March Madness 2025: Which sneakers will win?

GOAT

March Madness 2025: Which sneakers will win?

March Madness is back for 2025, and with it comes the thrill of filling out brackets and watching the men’s and women’s tournaments unfold. Underdogs rise, top seeds fall and the unpredictability of college basketball takes center stage. Only one team will be left standing. 

This March Madness, GOAT teamed up with selling app alias to mirror the tournament—only this time, it’s through sneakers.

GOAT

Bracket Matchups & Methodology

To build each bracket, GOAT analyzed the number of WANTS each collegiate colorway received in 2024 compared to 2023, then placed the sneakers in their corresponding positions based on the data.

Colorado Wins

Based on our WANTS data, Colorado’s Nike Air DT Max ’96 saw the most explosive growth and would win against all matchups. The silhouette, launched to the forefront of the conversation by the school’s current head coach, Deion Sanders, has become a hot commodity, not least in recent weeks after Kendrick Lamar wore the same pair during his Super Bowl halftime performance. It comes as Sanders’ son, Shedeur, is expected to be a top pick in the upcoming NFL Draft.

In the final, the Buffaloes triumphed over competition from the Georgia Bulldogs’ AE1, the signature shoe of alumnus Anthony Edwards, while the Indiana Hoosiers’ Forum Low and LSU’s Air Force 1 ‘Be True To Her School’ also made deep runs in the tournament. Elsewhere, Oregon and Michigan State saw strong showings with the Dunk Low ‘What the Duck Home’ and Dunk Low ‘Michigan State,’ respectively.