Selection Sunday has come and gone, meaning it’s time to pour over the NCAA Tournament bracket for the next few days.
To kick off my four-part March Madness preview, I’ll break down the East Region, which appears to be the toughest draw of the four this year.
Let’s take a look at the 2024 East Region betting odds, talk about some intriguing teams, and make some predictions.
March Madness East Region Odds
College basketball odds used for this East Region preview are from Monday, March 18, and courtesy of Caesars Sportsbook.
- UConn (+115)
- Iowa State (+380)
- Auburn (+475)
- Illinois (+600)
- BYU (+1800)
- San Diego State (+2500)
- Northwestern (+4000)
- Florida Atlantic (+4000)
- Washington State (+4000)
- Drake (+5000)
- Duquesne (+10000)
- Yale (+12500)
- UAB (+20000)
- South Dakota State (+25000)
- Morehead State (+30000)
- Stetson (+40000)
March Madness East Region No. 1 Seed
UConn
The defending national champions earned the No. 1 overall seed in this year’s tournament after winning the Big East regular-season and tournament titles.
- Can the Huskies repeat? Check out our NCAAB National Championship odds.
Dan Hurley’s squad is loaded with both talent and experience, giving it a great chance to become the first repeat winners since Florida (2006-2007).
March Madness East Region Cinderella Team
Drake
The Bulldogs went 16-4 in the Missouri Valley Conference this season, earning the No. 2 seed in their conference tournament.
They then won three games in three days to clinch a second straight NCAA Tournament bid, toppling top-seeded Indiana State (28-6, 17-3) in the final.
Last year, Drake lost 63-56 to a Miami team that ended up reaching the Final Four. I’m not expecting a run like that out of Darian DeVries’ squad, but he and his son Tucker (21.8 ppg) could spring a surprise on Washington State in the Round of 64.
March Madness East Region Prediction
UConn to Win the East (+115)
The East Region is loaded, so I’m not sure betting UConn at this steep price is the best idea, but I’ll likely have the Huskies reaching the Final Four in the majority of brackets.
UConn enters the tournament the No. 1-ranked in adjusted offensive efficiency and is also No. 11 in adjusted defensive efficiency, per KenPom.
It’s hard to fade a team that has that level of balance on both ends of the floor and the experience of winning it all last season.
Still, I fully expect Iowa State and Auburn to give the defending champs a run for their money.
[pick id="178396"]
March Madness East Region Best Bet
BYU to Reach Sweet 16 (+170)
The Cougars reportedly earned the No. 17 overall seed in the committee’s rankings, which would have made them the top-ranked five-seed.
However, due to the school’s unwillingness to participate in athletic events on Sundays, BYU was slotted in as the East’s six-seed.
While that may seem unfavorable, the Cougars’ draw has worked out relatively well. A first-round matchup against Atlantic 10 champion Duquesne, who had to win five games in five days to make the NCAA tournament, isn’t overly worrying.
A potential second-round date with Big Ten champion Illinois will be tougher, but the Cougars are battle-tested from Big-12 play and should hold their own with the Fighting Illini.
[pick id="178392"]
March Madness East Region Locations & Schedule
Round 1
Thursday, March 21
CHI Health Center Omaha, Omaha, NE
No. 6 BYU vs No. 11 Duquesne, 12:40 p.m., truTV
No. 3 Illinois vs No. 14 Morehead State, 3:10 p.m., truTV
No. 2 Iowa State vs No. 15 South Dakota State, 7:35 p.m., truTV
No. 7 Washington State vs No. 10 Drake, 10:05 p.m., truTV
Friday, March 22
Barclays Center, Brooklyn, NY
No. 8 Florida Atlantic vs No. 9 Northwestern, 12:15 p.m., CBS
No. 1 UConn vs No. 16 Stetson, 2:45 p.m., CBS
Spokane Veterans Memorial Arena, Spokane, WA
No. 5 San Diego State vs No. 12 UAB, 1:45 p.m., TNT
No. 4 Auburn vs No. 13 Yale, 4:15 p.m., TNT
Round 2
Saturday, March 23
CHI Health Center Omaha, Omaha, NE
Illinois/Morehead State vs BYU/Duquesne, Time & TV TBA
Iowa State/South Dakota State vs Washington State/Drake, Time & TV TBA
Sunday, March 24
Barclays Center, Brooklyn, NY
UConn/Stetson vs Florida Atlantic/Northwestern, Time & TV TBA
Spokane Veterans Memorial Arena, Spokane, WA
Auburn/Yale vs San Diego State/UAB, Time & TV TBA
Sweet 16
Thursday, March 28
TD Garden, Boston, MA
Regional Semifinal No. 1, Time & TV TBA
Regional Semifinal No. 2, Time & TV TBA
Elite 8
Saturday, March 30
TD Garden, Boston, MA
Regional Final Time & TV TBA