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By Jason Fray
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The East Regional of the 2026 NCAA Tournament is absolutely loaded. It features several blue blood programs and a host of head coaches that one day will be Hall of Fame members. There are some tasty storylines worth delving into based on possible matchups.
In this region, most assume that Duke and UConn will be on a collision course for a date in the Elite 8. Having said that, there are several lower seeds outside of the top-four that can devastate bracket pools across the country.
Two in particular have the look of squads that were under-vastly seeded relative to their talent and resume.
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More news: Donovan Dent Turning the UCLA Bruins into an NCAA Tournament Darkhorse
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St. John's
The Johnnies are coming off a stellar performance in the Big East Tournament. Rick Pitino's team soundly beat every team it faced en route to a tournament championship. This included blitzing UConn by a score of 72-52 in the title game.
There's a bigger picture element here which should delight those in search of an underdog looking to make real noise. St. John's won 19 of its last 20 contest. The team played a very tough non-conference slate to prepare it for the Big Dance. That included games versus Alabama, Iowa State, and Kentucky.
Kenpom ranks St. John's 12th overall in defensive rating. Zuby Ejiofor established himself as one of the best big men in the sport. He hits the glass hard, plays with terrific energy, and is a real deterrent at the rim (averaging over two blocks per contest). Dillon Mitchell is the second component in this defensive front court equation. He boasts real versatility in being able to guard multiple spots on the floor given his elite athletic ability.
From there, St. John's has several high-profile transfers (Bryce Hopkins, Ian Jackson, Oziyah Sellers, Joson Sanon) all with length on the wing. Hopkins is the team's sescond-leading scorer. Sellers, Sanon, and Jackson all have the ability to be difference-makers on any given night.
This team is experienced, physical, and playing with tons of confidence. Given the fact this squad is led by one of the sport's most accomplished coaches, St. John's has a real pathway to get past Kansas in the Round of 32 and give Duke a real game.
UCLA
UCLA is a No. 7 seed only in name.
The Bruins were widely assumed to be a top 15 team nationally heading into the year. Some unexpected losses early hindered the team's ultimate standing. Having said that, Mick Cronin's squad figured some things out thus making them a real threat to advance farther than many would assume heading into tournament play.
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The team's offensive efficiency went through the roof in recent weeks thanks to senior point guard Donovan Dent. The New Mexico transfer was masterful in setting his teammates up whether in the half court off pick-and-roll situations, or in transition when pushing the ball up the floor.
Dent accrued 77 assists over the last seven games (with only six turnovers). He's truly the straw that stirs the drink for Cronin. Tyler Bilodeau is one of the country's best big man shooters (46.4 percent from three-point range). He can score in a myriad of ways whether in the post or facing the basket. Bilodeau's spacing capabilities enables Trent Perry, Skyy Clark, and Eric Dailey Jr. to all attack the rim off the dribble.
UCLA's offense in particular is predicated on find mismatches to exploit. It's a very NBA-centric scheme, and with a point guard of Dent's talent running the show, it's no surprise UCLA knocked off four top-10 teams (Michigan State, Nebraska, Illinois, Purdue) this season.
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The Bruins do have some deficiencies when it comes to rebounding the basketball. UCLA also doesn't have a consistent rim-protecting force (Xavier Booker is the epitome of being an inconsistent performer). Any opponent with a legitimate post presence has a real advantage in this capacity.
However, this team has five players averaging in double-figures who can all create for themselves. That makes the Bruins hugely dangerous — particularly to UConn if the two programs square off versus one another in the round of 32.
March Madness kicks off officially on Thursday with TCU taking on Ohio State, but the First Four tournaments start tonight with UMBC taking on Howard at 6:40 p.m. ET followed by Texas and NC State battling at 9:15 p.m. ET.
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