Yale (13) vs. Texas A&M (4) Bracket Prediction: March Madness Odds
Texas A&M may have been bounced from the SEC Tournament in the second round, but they were fighting through an absolute juggernaut of a conference. The Aggies earned a 4-seed from the Selection Committee after surviving an SEC conference that is sending a record 14 teams to the national championship tournament this year.
Yale had to earn their tournament bid the hard way. For the second year in a row, the Bulldogs will enter the NCAA Tournament as a 13-seed after defeating Cornell in the championship game of the Ivy League Tournament.
Texas A&M is a 7.5-point favourite to win on the NCAAB odds, with the total pegged at 138.5.
Yale vs. Texas A&M NCAA Tournament Point Spread and Betting
The 4 vs. 13 matchup hasn’t historically been the long shot most bettors think it is. No. 13 seeds have upset No. 4 seeds in 17 of the last 23 tournaments and since 1985, 13-seeds are 7-2 straight up against 4-seeds in games decided by one point. In fact, the Bulldogs accomplished the feat last year, eliminating No. 4 Auburn despite entering the game as 13.5-point underdogs.
The Aggies will be one of three schools from Texas in this year’s March Madness. Texas A&M is +6600 to win the national championship on the NCAAB futures board, trailing Texas Tech (+3500), but ahead of the University of Texas (+50,000). The Aggies are also +120 to reach the Sweet 16, +550 top reach the Elite Eight and +1200 to reach the Final Four.
As a double-digit seed, Yale is obviously a much bigger underdog. The Bulldogs are massive +100,000 long shots to win the tournament. They are also +900 to reach the Sweet 16, +600 to reach the Elite Eight and +25,000 to reach the Final Four.
2025 March Madness Bracket Seeds: Most likely NCAA Tournament first round upsets
Yale Bulldogs (13)
Since the Ivy League Tournament was established in 2017, Yale and Princeton have won every year, but one (Penn, 2018). The Bulldogs dominated conference play this season, winning the regular season title with a 13-1 Ivy League record before doubling down with a tournament championship. Overall, they finished the year 22-7 and they have a real shot at a first-round upset for the second year in a row.
One big loss from last year’s team that Yale will have to overcome is Danny Wolf, who transferred to Michigan this year. That’s opened the door for other players to step up, including Bez Mbeng, who was named Ivy League Player of the Year after averaging 13.4 points, 5.4 rebounds and 5.9 assists per game. Mbeng wasn’t even the Bulldogs’ leading scorer, however, as John Poulakidas is averaging 19.3 ppg. Poulakidas had a monster performance in Yale’s upset win over Auburn last year, dropping a game-high 28 points.
Texas A&M Aggies (4)
Texas A&M finished a disappointing fifth in the stacked SEC this season after going 11-7 in conference play. They’ll be even more bitter after an upset loss in the second round of the SEC Tournament to longtime rival Texas. Overall, the Aggies enter the NCAA Tournament with a 22-10 record, including late season wins against Auburn and LSU.
Despite a lacklustre finish to the season, Texas A&M has a strong chance to do some damage in the NCAA Tournament. They are the nations No. 1 offensive rebounding team and they’ve proven they can hang with top teams after recording wins over Ohio State, Creighton, Texas Tech and Purdue. Wade Taylor IV (15.7 ppg) and Zhuric Phelps (14.1 ppg) lead the team in scoring, but the Aggies’ real strength comes from their top-10 defensive unit.