March Madness 2021 - East Region bracket, schedule, seeds, sleepers and live stream

March Madness is finally upon us, with first-round coverage in the South and Midwest regions beginning on Thursday, March 19th. The East region begins the following day, March 20th, with sixteen teams facing off to advance to the round of 32. The tournament will feature the best teams in college basketball, annually delivering non-stop entertainment and huge upsets.

The Michigan Wolverines represent the top-seeds in the East, carrying a 20-4 overall record into the "big dance." SEC Tournament champion Alabama Crimson Tide enters with the second seed, victorious in nine of their last ten and looking to make a splash in the spotlight.

March Madness 2021 - East Region bracket

March Madness 2021 Bracket - East Region

The Texas Longhorns come into the mix representing the third seed, fresh off of their first Big 12 championship in school history. The Longhorns took down a very strong Oklahoma State team to capture the title, bringing plenty of momentum with them into their first March Madness matchup with Abilene Christian.

For the first time ever, your Texas Longhorns are Big 12 Tournament Champs!!! #HookEm 🤘🤘

— Brad Kellner (@BradKellner) March 14, 2021

The most intriguing matchup from the East Region comes when the sixth-seeded BYU Cougars take on the winner of a play-in game between Michigan State and UCLA to represent the 11th-seed. The BYU Cougars fell just short of the undefeated Gonzaga Bulldogs in the WCC championship game, but still bring a very talented group into the mix.

March Madness 2021 - Seeds & Schedule

Alabama Crimson Tide celebrate winning 2021 SEC title

The top four seeds in the East Region will be tough to beat, but the unpredictable nature of March Madness leaves even the best teams vulnerable. From one to 16, each seed will need their best basketball to stay alive in this grueling tournament.

Filling out a bracket for the first time in 2 years 🙌pic.twitter.com/oj9pgVPN8k

— NCAA March Madness (@marchmadness) March 15, 2021

The schedule will be listed below, with all times in Eastern Standard Time. The games will be broadcast across various stations, with many overlapping game times. Here's the March Madness East Region schedule:

Saturday, March 20th, 2021 - Round of 64

5 Colorado vs. 12 Georgetown | 12:15 PM ET - CBS - Hinkle Fieldhouse

4 Florida State vs. 13 UNC Greensboro | 12:45 PM ET - truTV - Bankers Life Fieldhouse

8 LSU vs. 9 St. Bonaventure | 1:45 PM ET - TNT - Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall

1 Michigan vs. 16 Mount St. Mary's/Texas Southern | 3:00 PM ET - CBS - Mackey Arena

2 Alabama vs. 15 Iona | 4:00 PM ET - TBS - Hinkle Fieldhouse

7 UConn vs. 10 Maryland | 7:10 PM ET - CBS - Mackey Arena

4 Virginia vs. 13 Ohio | 7:15 PM ET - truTV - Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall

6 BYU vs. 11 Michigan State/UCLA | 9:40 PM ET - CBS - Hinkle Fieldhouse

3 Texas vs. 14 Abilene Christian | 9:50 PM ET - truTV - Lucas Oil Stadium Unity

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March Madness 2021 - Sleepers in the East

The BYU Cougars represent the sixth seeds in the East region

The dark horses in the East region will be the sixth-seeded BYU Cougars, but their path to an elite-eight appearance will be quite the test. If BYU is able to outlast the 11th seed in their first matchup, they will likely have to get through the Texas Longhorns barring a major upset.

The BYU Cougars offense is led by senior guard Alex Barcello, who is averaging a team-high 16 points and 4.5 assists per game. The Cougars have scored just under 79 points per game this season, shooting an incredible 48% from the field as a team. BYU will certainly be a team to watch, but the top seeds in the East look very strong on paper.

Where to watch March Madness 2021 - East Region

First-round March Madness East region coverage will be broadcast on CBS, truTV and TBS.