2026 NCAA Men's Tournament Preview: East Region

Featuring four blue bloods, two of the likely top three draft picks and the program that has won two of the last three titles, the East Region will be a battle.

Which top dog will cut down the nets in D.C. and head to Indy?

(Photo by Mitchell Layton/Getty Images)

Men’s East Regional

Top seed: Duke

First/Second Round Locations: Bon Secours Wellness Center (Greenville, S.C), Viejas Arena (San Diego, Calif.), KeyBank Center (Buffalo, N.Y.), XFinity Mobile Arena (Philadelphia, Penn.)

Regional Final Location: Capital One Arena (Washington D.C.)

Who’s In?

1. Duke (32-2, 17-1 ACC)

Head Coach: Jon Scheyer
How They Got Here: ACC Champions
Last NCAA Tournament Appearance: 2025 (Final Four)

Soon-to-be consensus National Player of the Year Cameron Boozer has Duke back on the No. 1 line, this time as the tournament’s second overall seed headlining the East Region. The Blue Devils tore through the regular season, only losing to fully healthy Texas Tech and North Carolina squads away from home. Duke also has one of the most impressive wins of any team during the regular season, a 68-63 triumph in which they claimed the No. 1 ranking in the country from Michigan in arguably the most anticipated game of the season. The Blue Devils had a little bit of trouble in the ACC Tournament, but managed to cut the nets despite winning two of three games in Charlotte by four points or less.

Boozer’s 22.5 points, 10.5 rebounds and 4.2 assists per game all lead the team, while Isaiah Evans contributes 14.9 points per game. Duke is to be without starting point guard Caleb Foster for the remainder of the season, but reserve guard Cayden Boozer assumed the role relatively seamlessly during Duke’s ACC Tournament run. Duke enters the tournament with a historically high +38.90 KenPom rating, with the nation’s fourth best offense and second best defensive according to those metrics. The East Region is unforgiving, but it will take a serious effort to eliminate Jon Scheyer and company.

2. UConn (29-5, 17-3 Big East)

Head Coach: Dan Hurley
How They Got Here: At-Large (Big East runner-up)
Last NCAA Tournament Appearance: 2025 (Round of 32)

UConn had a relatively dominant regular season, but the lackluster quality of the Big East as a whole this year hasn’t earned the Huskies as much respect for their resume as they would have hoped. Early wins over Illinois and Florida carried a lot of weight for UConn early in the season, but surprising losses to Creighton and Marquette late in conference play have caused justifiable cause for pause. Not to mention, a blowout loss to St. John’s in a grudge match at Madison Square Garden for the Big East championship has Dan Hurley’s bunch entering the tournament on a sour note.

Still, the Huskies have a player with more big game experience than anyone else in the tournament in two-time champion Alex Karaban, and junior Solo Ball earned First Team All-Big East honors for the second consecutive season. UConn gave defending champion Florida all it could handle in the Round of 32 last season even after limping through the regular season, which proves that Hurley and his crew are always going to be a near-impossible out in March.

3. Michigan State (25-7, 15-5 Big Ten)

Head Coach: Tom Izzo
How They Got Here: At-Large (Big Ten Quarterfinals)
Last NCAA Tournament Appearance: 2025 (Elite 8)

Michigan State is annually a nightmare matchup in March with Tom Izzo at the helm and that’s as true this season as any. The Spartans could be a No. 10 seed, a No. 7 seed or a No. 3 seed like they are this year and still be a viable threat to eliminate anybody they face in the NCAA Tournament. Boasting a deep lineup that features stars Jeremy Fears, Coen Carr and Jaxon Kohler, Michigan State finished third in the Big Ten and earned impressive wins over Arkansas, Illinois and Purdue during the regular season.

Fears’ 15.7 points leads Michigan State and his 9.2 assists per game leads the entire country, which has greatly benefitted his teammate and frequent alley-oop receiver Carr’s career highlight tape. Don’t be surprised to see Sparty make a run this march, and expect some high flying highlights if they do.

