One Reason to Watch All 68 NCAA Tournament Teams - East & West

Welcome to March Madness! Five months of regular season basketball, followed by Champ Week, has finally culminated with the NCAA Tournament. A field of 68 teams, beginning with “First Four” games taking place in Dayton on Tuesday and Wednesday night, will compete for a national championship. 

As always, there are plenty of storylines to follow over the next few weeks. Can Kansas repeat as national champions? Does Kentucky win its first NCAA Tournament game since 2019? Which team will be this year’s Cinderella? Do we get a 15-seed upset for the third straight season? All of that will play out in the coming weeks. However, for true college basketball junkies, there are plenty of reasons to watch EVERY game. Here is one reason to watch all 68 NCAA Tournament teams. We’ve already covered the South & Midwest Regions, now let’s dive in to the East & West Regions.

East Region

#1 Purdue: Zach Edey is a 7’4″ freak of nature that will likely win the National Player of the Year award. He is averaging 22.3 points and 12.8 rebounds per game for the Boilermakers.

#2 Marquette: Winning nine straight games and 14 of their last 15 got Coach Shaka Smart and the Golden Eagles to a #2 seed. This is one of the best offensive teams in the country and have used the same five starters in all 34 games this season.

#3 Kansas State: Coach Jerome Tang is one of the frontrunners for National Coach of the Year after taking over for a 14-17 Wildcats team. This group features a pair of Third Team All-Americans Keyontae Johnson and Marquis Nowell. If you haven’t seen those two play together yet this will be your opportunity.

#4 Tennessee: Losing Zakai Zeigler hurts, but the Volunteers still have one of the best defenses in all of college basketball. They’ve held opponents to just 26.2% shooting from beyond the arc.

#5 Duke: After 42 seasons with Coach Mike Krzyewski on the sidelines, Coach Jon Scheyer has taken over and has the Blue Devils playing very well of late. They enter the NCAA Tournament having won nine straight games.

#6 Kentucky: Between a cancelled tournament, a 9-16 season, and a first round exit to #15 seed Saint Peter’s it has been since 2019 that the Wildcats won a game in March Madness. Is this the year that they get back in the win column?

#7 Michigan State: January, February, Izzo, April, May, etc. We know how the saying goes. This season the Spartans have one of the best three-point shooting teams in college basketball led by Tyson Walker who has had a fantastic season.

#8 Memphis: Kendric Davis is the clear reason why you watch the Tigers. The All-American is averaging 22.1 points, 3.7 rebounds, and 5.6 assists per game. This could be a trendy pick to make a little March Madness run.

#9 Florida Atlantic: With 31 wins on the season Florida Atlantic swept the Conference USA regular season and tournament titles. Johnell Davis, Alijah Martin, Nick Boyd, and Bryan Greenlee make up a very talented four-man backcourt.

#10 USC: Few teams are better at protecting the rim than the Trojans. There is a lot of size and athleticism on this team that could make it hard for opponents to score in a tournament setting.

#11 Providence: Bryce Hopkins leads the Friars in scoring after playing very sparingly as a freshman at Kentucky who they happen to play in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.

#12 Oral Roberts: The Golden Eagles feature the nation’s longest winning streak with 17 straight victories. Also, Max Abmas is averaging 22.2 points per game and is now over 2,500 career points. He will be playing in the NBA next year.

#13 Louisiana: Terence Lewis and Jordan Brown make the Ragin’ Cajuns a bit of a unique matchup for a mid-major. Both are non-shooters but elite around the basket.

#14 Montana State: Few teams in the country get to the free throw line more than Montana State. Once they get there, the Bobcats make 76.3% of their attempts. That could in theory help them down the stretch of a close game.

#15 Vermont: The Catamounts are no stranger to the NCAA Tournament. Last season, they nearly defeated Arkansas in the first round. This time around Vermont has won 15 straight games featuring a highly efficient offense.

#16 Texas Southern: Coach Johnny Jones’ team is the only one in the field with a losing record. They were just 11-20 before making a run to win the SWAC as the #8 seed.

