The NCAA Men’s Tournament Selection Committee decided to make the East Region almost a power college basketball conference all unto itself. When the No. 1 overall seed Duke Blue Devils, Michigan State Spartans, UConn Huskies, and Kansas Jayhawks are all shoehorned in there together, that’s going to bring a lot of eyeballs to their games.
Selection Committee Stacks East Region With College Basketball Powerhouses
Some, though, are not happy with how the East Region looks entering tournament time. Brett Siegel, national NBA insider and reporter for ClutchPoints, had a question that he wanted to ask the committee. He asked it in a post on X from his account.
“Duke, Kansas, Michigan State, UConn, Louisville, and St. John’s all in the same region??? What is this committee thinking?” Siegel wrote.
Duke, Kansas, Michigan State, UConn, Louisville, and St. John’s all in the same region???
What is this committee thinking?
— Brett Siegel (@BrettSiegelNBA) March 15, 2026
Trey Wallace, senior national college sports reporter for OutKick and Fox News, shared his thoughts in a post on X. The GIF that Wallace uses shows former Purdue head coach Gene Keady reacting to a play in the crowd for the Boilermakers’ game in the Big Ten Conference tournament title win over the Michigan Wolverines.
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Wallace wrote, “UConn, St. John’s, Michigan State, Kansas and Duke all on the same region.”
UConn, St. John’s, Michigan State, Kansas and Duke all on the same region. pic.twitter.com/PKXdRSSlfc
— Trey Wallace (@TreyWallace) March 15, 2026
Nicole Auerbach, who is the lead college football insider for NBC Sports and a host on SiriusXM College Sports Radio, recognizes that there are a few college basketball blue bloods in the East Region. Auerbach posted on X, “The East region includes: Duke, UConn, Michigan State, Kansas, St. John’s, Louisville and UCLA. Very blue bluebloods.”
The East region includes: Duke, UConn, Michigan State, Kansas, St. John’s, Louisville and UCLA. Very blue bluebloods.
— Nicole Auerbach (@NicoleAuerbach) March 15, 2026
Mark Zanetto, founder of The Big East Energy Network that covers Big East Conference basketball, posted on X, “Wow East Region is stacked! Duke/UConn/MSU/Kansas/St John’s Louisville/UCLA/OHio State! Sheesh”.
Wow East Region is stacked! Duke/UConn/MSU/Kansas/St John’s Louisville/UCLA/OHio State! Sheesh
— Mark Zanetto (@MarkZanettoCBB) March 15, 2026
Dick Weiss, who is in the National Sportswriters Hall of Fame and a Curt Gowdy Award winner, also had some comments on how the East Region is looking. Weiss posted on X, “East looks like the toughest region with duke, uconn, michigan state, kansas and st. john’s. Blue Devils may have to get by two big east giants to advance to final four.”
East looks like the toughest region with duke, uconn, michigan state, kansas and st. john’s. Blue Devils may have to get by two big east giants to advance to final four.
— Dick Weiss (@HoopsWeiss) March 15, 2026
Vince Wolfram, who is a national college basketball “That’s a W” show host and multimedia reporter for The College Sports Network and hosts “The Mid-Major Show” for the Field of 68, posted his comments about the East Region as well in a post on X.
Wolfram wrote, “This East Region is a DOOZY. WOAH. Duke, UConn, St. John’s, Michigan State, Louisville, Kansas, UCLA… a GAUNTLET.”
This East Region is a DOOZY. WOAH.
Duke, UConn, St. John’s, Michigan State, Louisville, Kansas, UCLA… a GAUNTLET.— Vince Wolfram (@vincewolfram15) March 15, 2026
For NCAA Men’s Tournament fans looking for a region to have their TVs tuned into this week, the East Region just might set a new viewership record all by itself.
