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NCAA Men's Tournament: East Regional Tracker

Geoff Magliocchetti 464 March 19, 2026Fact checked by: Geoff Magliocchetti No Comments

Keep track of all happenings in the East Region at the NCAA Men's Tournament, headlined by the top-ranked Duke Blue Devils.

Keep track of all the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament happenings in the East Region below ...

Cameron Boozer Duke NCAAM basketball
(Photo by Grant Halverson/Getty Images)

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RELATED: East Region Preview| South Region Preview| Midwest Region Preview | West Region Preview | Ballislife Writer's picks

Regional Summary

Champion: UConn
Most Outstanding Player: Tarris Reed Jr., UConn
All-Region Team: Cameron Boozer (Duke), Cayden Boozer (Duke), Zuby Ejiofor (St. John's), Isaiah Evans (Duke), Tarris Reed Jr. (UConn)

Elite Eight

(2) UConn 73, (1) Duke 72

Braylon Mullins' heroic heave fell from the cusp of the midcourt logo with under a second remaining, the finishing touch of UConn's comeback from a deficit that reached as high as 19. The freshman Mullins was fruitless on four attempts beforehand, part of an outside effort that saw the Huskies miss all but one of their first 18 attempts with an extra point on the line. He found redemption, however, when Cayden Boozer made an ill-fated effort to advance the ball following UConn free throws in the final minute, one that ended up in Husky hands before Mullins fired away. Mullins madness was perhaps the one thing that could take away from another Tarris Reed showcase, as the big man fell one rebound short of a double-double with 26 points. Unable to atone for last year's Final Four disappointment against Houston, Duke was led by 27 points from Cameron Boozer while his brother Cayden added 15 in defeat.

Sweet 16 (March 27)

(2) UConn 67, (3) Michigan State 63 

Despite watching an early lead evaporate, UConn held off a feisty challenge from Michigan State to escape from the nation's capital with a victory and an Elite Eight invitation. An early breakout allowed the Huskies to go up 25-6 in the opening stanzas, but MSU fought back with a defensive shutdown and a diverse scoring effort, paced by 14 tallies from Carson Cooper. Clutch antics from Alex Karaban and Tarris Reed Jr., however, were enough to push UConn into the regional final with the poor foul shooter Reed hitting extraordinarily clutch singles that helped seal the deal as he united with the program staple Karaban for 37 tallies. 

(1) Duke 80, (5) St. John's 75

Isaiah Evans scored 25 points, none more important than the three that gave the Blue Devils a permanent lead in their return to the Elite Eight. It was a triumphant night for Duke in more ways than one, as they heartily welcome back Caleb Foster to the floor. In his return from foot surgery, Foster played shutdown defense that helped Duke erase a slim yet emphatic deficit and withstand a surprise outside shooting breakout from St. John's sophomore Ruben Prey. Foster also scored 11 points all in the second half, while Cameron Boozer put up 22 points and 10 boards. Even with the late surge from Durham, St. John's still had a chance for an equalizer, but the attempt from second-round hero Dylan Darling fell short before Duke sealed the deal with free throws.

Second Round (March 21-22)

(2) UConn 73, (7) UCLA 57

Tenured UConn Husky Alex Karaban stole the show in a battle of fiery head coaches, scoring a career-best 27 points as UConn made its return to the Sweet 16. With UConn again missing Jaylin Stewart (though Silas Demary made his return to the lineup), Karaban spearheaded a game-changing second half run that broke a close game open, much to the delight of third national championship-seeking head coach Dan Hurley, who prevailed over the equally explosive Mick Cronin (who was charged for a technical foul for arguing calls as UConn began to pull away).

(5) St. John's 67, (4) Kansas 65

Dylan Darling scored but two points, albeit the most vital, as his driving double as time expired broke a 65-all tie and sent St. John's to their first regional semifinal since 1999. The Red Storm had built a sizable lead thanks to a career-best six three-pointers from Bryce Hopkins but the Jayhawks inched their way back into the game thanks in part to a 21-point showing from Darryn Peterson, but Kansas' comeback from a deficit that reached as high as 14 served only to set the stage for Darling's unexpected heroics on his fifth try of the night.

