March Madness: Here's what to know about every team in men's East region
[Regional breakdowns: West | East | South | Midwest]
With the bracket for the 2022 men's NCAA tournament now set, we're taking a look at each team in the field. Here's what to look for out of an East region featuring defending champion Baylor and Kentucky.
No. 1 seed Baylor (26-6, at-large)
No team has repeated as NCAA champion since a Florida lineup featuring Al Horford, Joakim Noah and Corey Brewer won back-to-back titles in 2006 and 2007. Defending champion Baylor enters NCAA play as a No. 1 seed and reasonable choice to repeat the feat at +1200 to win again, the fifth-shortest odds in the field behind Gonzaga, Arizona, Kentucky and Kansas. If it does, it won't be with the same core like Florida had in 2007. The Bears lost their starting backcourt from 2021 to the NBA with Davion Mitchell and Jared Butler both selected in last year's draft. This team is anchored by another All-Big 12 backcourt featuring Arizona transfer James Akingo and junior Adam Flagler, who's thrived since joining the starting lineup this season.
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No. 2 seed Kentucky (26-7, at-large)
While Baylor's the No. 1 seed, Kentucky's the betting favorite to come out of the East. The Wildcats were on track to potentially land a No. 1 seed before a semifinal loss to eventual champion Tennessee in the SEC tournament. But armed with a No. 2 seed and National Player of the Year favorite Oscar Tshiebwe (17 points, 15.2 rebounds, 1.8 steals, 1.6 blocks per game), Kentucky finds itself on the short list of teams favored to win the championship.
No. 3 seed Purdue (27-7, at-large)
Early in the season, Purdue looked poised for a No. 1 seed, rising to No. 1 in the AP poll after an 8-0 start including wins over Villanova and North Carolina. A grind of a Big Ten Schedule dropped Purdue down a couple of lines, but this is still a team to be feared in March. Explosive guard Jaden Ivey headlines a list of three players to make one of the three All-Big Ten teams and projects as an NBA lottery pick. How deep Purdue runs could very well depend on Ivey's performance.
No. 4 seed UCLA (25-7, at-large)
UCLA followed up last year's surprise Final Four run with a strong showing and second-place finish in the Pac-12 behind Arizona. The Bruins beat Villanova and split their season series with Arizona before falling to the Wildcats in a rubber match for the Pac 12 tournament championship. They also lost an early season matchup with Gonzaga by 20 points. Like last season, how far UCLA goes will depend on the play of All Pac-12 guards Johnny Juzang and Jaime Jaquez Jr. Their top-30 effort in both offensive and defensive efficiency bodes well.
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No. 5 seed St. Mary's (25-7, at-large)
With a late-season win over Gonzaga, St. Mary's has proven itself capable of playing with the nation's best. In other words — the type of team you really don't want to see on your side of the bracket. Boasting a top-25 defense, the Gaels held a Bulldogs team that averages 87.4 points per game to a season-low 58 in the Feb. 24 upset. All-WCC guard Tommy Kuhse (12 points per game, 46.9% 3-point shooting) and forward Matthias Tass (12.6 points, 6 rebounds per game) lead the way.
No. 6 seed Texas (21-11, at-large)
A year after a stunning first-round exit to Abilene Christian, Texas is hoping first-year head coach Chris Beard is the man to secure the program's first NCAA tournament victory since 2015. Beard got the job thanks to his success building Texas Tech into an NCAA power, which culminated with a 2019 trip to the national championship game. His influence is already showing with the Longhorns boasting the nation's 12th best defensive efficiency rating. They'll need it against a Virginia Tech team that shot lights out en route to an ACC championship.
No. 7 seed Murray State (30-2, OVC champion)
Murray State hasn't lost since Dec. 22. It also hasn't faced an NCAA tournament team since that 71-58 defeat to Auburn three days before Christmas. But the Racers do boast a win over tourney-bound Memphis from Dec. 10 and are armed with top 20 rankings in offensive and defensive efficiency, metrics that bode well for NCAA tournament success. Senior forward KJ Williams (18.2 points, 8.6 rebounds per game) leads the way three years after playing alongside Ja Morant in Murray State's first-round upset of Marquette as a No. 12 seed.