4. Kansas (23-10, 12-6 Big 12)

Head Coach: Bill Self
How They Got Here: At-Large (Big Ten Semifinals)
Last NCAA Tournament Appearance: 2025 (Round of 64)

Kansas enters the NCAA Tournament with more questions than any program that could be considered a contender, to the point that I’m not even sure I would. The Darryn Peterson saga has provided enough question marks of its own, but the reality aside from that is that Kansas hasn’t even been particularly good since his full-time return to the lineup.

Still, convincing wins over Iowa State and Houston and a triumph over Arizona go to show that you can never truly count Kansas out. Peterson’s most impressive performance of the season, a late-game takeover in a Feb. 2 comeback over Texas Tech, proved that he could certainly do his best Kemba Walker impression in a pressure packed March scenario. The Jayhawks are a real threat to get hot and make a run, but they’re also a real threat to be a first weekend exit.

5. St. John’s (28-6, 18-2 Big East)

Head Coach: Rick Pitino
How They Got Here: Big East Champions
Last NCAA Tournament Appearance: 2025 (Round of 32)

St. John’s enters The Big Dance as hot as any team in the country, as the Johnnies have won 19 of their last 20 games since falling to 9-5 with a concerning loss to Providence in early January. That includes two wins over UConn, including a 20-point drubbing of the Huskies in the Big East Championship.

Star forward Zuby Ejiofor leads the Johnnies in all three major statistical categories, posting 16.3 points, 7.1 rebounds and 3.5 assists per game. Providence transfer Bryce Hopkins averages 13.5 points per game, while guard Oziyah Sellers averages 10.7 points. Like UConn, there are still some questions about how the Johnnies may fare against non-Big East competition if they advance into the later rounds of the tournament, but the bracket could open up quickly for Rick Pitino’s crew if the right teams go down.

6. Louisville (23-10, 11-7 ACC)

Head Coach: Pat Kelsey
How They Got Here: At-Large (ACC Quarterfinals)
Last NCAA Tournament Appearance: 2025 (First Round)

A lot of Power 5 teams try and bolster their tournament resume on the basis that they are better than their record, but Pat Kelsey’s Louisville Cardinals are actually better than their record. Entering the tournament following a loss to Miami in the ACC quarters, the Cardinals boast the ninth best 2-point field goal percentage in the country and the 21st best adjusted offensive efficiency but haven’t really been able to earn any truly impressive victories this season.

Led by likely NBA lottery pick Mikel Brown Jr. (18.2 points per game) and Ryan Conwell (18.7 points per game), Louisville is another example of a team with enormous boom or bust potential in this year’s dance. A first round matchup against a tough American Conference champ in South Florida multiplies that reality.

7. UCLA (23-11, 13-7 Big Ten)

Head Coach: Mick Cronin
How They Got Here: At-Large (Big Ten Semifinals)
Last NCAA Tournament Appearance: 2025 (Round of 32)

There were a few times this season where it looked like the wheels were going to come all the way off Mick Cronin’s bus, but here we are in mid-March and the Bruins are currently in the middle of their best stretch all season. A surprise trip to the Big Ten semifinal was preceded by impressive wins over Illinois and Nebraska in the final two weeks of the regular season.

Stars Tyler Bilodeau and Donovan Dent both suffered injuries in the Big Ten Tournament, but Cronin didn’t seem particularly concerned about the status of either of them and even said that both could have continued to play in the conference tournament if the team determined it was worth the risk. With this roster, it makes sense why Cronin would hedge his bets toward the Big Dance even if the regular season was far from as seamless as anyone would have hoped. But then again, seamlessness and Mick Cronin are two pretty incompatible ideas.

8. Ohio State (21-12, 12-8 Big Ten)

Head Coach: Jake Diebler
How They Got Here: At-Large (Big Ten Quarterfinal)
Last NCAA Tournament Appearance: 2022 (Round of 32)

Jake Diebler’s turnaround of the Buckeyes’ basketball program is well on its way, and this is another example of a team that is probably a bigger threat than their record indicates. Wins over Purdue, Wisconsin and UCLA proved Ohio State can hang with some elite teams when things break the right way, and aside from an early non-conference loss to Pittsburgh, the Buckeyes have largely avoided any bad losses.