#16 Fairleigh Dickinson: Out of 363 teams in the country, Fairleigh Dickinson is 361st in defensive efficiency according to KenPom. That isn’t really a reason to watch, but it is an interesting fact.

West Region

#1 Kansas: Can the defending national champions go back-to-back? It would be the first time since Florida did it in 2006 and 2007. Jalen Wilson was just named an AP First Team All-American and makes up a potent one-two punch with talented freshman Gradey Dick.

#2 UCLA: Losing Jaylen Clark was devastating to the Bruins, but this is still a team capable of going all the way. They have the number defense in the country per KenPom and a Second Team All-American in Jaime Jaquez Jr. Don’t forget about Tyger Campbell running the show at point guard either.

#3 Gonzaga: Don’t look now, but the ‘Zags have won nine in a row and 12 of their last 13 games. They’ve lost just twice since starting the year 5-3. Drew Timme was named a Second Team All-American, Julian Strawther has been fantastic all season, and the ‘Dawgs have been excellent from beyond the arc. Coach Mark Few enters the NCAA Tournament with the best offense in America.

#4 UConn: The Huskies are one of just four teams in the NCAA Tournament field that ranks in the Top 20 in both offensive and defensive efficiency per KenPom. Adama Sanogo and Donovan Clingan makeup arguably the best one-two punch at the center position in the country.

#5 Saint Mary’s: The Gaels won the West Coast Conference regular season crown but loss to Gonzaga in the tournament final. Coach Randy Bennett’s team plays at a snails pace offensive and is elite defensively.

#6 TCU: After going just 5-8 down the stretch TCU fell a few seed lines. Getting Mike Miles back helps, but the Horned Frogs are still one of the worst three-point shooting teams in the country. However, they are also excellent at guarding the three-point line.

#7 Northwestern: Despite losing four of their last five games the Wildcats are back in the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2017. Boo Buie has emerged as a star and this is a Top 15 defensive team under Coach Chris Collilns.

#8 Arkansas: It has been a disappointing season after losing Trevon Brazile early in the season and only getting 14 games from Nick Smith Jr. However, the Razorbacks have still produced an elite defense that has carried one of the worst shooting teams in power conference basketball. Plenty of talent here for a team coming off of back-to-back Elite Eight runs.

#9 Illinois: Poor three-point shooting has held Coach Brad Underwood’s team back. However, they have non-conference wins over UCLA and Texas proving they can beat any team in the country. Veterans Terrence Shannon and Matthew Mayer could get hot this month.

#10 Boise State: The Broncos are elite defensively and shoot the ball well from three. Max Rice and Chibuzo Agbo are a lethal one-two punch from beyond the arc.

#11 Arizona State: A lot season win at Arizona, followed by two Pac 12 Tournament victories, are likely what got the Sun Devils into the field. Coach Bobby Hurley’s team really struggles offensively but protects the rim at a high level.

#11 Nevada: Few teams are as efficient in the post as Nevada. When looking for teams that take care of the ball and make free throws, two keys in March Madness, the Wolf Pack hold up very well.

#12 VCU: The Rams are sixth nationally in turnover percentage with their elite on-ball pressure defense. Their best offense is creating takeaways on the defensive end of the floor.

#13 Iona: Can Coach Rick Pitino pull off some magic in the NCAA Tournament? It won’t be easy against UConn in round one, but the Gaels come in having won 14 straight games. This is a very good team defensively.

#14 Grand Canyon: This team, led by Coach Bryce Drew, is capable of getting hot from three on any given night. Their 37.6% clip is 23rd in the nation led by Chance McMillian and Noah Baumann.

#15 UNC Asheville: 6’11” center Drew Pember, who began his career at Tennessee, is one of the best players in the country you may not have heard of. His versatility at nearly seven feet tall is incredible.

#16 Howard: The MEAC regular season and tournament champions feature point guard Elijah Hawkins who is as good at playing off of a ballscreen as anyone in the country. He is shooting over 45% from three with many of his triples coming off of the dribble.