:format(webp)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/72066211/usa_today_20215653.0.jpg "March Madness bracket 2023: East Region teams, preview, Final Four odds")
No. 1 Purdue will be the top team in the East Region in the 2023 NCAA Tournament. The Boilermakers will have plenty of competition, as Marquette, Kansas State, and Tennessee are also in the region.
No. 1 Purdue vs. No. 16 Texas Southern/Fairleigh Dickinson
Led by big man Zach Edey, Purdue held onto the No. 1 spot in the AP Poll for a long stretch of the season. The Boilermakers struggled in conference play down the stretch, but won the regular season and conference tournaments. They will be a threat to cut down the nets in Houston.
Despite losing 20 games in the regular season, Texas Southern rallied to win the SWAC Tournament and earned its third straight trip to March Madness. It'd be a real shock if they advance.
The Fairleigh Dickinson Knights moved from 4-22 to an NCAA Tournament team in Year 1 of the Tobin Anderson era.
No. 8 Memphis vs. No. 9 Florida Atlantic
Memphis finished their regular season as the second seed in the AAC after two losses to Houston, but ended up grabbing the automatic bidafter beating the top-ranked Cougars in the AAC Championship Game.
The Florida Atlantic Owls have had a magical run this season, finishing 29-3 while making an appearance in the Top 25. FAU's winning streak peaked at 20 in a row from November to January. They were able to win the regular season title in Conference USA and grabbed the auto-bid by winning the league tournament.
No. 5 Duke vs. No. 12 Oral Roberts
A Duke finished the season on a nine-game winning streak after some inconsistency throughout the earlier months. They lack depth but have thrived defensively, and are top-ten nationally in offensive rebounding.
The Oral Roberts Golden Eagles head will enter the NCAA Tournament as a 30-game winner with a 17-game winning streak on the line in the Round of 64.
No. 4 Tennessee vs. No. 13 Louisiana
Despite losing 20 games in the regular season, Texas Southern rallied to win the SWAC Tournament and earned its third straight trip to March Madness. It'd be a real shock if they advance.
The Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns are in the NCAA Tournament for the first time in nearly a decade thanks to the Sun Belt's third-leading scorer Jordan Brown (19.4 PPG).
No. 3 Kansas State vs. No. 14 Montana State
After notching a collection of impressive wins over fellow Big 12 powerhouses, K-State enters the Big Dance with the confidence to match up with anyone.
The Montana State Bobcats will bring an eight-game winning streak to March Madness after qualifying for the NCAA Tournament for the second year in a row.
No. 6 Kentucky vs. No. 11 Providence
After a shaky start to the season, Kentucky won five of its last six games to finish third in SEC standings. They fell to Vanderbilt in the SEC tournament, but are in good shape as a team as they head into the NCAA tournament.
Providence put together a solid season in a very good Big East, finishing fourth in conference standings before falling to UConn in the conference tournament.
No. 7 Michigan State vs. No. 10 USC
This marks the 24th-consecutive NCAA Tournament bid for Michigan State and legendary head coach Tom Izzo. The Spartans have lost in the first round just five times in that span. Will this year be the sixth?
USC has been up-and-down in the Pac-12 this season, but the Trojans have enough talent to make a surprise run, as shown with a 13-point victory vs. No. 2 UCLA earlier this season.
No. 2 Marquette vs. No. 15 Vermont
The Marquette Golden Eagles finished atop the Big East standings and reached the conference championship after its best regular season in program history. Marquette averages a whopping 79.9 points per game, one of the best marks in the nation.
Vermont defeated UMass Lowell in the American East Conference Championship Game to grab an automatic bid to the tournament. The Catamounts lost just two conference games all season.