The Catholic Guide to March Madness 2025

The field of 68 colleges and universities that will be fighting for NCAA basketball’s biggest crown was announced on March 16, 2025. The 68 teams in March Madness includes eight colleges who are affiliated with the Catholic Church.

While bracketology is a complicated subject – and Aleteia does not claim to be able to predict the future – here’s a look at the Catholic schools who were picked to join the Big Dance. 

The top-seeded Catholic school in March Madness is St. John’s University, who are the #2 seed in the West region. The St. John’s Red Storm recently won the Big East Tournament and the Big East’s regular-season titles.

The university, which is located in Queens, was founded in 1870 by the Vincentian Fathers. 

St. John’s University last made it out of the first rounds of the tournament in 1999, but they could go all the way to the championship this year, said ESPN, and have some of the best defense in the country. 

Their tournament begins on March 20 against the University of Nebraska Omaha. 

Marquette University is the number seven seed in the South region. Marquette is a Jesuit school and is located in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. 

The Golden Eagles had a 23-10 record during the regular season. They play in the Big East Conference. 

Marquette could get as far as the “Sweet Sixteen,” said ESPN. 

Their first game in the 2025 tournament is on March 21 against the University of New Mexico. 

Joining Marquette as a seven seed are the Saint Mary’s College Gaels. The Gaels were placed in the bracket’s East region. 

Saint Mary’s College was founded in 1836 and is administered by the De La Salle Brothers. The school is located in Moraga, California.

The Gaels play in the West Coast Conference and were the regular season champions this year.

The Gaels tip off against Vanderbilt on Friday, March 21. 

The Gonzaga University Bulldogs play in the same conference as Saint Mary’s College, and punched their ticket to March Madness with their win over the University of San Francisco in the conference final.

They are the eight seed for the Midwest region. 

The Spokane, Washington-based Jesuit school was founded in 1887.

While Gonzaga has had tournament success in the recent past, this year’s team is “a difficult team to assess,” said ESPN.

The Bulldogs’ tournament begins on March 20 against the University of Georgia. 

The Omaha, Nebraska-based Jesuit school is returning to the NCAA tournament for the fifth year in a row, and are the South region’s number nine seed. 

Last year, the Bluejays made it to the tournament’s “Sweet Sixteen,” and they are likely to repeat that this year, said ESPN. 

Creighton lost in the finals of the Big East Tournament to St. John’s University, but had a 24-10 record over the regular season.

The Bluejays play the University of Louisville in the first round on March 20.

Coming in at the 11 seed in the Midwest region is the Xavier University Musketeers.

The Jesuit school is located in Cincinnati, Ohio, and was founded in 1831. They are returning to the tournament after missing out last year. Xavier plays in the Big East Conference. 

The Musketeers were one of the eight teams selected to be in the “First Four” games, meaning they will have an extra game on their tournament run.  

Xavier will play the University of Texas on Wednesday, March 19, with the winner of that game going on to play the University of Illinois. 

Saint Francis University is located in Loretto, Pennsylvania, and was founded in 1847 by members of the Franciscan Friars of the Third Order Regular. 

The Red Flash play in the Northeast Conference, and are making their first trip to the NCAA tournament since 1991. They are the 16 seed in the South region. 

While Saint Francis is not predicted to go far in the tournament, the fact that they are even playing in it is enough of a story itself. The Red Flash upset a heavy favorite in the final of the Northeast Conference championship game, and they were picked to finish last in the conference heading into the season. 

Like Xavier, Saint Francis is also one of the “First Four” teams, and will play Alabama State University on March 18. The winner of that game will go on to play Auburn University – the overall number one seed in the tournament. 

The Emmitsburg, Maryland school is home to not only the largest Catholic seminary in the United States, but also the East region’s number 16 seed. 

The Mountaineers play in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC), and won the conference championship to earn their spot in March Madness. This is the school’s first title in the MAAC, having previously played in the Northeast Conference. 

Mount Saint Mary’s last qualified for the NCAA tournament in 2021. 

Mount Saint Mary’s is also in the “First Four,” and will play American University on March 19. The winner of that game will face Duke University.