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2026 March Madness Bracket Predictions: East Region

by Robert Ferringo - 3/17/2026

March Madness bracket predictions East Region Bruce Thornton Ohio State Buckeyes

I don’t know what it is, but I feel like the East Region is always the most difficult in the NCAA tournament.

In 2024, the East Region featured 11 conference champions and three Final Four teams from previous year. Last year, the East was packed with Top 10 teams and so much talent that North Carolina was the No. 11 seed.

For the third straight season, the No. 1 overall seed will hail from the East, with the Duke Blue Devils enjoying the honor of trying to navigate this minefield. The Blue Devils can take solace in the fact that the top seed has been able to escape this region each of the past two years. But the third time may not be a charm for a Duke team that was done no favors by the selection committee.

Doc’s Sports offers college basketball expert picks for every game on our NCAA basketball predictions page.

Here are Doc’s Sports 2026 March Madness bracket predictions for the East Region:  

No. 1 Seed: Duke Blue Devils (+100 to win East Region)

Duke may have been the best team in college basketball during the regular season, helping themselves to the No. 1 overall seed in the tournament. But they aren’t at full strength right now. Two starters, Caleb Foster and Patrick Ngongba, both missed Duke’s run in the ACC tournament and are questionable for The Big Dance. The bad news is that Duke may be forced to continue playing without their third- and fourth-leading scorers, respectively. The good news is that they didn’t need them to win the ACC title and might not need them to win the East. Duke has played only eight games this season that were decided by single dights and Cameron Boozer (22.7 points per game, 10.2 rebounds per game) is arguably the nation’s best player.

Duke NCAA Tournament Predictions: I think Duke got screwed. Despite being the top overall seed, the East is by far the toughest bracket. I don’t know that the banged-up Blue Devils will survive it. TCU or Ohio State will be a test in Round 2 and then Duke could have to face St. John’s or Kansas in the Sweet 16. That’s all before a potential date with Michigan State or Connecticut just to get to the Final Four. I don’t see Duke meeting their championship goals this year.

No. 2 Seed: Connecticut Huskies (+400)

It has been a bit of a shaky season for the Huskies. I know that’s an odd thing to say about a 29-5 team, but Connecticut set the bar as high as possible with back-to-back titles in 2023-2024. The Huskies beat Illinois, Kansas and Florida in the nonconference and started Big East play with 12 straight wins. Connecticut went just 7-4 down the stretch, though, and got bombed in the conference tournament championship game last Saturday. The Huskies boast size and experience, although they lack the top-end, NBA-caliber talent they have had in years’ past. Regardless, this is a dark horse title contender and they won’t be an easy out for anyone.

Connecticut NCAA Tournament Predictions: The Huskies don’t have an easy draw in the second round with either UCLA or Central Florida. And Michigan State will be a test in the Sweet 16. Danny Hurley’s group isn’t afraid of anyone, though, and they are more than capable of escaping this brutal region.

No. 3 Seed: Michigan State Spartans (+700)

This year was another exceptional season from one of the best college coaches of all time, Tom Izzo. The Spartans exceeded all expectations and – stop me if you’ve heard this one – win games with toughness and Top 10 defense. Point guard Jeremy Fears is one of the most improved players in the country and leads a group of five double-digit scorers. Michigan State has struggled as of late, finishing 6-5 in their last 11 games. Yes, they have wins over Illinois and Purdue during that span. They also have a loss to Minnesota and two near-losses to Rutgers. I’m always wary of teams that generate a good chuck of their offense from offensive rebounding (Michigan State is seventh nationally) and we’ve seen highly ranked Michigan State teams flame out in past tournaments.

Michigan State NCAA Tournament Predictions: I think that Michigan State is good enough to beat anyone in the field. I don’t think that they are good enough to win five or six games and I don’t see them as a true title threat. I have the Spartans headed for a showdown with Connecticut. And I don’t think they will escape both the Huskies and the Blue Devils to win this region.

No. 4 Seed: Kansas Jayhawks (+450)

Your guess is as good as mine with this group. Kansas has the potential No. 1 overall pick in this summer’s NBA draft, Darryn Peterson, and another future pro in sophomore center Flory Bidunga. Kansas went 23-10 while playing the nation’s toughest schedule and have wins over Iowa State, Arizona and Houston. However, this team played better without Peterson and there are major questions about their chemistry and cohesion. They are just 4-5 since beating Arizona, sans Peterson, on Feb. 9. And while Peterson scored 30 or more points in five of their final seven games, Kansas went just 3-4 in those contests.

Kansas NCAA Tournament Predictions: Despite their talent, this Kansas team isn’t good enough to hold it together and tear through this region. They are, however, good enough to end the title dreams of a couple teams along the way.

