Inside the NBA analyst Charles Barkley has unveiled his March Madness bracket and expert picks for the 2025 NCAA Tournament. Chuck has one sleeper team reaching the Final Four.
Barkley’s Final Four features No. 1 Auburn, No. 1 Florida, No. 4 Arizona, and No. 8 Gonzaga. Sir Charles also has Florida defeating Gonzaga in the National Championship.
Inside The NBA’s Charles Barkley Picks
- Final Four — No. 1 Auburn, No. 1 Florida, No. 4 Arizona, and No. 8 Gonzaga
- No. 13 Grand Canyon to Upset No. 4 Maryland in First Round
- No. 1 Florida Over No. 8 Gonzaga for National Championship
Charles Barkley March Madness Bracket 2025
Chuck’s Bracket!
Auburn Final Four 🤨
Florida vs Zags in the Natty 🏆
Grand Canyon > Maryland#MarchMadness pic.twitter.com/am5hkx1KOx— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessMBB) March 20, 2025
Charles Barkley March Madness 2025 Picks And Predictions
Charles Barkley has No. 1 Auburn, No. 1 Florida, No. 4 Arizona, and No. 8 Gonzaga reaching the Final Four. The Hall of Famer believes the Bulldogs will be able to take full advantage of their NCAA Tournament experience.
Final Four — No. 1 Auburn, No. 1 Florida, No. 4 Arizona, And No. 8 Gonzaga
Auburn is aiming to reach the Final Four for the first time since 2019 and win its first-ever national championship in men’s basketball. The Tigers finished their season 28-5 (15-3 in the SEC) under head coach Bruce Pearl, who earned his 214th win at Auburn in an 87-82 win over Texas on Jan. 7. He surpassed Joel Eaves to become the winningest coach in Auburn basketball history.
Florida finished 30-4 (14-4 in SEC) this season and defeated Tennessee in the SEC Tournament championship to win its first conference championship since 2014. The Gators are entering the NCAA Tournament on a six-game win streak, with five victories coming against teams ranked in the AP Top 25.
Barkley has No. 1 Duke falling to No. 4 Arizona in the Sweet 16. The Wildcats went 22-12 (14-6 in Big 12) in the regular season. For them to advance to the Final Four, they would also have to beat No. 13 Akron, No. 5 Oregon, and No. 6 BYU. He’s predicting the Wildcats will lose to Gonzaga in the Final Four.
No. 13 Grand Canyon To Upset No. 4 Maryland In First Round
Grand Canyon concluded its regular season with a record of 26-7 (13-3 in WAC). The Antelopes have won three of their last four games. Grand Canyon also defeated Utah Valley to win the WAC Tournament title.
Last season, the Antelopes finished 30-5 (17-3 in WAC) in conference play. They went on to win the WAC regular-season and conference tournament championships.
As the automatic qualifier for the WAC, they earned the No. 12 seed in the NCAA Tournament. They managed to upset the No. 5 seed Saint Mary’s in the first round before losing to Alabama in the second round.
Meanwhile, Maryland went 25-8 (14-6 in Big Ten) this season. The Terrapins lost to Michigan last Saturday in the Big Ten Tournament semifinals.
In the 2023-24 season, they finished 16-17 (7-13 in Big Ten) in a tie for 11th place. As the No. 12 seed in the Big Ten Tournament, they defeated Rutgers in the first round before losing to Wisconsin in the quarterfinals.
No. 1 Florida Over No. 8 Gonzaga For National Championship
Charles Barkley played for Auburn from 1981-84 and made his lone NCAA Tournament appearance in his final season, when the Tigers were eliminated in the First Round. He was then selected fifth overall by the Philadelphia 76ers in the 1984 NBA draft.
So naturally, he thinks Auburn can reach the Final Four. But it all ends there for the Tigers. Earlier this season, Florida defeated the Tigers in Auburn by a final score of 90-81. The Gators ended their regular season with a record of 30-4 (14-4 in SEC). Their non-conference record is a flawless 13-0.
Last season, Florida went 24-12 (11-7 in SEC) to finish in sixth place. In the SEC Tournament, the Gators beat Georgia, Alabama, and Texas A&M to advance to the championship game, where they would fall to Auburn.
The Gators earned an at-large bid to the 2024 NCAA Tournament as the No. 7 seed in the South Region, where they lost to Colorado 102-100 in the First Round.
More importantly, Charles Barkley is getting a lot of heat on social media right now in the Midwest, where he has No. 8 seed Gonzaga shocking Tennessee in the Elite Eight to get to the Final Four.
On paper, the Bulldogs have no shot against teams like No. 1 Houston and No. 5 Clemson, but since when has anyone’s March Madness predictions ever come true?
No one has ever had a perfect bracket. Gonzaga reached the Final Four in 2017 and 2021. It’s all about which team gets hot at the right time.