No. 8 seed North Carolina (24-9, at-large)
UNC spent most of the season beating the teams that it should, tallying a 22-1 record against teams in Quadrants 2-4. But it struggled in games against high quality opponents, with losses to Purdue, Tennessee and Kentucky outside of the ACC. Its single defeat outside of Quadrant 1 — a bad home loss to Pittsburgh on Feb. 16 — put Carolina's NCAA hopes on notice. But it was nothing a six-game winning streak and win over Duke in Mike Krzyzewski's Cameron Indoor Stadium finale couldn't cure. Rookie head coach Hubert Davis has put the stamp on his first season leading his alma mater. Now he's hoping All-ACC center Armando Bacot (16.5 points, 12.5 rebounds, 1.7 blocks per game) can anchor an unexpected tournament run.
No. 9 seed Marquette (19-12, at-large)
After failing to win an NCAA tournament game at Texas, head coach Shaka Smart has found success in his first year at Marquette, leading the Golden Eagles to their first NCAA tournament bid since 2019. Now comes the part that vexed him in six seasons in Austin — picking up a win. Marquette has wins over quality tournament teams including against No. 4 seed Providence and a sweep of No. 2 seed Villanova. It also dropped a bad loss to DePaul on March 2. It will likely need a big effort from All-Big East forward Justin Lewis (17.1 points, 7.9 rebounds per game) to advance past UNC.
No 10 seed San Francisco (24-9, at-large)
After a 23-season NCAA tournament drought, San Francisco is dancing again — as an at-large team. The Dons earned their way into the field thanks to a strong campaign in a WCC that produced as many NCAA tournament teams — three — as the Pac-12. The bad news for the Dons is that they lost all five matchups with their fellow tourney teams from the WCC — two to St. Mary's and three to Gonzaga. They're metrics darlings that finished No. 22 in the season-ending NET ratings and rank in the top 60 in both offensive and defensive efficiency.
No. 11 Virginia Tech (23-12, ACC champion)
This is a double-digit seed you don't want to face. A hot-shooting team that can defend the perimeter, the Hokies picked up the pace at the right time, winning seven out of their last games en route to an ACC tournament title, beating North Carolina and Duke along the way. Virginia Tech boasts a top 25 offense anchored by the nation's third-best 3-point shooting (39.3%). Darius Maddox (51.9%), Sean Pedulla (44.3%), Hunter Cattoor (41.8%), Nahiem Alleyne (37.3%) and Storm Murphy (35.8%) all shoot better than 35% from behind the arc while averaging at least 1.9 3-point attempts per game. If the Hokies are hot, watch out.
No. 12 seed Wyoming (25-8, at-large) or Indiana (20-13, at-large)
Wyoming survived the bubble as an at-large team thanks to its 4-5 record against Quadrant 1 teams. But it limps into NCAA play with a 3-3 finish down the stretch. Indiana appeared to play its way out of the tournament with a five-game losing streak in mid-February before consecutive wins over Michigan and Illinois in the Big Ten tournament saved its season. If the Hoosiers can revert to the play that secured early season wins over Purdue and Ohio State, they might dig deep for a tournament upset.
No. 13 seed Akron (24-9, MAC champion)
Akron emerged from the MAC tournament's No. 4 seed with wins over top-seeded Toledo and No. 2 seed Kent State to secure an automatic NCAA bid. Their tournament victory capped an eight-game winning streak heading into NCAA play. If they want to make it nine straight, they'll likely need second-team All-MAC forward Ali Ali (14.1 points per game, 41.2% 3-point shooting) to make a name for himself.
No. 14 seed Yale (19-11, Ivy league champion)
The Ivy league is back in the NCAA tournament after canceling winter sports last season amid the COVID-19 pandemic. That means Yale is representing the league for a second straight time after securing its automatic bid in 2019 as well. Two-time All-Ivy League guard Azar Swain (19.2 points, 4.2 rebounds per game) is the Bulldogs' best hope of keeping things interesting against Purdue.
No. 15 seed St. Peters (19-11, MAAC champion)
The Peacocks enter enter NCAA play riding a seven-game win streak en route to the MAAC championship. Their reward is date with Kentucky and National Player of the Year favorite Oscar Tshiebwe. This is St. Peter's first NCAA tournament appearance since 2011, where it lost to Purdue by 22 points as a No. 13 seed. Don't expect a better showing this time around.
No. 16 seed Norfolk State (24-6, MEAC champion)
Norfolk State has history here. The Spartans pulled off one of the biggest upsets in NCAA history as a No. 15 seed in 2012 when they toppled No. 2 seed Missouri in the first round. This team a decade removed obviously has nothing to do with the 2012 unit. But it does have MEAC Player of the Year Joe Bryant, Jr. (16.8 points, 5.1 rebounds per game), who can only hope to keep things interesting enough vs. Baylor for viewers to stay tuned past the first half.