No. 5 Seed: St. John’s Red Storm (+1800)

It took a little bit for St. John’s to gel. Since they have, few teams in the country have been better in 2026 than the Red Storm. St. John’s has won 19 of 20 games and just rolled through the Big East tournament, going 3-0 SU and ATS and winning all three games by double-digits. Zuby Ejiofor is a bully on the interior. And seniors Bryce Hopkins, Dillon Mitchell and Ozzy Sellers provide a load of experience. Along with Ian Jackson, St. John’s does as good of a job taking care of the ball as any team in the country. They aren’t a great shooting team and that will likely be their undoing. But St. John’s will defend for days and will turn any game into a rock fight.

St. John’s NCAA Tournament Predictions: Did St. John’s peak last weekend in New York City? Are they primed for a letdown in this tournament? Maybe. They failed to make it out of the opening weekend last year as a No. 2 seed. A second-round game with Kansas would be awesome. And St. John’s would cause Duke a lot of problems. I think St. John’s got screwed by their seeding, though, and may not have the offense to make it out of this region.

No. 6 Seed: Louisville Cardinals (+1200)

Louisville’s team was better last year. And that group only secured a No. 8 seed and lost in Round 1. This year’s club plays hard. But they are a paper tiger. Since mid-November, the Cardinals only have one win over a team in the actual NCAA field – and that came against overrated Miami. Freshman guard Mikel Brown is legit. He is coming back from a back injury that has kept him out of the last four games and robbed him of eight games earlier in the year. When he’s right, Brown and Ryan Conwell are one of the most explosive backcourts in the nation. Even with them, though, this Louisville team is not for real and hasn’t proven that it can beat top-end teams.

Louisville Tournament Predictions: I’ll be surprised if the Cardinals survive the opening weekend. South Florida is not a walkover in the opener and if they beat Michigan State it would mark their most significant win of the season.

Best first-round matchup: No. 8 Ohio State vs. No. 9 TCU

These two teams are sneaky good. Ohio State senior guard Bruce Thornton is awesome and was finally able to climb the NCAA tournament mountain. He will lead a Buckeyes group that beat Purdue and Wisconsin recently, while also scoring close losses to Michigan, Virginia and Michigan State. TCU has beaten Florida, Wisconsin and Iowa State and they come to this dance winners of nine of 11 games. David Punch and Xavier Edmonds are a nice one-two punch for the Horned Frogs, and the first game of the opening round (12:15 p.m. Thursday) could be one of the best. 

Best potential second-round matchup: No. 4 Kansas vs. No. 5 St. John’s

Two top 20 teams. Two Hall of Fame coaches. Two bruising center (Ejiofor and Bidunga). And the fun of watching St. John’s seniors try to harass a potential future pro star in Pederson. This game would have Final Four talent and plenty of high-end play.

Upset Alert (first round): No. 6 Louisville (-11.5) vs. No. 11 South Florida

It has been a rough two years for South Florida, beginning with the tragic death of head coach Amir Abdur-Rahim in October of 2024. New head coach Bryan Hodgson getting this team to the tournament in his first season is a significant achievement, but the Bulls don’t strike me as the type of team that is ‘just happy to be here’. USF has won 11 straight games, with six of their last seven coming by 10 or more points, and they won’t be scared of the Cardinals.

Upset Alert (second round): No. 1 Duke vs. No. 8 Ohio State/No. 9 TCU

I’ve already listed all the Top 10 scalps that Ohio State and TCU have taken this year. Duke was not nearly the same caliber team last week in the ACC tournament without Foster and Ngongba. If those two aren’t back this weekend, then the Blue Devils are vulnerable. And a win over the Blue Devils would be like winning the national title for either of these mid-tier squads.

Dark Horse Team: UCLA

UCLA is a team that entered the season with Top 20 hype and dark horse expectations. The season didn’t play out that way. That doesn’t mean that this team isn’t capable of doing some serious damage. The issue for the Bruins is that their two best players, Donovan Dent and Tyler Bilodeau, are both banged up right now. If they are healthy, then this team, which pushed Arizona to the limit back in November, is more than capable of causing Connecticut some problems. They also beat potential Sweet 16 opponent Michigan State in Big Ten play. If this group gets healthy and hot – watch out.

Team That Makes Me Nervous: Kansas

I just don’t know what to do with these guys. Are they going to lose in the first round? Is Bill Self going to put it together and ride this talent to the Sweet 16? If Duke gets bumped off could the Jayhawks be a sleeper to the Elite Eight? Kansas has been a disappointment for so much of the year. Will they find redemption with a March run or will they flame out once and for all?

2026 East Region Predictions: This is the most difficult bracket in the tournament. Therefore, it’s the most difficult to predict. We have never had more than two No. 1 seeds make the Final Four in back-to-back years. Last year all four of them made it. I think that spells trouble for the wounded Blue Devils. I don’t have Duke surviving and I think that one of the Big East powers, St. John’s or Connecticut, will bully their way to the Final Four.

Robert Ferringo is a member of the Basketball Writer's Association of America and a professional sports handicapper for Doc's Sports. He is considered one of the best college basketball handicappers in the country and has posted 12 of 15 winning seasons. He is looking for a monster March run and you can sign up for his college basketball picks and get more information here.

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