The East Region features last year’s national champion, Baylor, as the top seed, plus the two teams with most NCAA Tournament titles in history: No. 4 seed UCLA (11 times) and No. 2 Kentucky (eight). Meanwhile, No. 3 seed Purdue is seeking its first Final Four appearance since 1980. Another blueblood, North Carolina, is in here as a No. 8 seed, and Indiana will join the party if it advances from the First Four.
So there should be no lack of storylines or potentially interesting matchups (Kentucky vs Murray State in the second round, anyone?) as the teams try to make their way to Philadelphia.
• Read more about the other NCAA Tournament Regions: West | South | Midwest
1. Baylor Bears
First round: vs. No. 16 Norfolk State on Thursday (2 p.m., ET, TBS)
Record: 26-6 (14-4 Big 12)
How they got here: Since winning last season’s national championship, Scott Drew’s program hasn’t stopped. With four new starters, the Bears won their first 13 and didn’t stray outside the top 10 during the regular season. Picked to finish third in the Big 12 preseason poll, Baylor shared the conference title with Kansas and posted 10 Quad 1 wins. The last team to repeat as national champs was Florida, led by Billy Donovan, in 2006 and 2007.
What you need to know: The Bears rank in the top 20 nationally in offensive and defensive efficiency.
Read More: East Region analysis of top seeded Baylor, No. 2 Kentucky, No. 3 Purdue and more – The Athletic