Led by a three-headed monster consisting of Bruce Thornton (20.2 points per game), John Mobley Jr. (15.7 points per game) and Devin Royal (13.7 points per game), the Buckeyes have the 18th-best effective field goal percentage and the 19th-best two-point field goal percentage nationally. The defensive flaws prevent Ohio State from being more dangerous, but the Buckeyes are a strong 8 seed on paper alone.

9. TCU (22-11, 11-7 Big 12)

Head Coach: Jamie Dixon
How They Got Here: At-Large (Big Ten Quarterfinals)
Last NCAA Tournament Appearance: 2024 (Round of 64)

TCU has been no stranger to the NCAA Tournament since Jamie Dixon took over in 2016, making the Big Dance for the fifth time in Dixon’s tenure after making just six appearances in program history before that. The Horned Frogs recovered from a 1-4 start in Big 12 play to finish sixth in arguably the deepest conference in college hoops.

Led by forwards David Punch and Xavier Edmonds, TCU is a strong defensive team that forces a lot of turnovers and can dictate the pace offensively. The Horned Frogs won eight of their last nine regular season games and earned wins over Florida and Iowa State this season, proving they can compete with any top two seed.

10. UCF (21-11, 9-9 Big 12)

Head Coach: Johnny Dawkins
How They Got Here: At-Large (Big 12 Quarterfinal)
Last NCAA Tournament Appearance: 2019 (Round of 32)

Big 12 Coach of the Year Johnny Dawkins has UCF back in the tournament for the first time since the Knights nearly stunned Zion Williamson and Duke in the Round of 32 in 2019. Wins over Kansas, Texas Tech and BYU highlighted the regular season, but seven losses in 11 games entering the NCAA Tournament has the Knights looking a little bit funny in the light and certainly impacted their season after a smoking hot 14-2 start.

Guards Riley Kugel and Themus Fulks each average over 14 points per game, while forward Jordan Burks chips in 13 points per game. The Horned Frogs have the 39th-best adjusted offensive efficiency and the 48th-best 3-point percentage in the nation, but rank well into the 200s in several meaningful defensive metrics.

11. South Florida (25-8, 15-3 American)

Head Coach: Bryan Hodgson
How They Got Here: American Conference Champions
Last NCAA Tournament Appearance: 2012 (Round of 32)

There might not be a hotter name in collegiate coaching circles right now than USF’s Bryan Hodgson, who reportedly turned down an offer to be the head coach of Syracuse to stay with the upstart Bulls. That’s sure to be a huge emotional boost for a team making its first NCAA Tournament in nearly a decade and a half, but this is a dangerous team even without any added motivation.

USF enters the NCAA Tournament with the second longest win streak in the country, an 11-game run that concluded with an American Conference championship and an automatic bid. The Bulls’ light American Conference schedule has left them entirely unproven against elite competition, but the hard-nosed defense they play is something that can certainly translate in the right March scenario.

12. Northern Iowa (23-12, 11-9 Missouri Valley)

Head Coach: Ben Jacobson
How They Got Here: Missouri Valley Conference Champions
Last NCAA Tournament Appearance: 2016 (Round of 32)

Between Ali Farokmanesh shocking Kansas in 2010, the halfcourt buzzer beater to beat Texas in 2016 or the impossible collapse against Texas A&M that following game, you can usually count on some high drama whenever Northern Iowa is in the NCAA Tournament. It already took the Panthers plenty of drama to even get to this stage after they won the Missouri Valley Conference tournament as the No. 6 seed.

Seven wins in nine games entering the NCAA Tournament make it clear the Panthers are hot at the right time, but St. John’s is a historically difficult No. 5 seed to draw and that likely dampens any chance of the often seen 12/5 upset in that matchup.

