March Madness is here and the 2023 NCAA Tournament first-round action is just days away. We’ll walk you through every region, the biggest names, the best matchups, and our best bets.
We’ll get started with the East Region.
East Region Schedule
First Four
Texas Southern (14–20) vs. Fairleigh Dickinson (19–15)
- Game Date: Wednesday, March 15, 2023
- Time: 6:30 p.m. ET
- Location: UD Arena in Dayton, Ohio
- Channel: truTV
First Round
| Date | Time | Teams | Channel |
| Thu, March 16 | 7:10 p.m. ET | No. 5 Duke (26–8) vs. No. 12 Oral Roberts (30–4) | CBS |
| Thu, March 16 | 9:40 p.m. ET | No. 4 Tennessee (23–10) vs. No. 13 Louisiana (26–7) | CBS |
| Fri, March 17 | 12:15 p.m. ET | No. 7 Michigan State (19–12) vs. No. 10 USC (22–10) | CBS |
| Fri, March 17 | 2:45 p.m. ET | No. 2 Marquette (28–6) vs. No. 15 Vermont (23–10) | CBS |
| Fri, March 17 | 6:50 p.m. ET |
Play-in Winner vs. No. 1 Purdue (29–5) |
TNT |
| Fri, March 17 | 7:10 p.m. ET | No. 6 Kentucky (21–11) vs. No. 11 Providence (21–11) | CBS |
| Fri, March 17 | 9:20 p.m. ET | No. 8 Memphis (26–8) vs. No. 9 Florida Atlantic (31–3) | TNT |
| Fri, March 17 | 9:40 p.m. ET | No. 3 Kansas State (23–9) vs. No. 14 Montana State (25–9) | CBS |
East Region Best Matchups
No. 5 Duke vs No. 12 Oral Roberts
Oral Roberts is a picture-perfect Cinderella. The Golden Eagles are 56th in KenPom’s rankings and boast the 23rd-ranked offense. They also play at the 38th-fastest pace, which can be a problem for opponents. They have five players back from the team that beat Ohio State and Florida in the NCAA tournament two seasons ago. The Golden Eagles have what all Cinderellas do in superstar guard Max Abmas; plus, they have 7’5” big man in Connor Vanover to help down low.
The only problem is that they’re running up against a deep Duke team that’s 21st in KenPom’s rankings, has the 24th-ranked defense, and won nine straight to close the season. However, this is head coach Jon Scheyer’s first NCAA tournament game as a head coach, and Duke plays at the 288th-ranked tempo. If Oral Roberts is able to dictate the pace of the game, this one could get interesting.
No. 7 Michigan State vs No. 10 Southern Cal
It’s Tom Izzo in March, so there’s always a chance the Spartans can make a run, but that doesn’t feel likely with this team. Michigan State is turnover prone and doesn’t create mistakes, which is usually not a recipe for success in March, especially since USC might have the best player in the game in Drew Peterson. He should be back at full strength after missing time with back issues, but the Trojans also have Boogie Ellis, who’s averaged 24.3 ppg with Peterson out and gives them a potent one-two punch.
East Region Best Players
Zach Edey – Center, Purdue
A 7-foot-4, 305-pound center, Edey is the Big Ten Player of the Year and was second in the nation in rebounding. He could become the first player since David Robinson to collect 750 points, 450 rebounds, and 50 blocks in one season and he’s just the second player in Big Ten history to lead the league in scoring, rebounding, and field goal percentage. He’s going to be a handful for any team.
Kyle Filipowski – Center, Duke
Another center to watch. Filipowski was named ACC Freshman of the Year, after averaging 15.4 points, 9.0 rebounds, and 1.2 steals a game. He led all freshmen in the nation in double-doubles and rebounds and would be a tremendous matchup for Edey.
Oscar Tshiebwe – Forward, Kentucky
After a dominant 2021-22 season, it was a bit of a step back for Thsiebwe this year, but he still put up 16.5 points, 13.1 rebounds, and 1.6 steals per game. He’s a force inside and you’re starting to get the picture that this could be a very physical and interior-dominant region.
East Region Pick to Advance
Purdue
They are KenPom’s 7th-ranked team in the country and boast one of the nation’s best offenses. They play a slow and deliberate pace, which makes them vulnerable to teams that will speed them up, but their biggest threats, Duke and Kentucky, also play pretty slow and rely on dominant inside players, so I’m not sure they’re a stylistic mismatch for Purdue here.
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