Eastern District analysis of top seed Baylor, No. 2 Kentucky, No. 3 Purdue and more – The Athlete

The Eastern District features last year’s National Champion, Baylor, as the top seed, as well as the two teams with the most NCAA titles in history: UCLA’s fourth seed (11 times) and Kentucky 2’s (eight). Meanwhile, No. 3 seed Purdue is seeking his first appearance in the Final Four since 1980. Another blue country, North Carolina, is here as the No. 8 seed, and Indiana will join the group if she advances from the First Four.

So there should be no shortage of interesting storylines or confrontations (Kentucky vs. Murray State in the second round, anyone?) as the teams try to make their way to Philadelphia.

• Read more about other NCAA championship regions: West | South | Midwest

1. Baylor Bears

Round 1: Norfolk State No. 16 on Thursday (2 PM EST, TBS)

Record: 26-6 (14-4 big 12)

How they got here: Since winning the National Championship last season, the Scott Drew show hasn’t stopped. With four new rookies, the Bears won their first 13 players and didn’t fall outside the top ten during the regular season. Selected to finish third in the Big 12 pre-season poll, Baylor shared the conference title with Kansas with 10 four-way wins. The last team to repeat the National Champion title was Florida, led by Billy Donovan, in 2006 and 2007.

What you need to know: The Bears are ranked in the top 20 nationally in offensive and defensive proficiency.