13. California Baptist (25-8, 13-5 WAC)

Head Coach: Rick Croy
How They Got Here: WAC Champions
Last NCAA Tournament Appearance: Never

Cal Baptist got a first hand look at the chaos of March, beating Utah Valley in one of the best games of the entire college basketball season to win the last ever WAC Championship game. Dom Daniels Jr. overcame a 4-of-22 start to make his final three 3-pointers to give the Lancers a two-point lead on their final possession. You may have seen it by now, but on that final possession, Utah Valley’s Isaac Davis botched the game-tying dunk and thus Cal Baptist is dancing for the first time.

Kansas is an undoubtedly tough draw for Cal Baptist, but when Daniels is on, you definitely don’t want to be on the opposite bench. I’ll admit, I was a bit surprised to see the Lancers earn a No. 13 seed and thought it would be a seed or two lower, but this is undoubtedly a program on the rise.

14. North Dakota State (27-7, 14-2 Summit League)

Head Coach: David Richman
How They Got Here: Summit League Champions
Last NCAA Tournament Appearance: 2019 (Round of 64)

The Bison enter the Big Dance red hot, winning eight of their last nine games en route to a Summit League title and their first NCAA Tournament berth on this side of the decade. North Dakota State boasts the 16th-best offensive rebound percentage in the country and rank 47th nationally in total opponent rebounds per game.

North Dakota State boasts four scorers who average double-figures, led by guard Damari Wheeler-Thomas, who averages 14.4 points per game. Guard Trevian Carson also chips in 12 points per game while leading the Bison with 6.4 rebounds and 1.9 steals per game.

15. Furman (22-12, 10-8 SoCon)

Head Coach: Bob Richey
How They Got Here: SoCon Champions
Last NCAA Tournament Appearance: 2023 (Round of 32)

It’s only been a few years since Furman was a darling pick on many brackets before beating Virginia in the 2023 Round of 64, but its safe to say the Paladins will have a much tougher go of it this time around against UConn.

Still, five wins in the last six games and an impressive run through the SoCon Tournament has Furman playing with plenty of confidence. The Paladins rank 14th nationally in two-point field goal percentage and 46th in effective field goal percentage, proving they can get hot if they get the right looks.

16. Siena (23-11, 13-7 MAAC)

Head Coach: Gerry McNamara
How They Got Here: MAAC Champions
Last NCAA Tournament Appearance: 2010 (Round of 64)

It seems like 2009 is an entire lifetime ago, when Siena earned a 9 (!) seed in the NCAA Tournament and shocked Evan Turner and No. 8 seed Ohio State in the ever-so-memorable “Onions! Double Order!” game (Still Bill Raftery’s best call, by the way).

Now, over a decade and a half later, former Syracuse legend and Upstate New York Gerry McNamara has the Franciscan university dancing once again, much to the delight of the passionate local fanbase in Albany. A first round matchup against mighty Duke will likely make that excitement short lived, however, and soon McNamara could be taking over the vacant Syracuse gig after Hodsgon’s denial.

All-Region Team (East)

Cameron Boozer, Duke
Mikel Brown Jr., Louisville
Zuby Ejiofor, St. John’s
Jeremy Fears, Michigan State
Darryn Peterson, Kansas

East Regional Outlook

The Favorite: Duke

Jon Scheyer is arguably the best coach in college basketball right now that isn’t named Kelvin Sampson, and Cameron Boozer has been the nation’s best player from the season’s opening tip. It won’t be a cakewalk for the Blue Devils, but they’ve earned the right to be called favorites.

The Wary: Kansas

The questions surrounding Peterson’s availability have been enough of a cloud over the Jayhawks this season, but the bigger questions at this point have to do with the guard’s ability to gel with his teammates after missing so much meaningful action. Like I said, this team could be a first weekend exit or a Final Four team and I really wouldn’t be surprised either way.

The Cinderella: South Florida

Bryan Hodgson, a Buffalo native, will get to coach in front his father who is suffering from dementia for the first time in his life when the Bulls play at Key Bank Arena on Thursday. With the second longest win streak in the country, a legitimate rallying point and a phenomenal young coach who is appears to be all the way bought in at the moment, why not South Florida?