Kansas (N), at Clemson
National Title Odds: +275
Final Four Odds: -130
KenPom Strength of Schedule: 56
KenPom Stats: Adjusted Offense No. 3, Defense No. 4
X: @DukeMBB
Head Coach: Jon Scheyer 

Duke won the ACC regular season and conference tournament titles to earn the No. 1 seed. The Blue Devils strength of schedule is the weakest of the top teams, but the Blue Devils NET ranking is still No. 1 as they went 10-1 on the road and 9-3 vs. Quad 1 opponents. Duke is the only tournament team with a top-5 profile in both adjusted offensive and defensive efficiency. The Blue Devils 82.7 points per game offense is top-10 among NCAA Tournament teams and 48.8% FG shooting is top-5 with 58% 2-point and 37.7% 3-point with top-20 free throw shooting (78.4%). Duke is also top-5 in scoring defense (61.5) and FG percentage defense (38.6), plus top-6 in rebounding rate and rebounding margin. The Blue Devils are top-5 in the country in assist-to-turnover ratio (+1.75) along with fellow No. 1 seed Auburn (+1.78) with Gonzaga (+2.09) No. 1. Duke is also the tallest team in the country with an average player height of nearly 6 feet 8 inches. Freshman sensation Cooper Flagg is 6'9" and rated the best player in the tournament and a future No. 1 NBA draft pick.

No. 2 Alabama Crimson Tide

Record: 25-8
Key Wins: Houston (N), Illinois (N), at North Carolina, Kentucky (3x), at Auburn, at Texas A&M, at Mississippi State, at Arkansas, at Texas
Key Losses: at Purdue, Oregon (N), Florida (2x), Auburn, at Tennessee, Ole Miss, at Missouri
National Title Odds: +1800
Final Four Odds: +400
KenPom Strength of Schedule: 1
KenPom Stats: Adjusted Offense No. 4, Defense No. 32
X: @AlabamaMBB
Head Coach: Nate Oats 

Alabama features the No. 1 scoring offense in the country (91.1 ppg) and they did it against the No. 1 strength of schedule playing in the No. 1 conference. The Crimson Tide also play at the fastest pace in the country and rank top-5 in 2-point shooting (59.7%) but outside the top-100 in 3-point shooting (35%). Alabama is also among the worst in the country in forcing turnovers on defense with sub-par free throw shooting (71.1%) ranking outside the top-200 in the country. Super senior guard Mark Sears took Alabama to their first-ever Final Four last year, and his nearly 20 points per game leads a battle-tested deep roster of offensive weapons. 

No. 1 and No. 2 Seeds West Region

No. 1 Florida Gators

Record: 30-4
Key Wins: North Carolina (N), Alabama (2x), Tennesee (2x), at Auburn, at Mississippi State, Ole Miss, Georgia
Key Losses: at Tennessee, at Kentucky, at Missouri, at Georgia
National Title Odds: +350
Final Four Odds: -125
KenPom Strength of Schedule: 17
KenPom Stats: Adjusted Offense No. 1, Defense No. 10
X: @GatorsMBK
Head Coach: Todd Golden

Florida has risen up the rankings as the hottest and best team in the tournament the past six weeks. The Gators went on an offensive onslaught starting March 1 scoring 89, 99, 90 points in their final three regular season games that included a 99-94 win at Alabama as a 3.5-point underdog. Then Florida ripped off 3-straight SEC tournament wins over Missouri, Alabama and Tennessee scoring 95, 104 and 86 points. The Gators scoring spree has moved them up to averaging 85.4 points per game; just behind nation-best Alabama (91.1) and ahead of 84-85 points per game SEC foes Kentucky, Missouri and Auburn. Since losing at Tennessee by 20 points on Feb. 1, the Florida Gators are a power conference-best 12-1 both straight up and against the spread (ATS) run scoring at least 79 points in every contest. Guard Walter Clayton, Jr. is one of the top-5 rated players in the tournament, and the Iona transfer under then coach Rick Pitino teams with Gators Australian center Alex Condon to give Florida a lethal inside/outside and transition game with rim protection and top-tier defense that ranks top-10 in effective FG% defense with strength in both 2-point and 3-point defense.   

No. 2 St. John's Red Storm 

Record: 30-4
Key Wins: at UCONN, Marquette (3x), Creighton
Key Losses: Georgia (N), Baylor (N) at Creighton, at Villanova
National Title Odds: +2500
Final Four Odds: +550
KenPom Strength of Schedule: 61
KenPom Stats: Adjusted Offense No. 65 , Defense No. 1 
X: @StJohnsBBall
Head Coach: Rick Pitino

St. John's is reborn under coach Rick Pitino, who guided the Red Storm to the Big East regular season and tournament titles in just his second year. A No. 1 defensive efficiency rating is a staple of Pitino led by RJ Luis Jr's athleticism on the wing and another top player to watch as an elite versatile defender. St. John's offensive efficiency and strength of schedule both rank in the 60's, and the Red Storm are among the worst tournament teams in 3-point shooting (30.4%) and free throws (68.9%). Pitino relies on his starting five players heavily, and another big name coach awaits in the Round of 32 opening weekend with a St. John's win getting a meeting with John Calipari's Arkansas Razorbacks or Bill Self's Kansas Jayhawks. 

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FairwayJay is a proven sports handicapper and insightful analyst. He chips college basketball and additional sports betting coverage and reporting on industry news and events. Read more great insights from FairwayJay and follow him on  X: @FairwayJay