(1) Duke 81, (9) TCU 58

While not as claustrophobic as their opener against Siena, the Blue Devils once endured a hearty test. Cameron Boozer, however, took care of business to the tune of a 19-point, 11-rebound double-double that helped Duke inflate a four-point lead to as high as 25 before all was said and done. TCU had the game tied just under the 14-minute mark of the second but back-to-back successful and-ones from Boozer began to change the course of the game. From there, the Horned Frogs never got closer than six, as Duke embarked on a 13-0 run that created the double-decade lead that moved the Blue Devils to the Sweet 16 for the third consecutive season and sixth over the last seven.

(3) Michigan State 77, (6) Louisville 69

Coen Carr put up the first double-double of his career with 21 points and 10 rebounds while Jeremy Fears dished out 16 of the Spartans' 22 assists, moving East Lansing to the regional semifinal round for the third time over the last four seasons. Combined with the 11 he had in the opening round triumph over North Dakota State, Fears' 27 assists were the second-most ever in the first two rounds of an NCAA Tournament behind only the 28 Earl Watson had for UCLA in 2000.

First Round (March 19-20)

(2) UConn 82, (15) Furman 71

The Huskies and Paladins played one of the thrilling games of the first round on both an individual and team level: amidst a feisty challenge from Furman, UConn's Tarris Reed took over to the tune of a 31-point, 27-rebounds shellacking that helped the Huskies secure advancement. Reed's monstrous output, not to mention 22 points from Alex Karaban, helped stave off the SoCon champions three years removed from an NCAA Tournament upset over Virginia.

 

(4) Kansas 68, (13) California Baptist 60

Darryn Peterson scored 28 points to further make his case for becoming the next No. 1 pick of the NBA Draft before the Jayhawks held off a furious late rally from a Lancer group making its NCAA Tournament debut. Kansas had its largest lead of 26 in the second half before CBU embarked on an 18-2 run toward the end of the game. An emphatic slam drunk from Tre White essentially sealed the deal, allowing Kansas to earn advancement after last year's first round disappointment.

(7) UCLA 75, (10) UCF 71

Skyy Clark lost a tooth but secured a big victory, as his adjusted smile earned while going after a loose ball became the enduring image of the Bruins' victory. Clark would later hit a crucial free throw to secure the win (on a day where UCF hit only 5-of-16 singles) while Eric Dailey Jr. led the Bruins with 20 points. Donovan Dent handled things defensively, swiping six steals while partaking in all 40 minutes.

(5) St. John's 79, (12) Northern Iowa 53

St. John's won consecutive NCAA Tournament games for the first time since 1999-2000, subjecting UNI to an early barrage that proved impenetrable, winning by their largest margin in a wire-to-wire victory. Zbuy Ejiofor put up 14 points and 11 rebounds while the Red Storm defense limited the Panthers to only a trio of triples.

(3) Michigan State 92, (14) North Dakota State 67

Carson Cooper scored 20 points en route to a double-double that also featured 10 rebounds as the Spartans spoiled NDSU's first tournament appearance since 2019. Michigan State used a 9-0 run early in the first half to take the lead for good, going up by as much as 28 while shooting 59 percent from the field.

 

(1) Duke 71, (16) Siena 65

Despite trailing by as much as 13 and by 11 at halftime, a brilliant bashing from the Boozer brothers allowed top-ranked Duke to survive a hearty scare from MAAC champion Siena. Cameron Boozer put up a 22-point, 13-rebound double-double as he and brother Cayden united for 41 tallies. Duke took the lead for good on Isaiah Evans' floater with 4:26 remaining. 

(6) Louisville 83, (11) South Florida 79

Isaac McKneely scored 23 points while Sananda Fru put up a 10-point, 10-rebound double-double in relief as the Cardinals withstood a furious USF rally and prevailed without star attraction Mikel Brown Jr. Louisville led by as much as 23 before a furious Bulls rally narrowed the gap to as little as five in the final minute before J'Vonne Hadley's free throws sealed the deal.

 

(9) TCU 66, (8) Ohio State 64

Xavier Edmonds scored the last of 16 points to break a 64-all tie with just over four seconds remaining to give the TCU Horned Frogs a two-point victory. Edmonds, David Punch, and Micah Robinson united for 50 points in the win, which saw TCU lead by 15 at halftime before Ohio State made an ultimate futile rally that saw them take the lead at several points. 

Geoff Magliocchetti is on X @GeoffJMags

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