College Sports

Top overall seed Duke gets a tough NCAA East Region draw with UConn, Hall of Fame coaches

Posted March 15, 2026 7:37 pm

By AARON BEARD

Duke celebrates winning the championship of the Atlantic Coast Conference tournament in an NCAA college basketball game in Charlotte, N.C., Saturday, March 14, 2026. (AP Photo/Nell Redmond) (AP Photo/Nell Redmond)

Top overall seed Duke headlines an East Region bracket of March Madness t hat is stacked with big names.

Dan Hurley's UConn team is the 2-seed, a decision by the NCAA Tournament selection committee that came after the Huskies had been in contention for a No. 1 seed both in preliminary rankings in February and this week leading into the Big East Tournament.

Hall of Fame coaches Tom Izzo from Michigan State, Bill Self from Kansas and Rick Pitino from Big East champion St. John's lead the next teams up in the 16-team bracket.

Duke (32-2) is a No. 1 seed for the second straight year, with last year's run ending in the Final Four. Jon Scheyer's fourth squad has made it back to the top line in different fashion, relying on star freshman Cameron Boozer as the anchor to an inside-out approach that has routinely overwhelmed opponents in the paint and on the glass.

The Blue Devils have won 11 straight since falling at rival North Carolina on a last-second 3-pointer. They led the country with 17 Quadrant 1 wins that top a postseason résumé, including a neutral-court win against fellow 1-seed Michigan, a home win against another 1-seed in reigning national champion Florida, and a road win against Michigan State.

“We have a bunch of guys that aren't fazed,” Scheyer said after Saturday's 74-70 win against Virginia in the Atlantic Coast Conference Tournament title game. “They thrive in this environment.”

Duke won the ACC Tournament for the third time under Scheyer despite being down two starters, with point guard Caleb Foster (broken foot) and big man Patrick Ngongba II (foot soreness) being sidelined to leave Duke with a seven-man rotation through three games.

While Foster is out for an extended period, Scheyer has said the hope is for Ngongba to be ready for the start of the NCAA Tournament.

The rest of the bracket includes Louisville, UCLA, Ohio State, TCU, UCF, South Florida, Northern Iowa, Cal Baptist, North Dakota State and Furman.

Road to Indianapolis

The regionals will be held in Washington's Capital One Arena, where the Blue Devils edged the Wolverines last month. The Sweet 16 games will take place March 27, followed by the regional final coming two days later.

UConn guard Malachi Smith (0) reacts after scoring during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game against St. John's in the championship of the Big East tournament, Saturday, March 14, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura) (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)

Michigan State head coach Tom Izzo, center, talks to his team during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game against UCLA in the quarterfinals of the Big 10 Conference tournament, Friday, March 13, 2026, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh) (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)

Kansas head coach Bill Self yells from the sidelines during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game against Houston in the semifinal round of the Big 12 Conference tournament Friday, March 13, 2026, in Kansas City, Mo. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel) (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)

St. John's forward Dillon Mitchell (1) and St. John's head coach Rick Pitino embrace each other during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game against UConn in the championship of the Big East tournament, Saturday, March 14, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura) (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)