March Madness 2025 Survivor Pool First Round Picks, 3 Teams You Trust to Win

March Madness is set to tip-off its First Round matchups on Thursday and Friday. This makes it a great time to join a Survivor Pool. If you're unfamiliar with how a Survivor Pool works, the basics are summarized below.

In a March Madness Survivor Pool, you can only pick a team to win once during the entire NCAA Tournament. So if you pick a favorite like Duke, Houston, Auburn, or Florida, you won't be able to pick them again. This adds a layer of strategy, since it's likely better to wait and back a favorite deeper into the tournament. A single loss eliminates you from a Survivor Pool contest, so exercise caution when considering low-seed longshot teams.

NCAAM handicapper Matt MacKay is here with three teams to trust to win their First Round matchup when playing in Survivor Pool formats. Check out Matt's X account for further NCAAB betting insights and free bets throughout March Madness.

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Survivor Pool First Round Picks

Saint Mary's (7 Seed)

Saint Mary's is a team with great size and fundamentals entering the NCAA Tournament. The Gaels rank 10th in defensive rating and fifth in points allowed per game (60.7) after losing to Gonzaga in the West Coast Conference Tournament Final.

Saint Mary's has a lot of studs in its front court, including 6-10 C Mitchell Saxen, averaging 10.6 points and 7.9 rebounds per game. F Pailius Murauskas and 7-1 C Harry Wessels are also big contributors on both ends of the court. The Gaels are led by G Augustas Marciulionis in the back court, leading the team with 14.3 points and 6.1 assists per game.

Vanderbilt played in the most difficult conference, the SEC, this season, so they are definitely battle-tested. The Commodores are 63rd in offensive rating but 220th in defensive rating. They also lack size in comparison to Saint Mary's.

I like Saint Mary's to control the pace of this game and own the edge in rebounding, creating second-chance opportunities on offense and eliminating them for Vanderbilt's offense. They held their own against a very good Gonzaga team multiple times this season and I don't think Vanderbilt is a better team than the Bulldogs.

I don't trust Saint Mary's moving deeper into the tournament, potentially against No. 2 Alabama in the Second Round, so this is a good team to back in Survivor Pool tournaments in the First Round.

Clemson (5 Seed)

Clemson had a very good year in the ACC, recording wins over No. 1 Duke and nearly mounting a huge comeback win against Louisville in the ACC Tournament. The Tigers are a 5 seed in the Midwest Region and will face 12-seed McNeese.

McNeese State actually has a higher offensive rating (116.4) than Clemson (114.8) but the Tigers are very good defensively, ranked 46th in this metric with a 98.9 defensive rating. McNeese State still ranks higher than Clemson in defensive rating at 96.5, coming out of the Southland Conference.

The Cowboys haven't lost since February 1st, winning 11 consecutive games. They only have two losses since December 14th, with one of those coming in a three-point loss against SEC team, Mississippi State.

I like Clemson's grittiness and they played against better teams in terms of strength of schedule, giving the edge to the Tigers. It may be a sweat in the First Round, but ultimately, I think G Chase Hunter and F Ian Schieffelin have big games for Clemson, handing McNeese State its first loss in seven weeks.

Colorado State (12 Seed)

It's not always wise to back a 12 seed in March Madness, especially in Survivor, yet this Colorado State offense is red-hot entering their First Round matchup against Memphis. The Rams are led by G Nique Clifford, averaging 19 points per game, leading a dominant effort against Boise State in the Mountain West Tournament Final.

Memphis ranks 96th in defensive rating, 94th in offensive rating, and just won the AAC against UAB. The Tigers are riding an eight-game win streak into their matchup against Colorado State. The Rams have a 10-game winning streak intact, beating all of their conference's top opponents like Nevada, Utah State, and Boise State.

Colorado State ranks 76th in offensive rating (112.2) and 67th in defensive rating (100.0) this season. These are both superior marks to the Tigers. I like the Rams' momentum heading into their First Round matchup against Memphis, making them a great team to back in Survivor Pools early on.

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