What to know about NCAA Tournament East Region: No. 1 seed Duke & elite coaches
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Duke earns No. 1 overall seed after third straight ACC Tournament title.
- East region features four past national championship coaches, including Hurley, Self.
- Cameron Boozer projects as national POY favorite and a top-three NBA draft pick.
Duke is back as a No. 1 seed, and the Blue Devils will play as the NCAA Tournament favorite.
The NCAA selection committee named Duke, coming off its third straight ACC Tournament title, the overall No. 1 seed. In the East Regional, the Blue Devils’ path starts in Greenville, South Carolina, against MAAC champion Siena, the No. 16 seed.
A Duke victory creates a second-round matchup against Ohio State or TCU.
The Blue Devils, bidding for their sixth national title, reached the Final Four last season, falling to Houston in the semifinals.
What else stands out in the East? The region includes four coaches who have won NCAA titles: Connecticut’s Dan Hurley, Kansas’ Bill Self, St. John’s Rick Pitino and Michigan State’s Tom Izzo.
Top players in the East Regional
Duke’s Cameron Boozer is the favorite for national player of the year honors, and he should be a top-three pick in the NBA Draft. Also in that small circle is Kansas’ Darryn Peterson.
The fourth-seeded Jayhawks meet No. 13 California Baptist, the WAC champion.
Which team is on upset alert?
South Florida, the No. 11 seed, tore through the American Athletic Conference and has won 11 straight, including Sunday’s tournament title game victory over Wichita State. Sixth-seeded Louisville needs to be on upset alert against a team that averages 88.3 point per game.
East Regional prediction
The Blue Devils get it done, defeating Connecticut in a battle of the top-two seeds.
This story was originally published March 15, 2026 at 8:09 PM.