Here’s a look at the East Region of the NCAA Tournament as March Madness gets set to tip off Tuesday:
No. 1 UConn
Record: 31-3
Conference: Big East
Coach: Dan Hurley (6th season)
Post-ing up: The Huskies were ranked first for much of 2024 — an even better campaign than a year ago en route to the national championship — and won their first outright Big East regular-season title since 1999. With five players averaging double-digits in scoring, it’s hard to imagine a more well-balanced team, which landed the No. 1 overall seed.
No. 16 Stetson
Record: 22-12
Conference: Atlantic Sun
Coach: Donnie Jones (5th season)
Post-ing up: Stetson junior guard Jalen Blackmon can score with anyone in the country. He averages 21.5 points a game, and in the Atlantic Sun Tournament title game Blackmon poured in 43 points and five 3-pointers, powering the Hatters to their first-ever NCAA Tournament berth.
UConn guard Cam Spencer (12) and teammates celebrate during the final minutes of the team’s NCAA college basketball game against Marquette for the championship of the Big East men’s tournament. APNo. 8 Florida Atlantic
Record: 25-8
Conference: American Athletic
Coach: Dusty May (6th season)
Post-ing up: The Owls followed up last year’s magical Final Four run — the first in school history — with another strong year under May in FAU’s first AAC campaign. They finished second in the regular season behind South Florida and ranked among the top teams in the nation in scoring at 83.0 points per game.
No. 9 Northwestern
Record: 21-11
Conference: Big Ten
Coach: Chris Collins (11th season)
Post-ing up: Do-it-all point guard Boo Buie will go down as a Northwestern legend, leading the Wildcats to back-to-back tournament appearances for the first time in program history. He saved his best for last, posting career-highs in scoring (18.9), assists (5.2), steals (1.3), 3-point shooting percentage (43.1) and minutes (36.6).
No. 5 San Diego State
Record: 24-10
Conference: Mountain West
Coach: Brian Dutcher (7th season)
Post-ing up: A season after losing in the national championship game, Dutcher has the Aztecs right back in contention to make another deep run. Dutcher’s side possesses one of the country’s most stifling and disruptive defenses, a trademark of his, plus an explosive scorer in senior forward Jaedon LeDee.
No. 12 UAB
Record: 23-11
Conference: American Athletic
Coach: Andy Kennedy (4th season)
Post-ing up: Junior-college transfer Yaxel Lendeborg has been a find, the Blazers’ leading scorer (13.8), rebounder (10.5) and shot-blocker (2.2). He’s part of a balanced attack that features seven players who average at least seven points per game, having led UAB to a bid-stealing AAC Tournament title.
San Diego State forward Jaedon LeDee (13) shoots over New Mexico center Nelly Junior Joseph (23) during the second half of an NCAA college basketball championship game at the Mountain West Conference tournament. APExplore More
No. 4 Auburn
Record: 26-7*
Conference: SEC
Coach: Bruce Pearl (10th season)
Post-ing up: Pearl always seems to have the Tigers in the mix at the top of the rankings, and this year is no different. Deep and versatile, they have 10 players who average at least 13 minutes per game. Junior forward Johni Broome, a 6-foot-10 3-point threat, leads the Tigers in scoring (16.3) and rebounding (8.5).
No. 13 Yale
Record: 22-9
Conference: Ivy League
Coach: James Jones (24th season)
Post-ing up: Yale may feel like a team of destiny after rallying from six down in the final 27 seconds to win the Ivy League Tournament on Sunday. It’s a dangerous and deep group, led by versatile 7-footer Danny Wolf, who can shoot the 3 and make plays for his teammates.
No. 6 BYU
Record: 23-10
Conference: Big 12
Coach: Mark Pope (5th year)
Post-ing up: Few teams share the ball like the Cougars, who are fifth nationally in assists at 18.7 per game. BYU doesn’t have just one go-to guy, it has several of them — seven players average at least 9.0 points a game, with 10 averaging double-digit minutes — making them difficult to defend in their first Big 12 season.
No. 11 Duquesne
Record: 24-11
Conference: Atlantic 10
Coach: Keith Dambrot (7th season)
Post-ing up: The Dukes enter the tournament hot, with wins in 10 of their last 11 games, including four in five days to earn the Atlantic 10 automatic bid. It’s been a while since Duquesne was part of March Madness, all the way back in 1977, and their last win came in 1969 versus St. John’s.
Danny Wolf #1 of the Yale Bulldogs drives toward the basket as K.J. Adams Jr. #24 of the Kansas Jayhawks defends during the game at Allen Fieldhouse. Getty ImagesNo. 3 Illinois
Record: 26-8
Conference: Big Ten
Coach: Brad Underwood (7th season)
Post-ing up: Few teams boast a more potent 1-2 punch than senior guard Terrence Shannon Jr. (21.6 ppg) and fifth-year forward Marcus Domask (16.0 ppg), a tandem that has powered the Illini’s top-five offense. But the other end of the floor can be a problem for Illinois, despite winning the Big Ten Tournament.
No. 14 Morehead State
Record: 26-8
Conference: Ohio Valley
Coach: Preston Spradlin (8th season)
Post-ing up: The Eagles won’t be fazed by the stage, having gone to Alabama and Purdue, and they have a star to lean on who does a little bit of everything. Senior wing Riley Minix, a transfer from the NAIA level, scores (20.8), rebounds (9.8) and distributes (2.3 apg) at a high level for Morehead State.
No. 7 Washington State
Record: 24-9
Conference: Pac-12
Coach: Kyle Smith (5th season)
Post-ing up: Smith was named the conference’s Coach of the Year after a second-place finish in the regular season, the Cougars’ best since 2007. Four players average more than 10 points per game, led by 6-foot-9 senior forward Isaac Jones and point guard Myles Rice, the Pac-12 Freshman of the Year after overcoming Hodgkin’s Lymphoma in 2023.
No. 10 Drake
Head coach Kyle Smith of the Washington State Cougars signals to his team in the second half of a quarterfinal game against the Stanford Cardinal of the Pac-12 Conference basketball tournament. Getty ImagesRecord: 28-6
Conference: Missouri Valley
Coach: Darian DeVries (6th season)
Post-ing up: Tucker DeVries, the coach’s son, is a March Madness star waiting to happen. At 6-foot-7, he has good size, can score (21.8 ppg), rebound (6.8 rpg), and is a willing playmaker (3.6 apg). Just ask Mountain West power Nevada, which DeVries torched back in December.
No. 2 Iowa State
Record: 27-7
Conference: Big 12
Coach: T.J. Otzelberger (3rd season)
Post-ing up: The Cyclones are legitimate Final Four contenders. Iowa State is dynamite on the defensive end, loaded with playmakers in the backcourt and experienced against top competition coming out of the Big 12. The lone concern: Free-throw shooting. Iowa State is 278th in the country at the charity stripe (69.5 percent).
No. 15 South Dakota State
Record: 22-12
Conference: Summit League
Coach: Eric Henderson (5th season)
Post-ing up: This has become somewhat of a tradition for the Jackrabbits, seven trips to the tournament since 2012 with three different coaches. This group is led by Summit League Player of the Year Zeke Mayo, the team’s leading scorer (18.8) and distributor (3.5 apg) who also shoots 38.4 percent from deep.
