The Ultimate 64: Deciding the greatest all-time NCAA champion - East Region

The Ultimate 64 is an undertaking which will determine the greatest NCAA tournament champion of all time from a field made up exclusively of NCAA tournament champions.

The teams will be judged based on record, quality of wins, overall talent, star power and entertainment value, among other criteria.

The teams have been divided into regions based on their geographical location. Next up: The East Region.

Ultimate 64 Schedule

Midwest Region
West Region
East Region
South Region
Final Four

East Region

Click here to view full bracket.

Round of 64

Four one-title teams (La Salle, Villanova, Maryland, Holy Cross) couldn't make it out of the first round. The two that did (2003 Syracuse, 1984 Georgetown) each had a game-changing star that went on to success in the pro ranks (Carmelo Anthony, Patrick Ewing). ... The 2009 North Carolina Tar Heels were a solid squad, winning each tournament game by at least a dozen points, but there was just no stopping Kemba Walker in 2011. ... In completing an undefeated championship season, the 1957 North Carolina Tar Heels stopped Wilt Chamberlain's Kansas Jayhawks in a thrilling title game that ended in triple overtime. ... UCLA had won seven championships in a row entering the 1974 tournament, but NC State put an end to that streak, led by under-appreciated star David Thompson. While Thompson doesn't get the recognition he deserves, Jim Valvano certainly does.

Round of 32

The 1984 Georgetown Hoyas got Ewing over the hump and finally made a winner out of him, knocking off Hakeem Olajuwon and Phi Slama Jama. Even still, the idea that Ewing can't win the big game lingered with him for the rest of his playing career. ... Duke's 1992 championship was the program's second in a row. While Christian Laettner and Grant Hill are the players many remember from that team, point guard Bobby Hurley's 1,076 assists still stand as an NCAA record. ... The 2005 North Carolina Tar Heels produced four lottery picks after upending a one-loss Illinois squad. But Michael Jordan wasn't in their path that year.

Sweet Sixteen

Jordan was a freshman on that 1982 title run. He was just the third leading-scorer on a team that also featured James Worthy and Sam Perkins. ... Walker hit a lot of big shots on UConn's 2011 title run, but that squad never had to face a No. 1 seed. While Duke snuck past Kentucky by a single point on one of the most memorable shots in the history of the tournament, the team won its other five tournament games by an average of 14.8 points. That shot, though.

Elite Eight

Fitting that the Tobacco Road rivalry would decide the region. ... The 1982 North Carolina Tar Heels were hardly dominant in their run through the tournament, winning their games by 2, 5, 10, 5, and 1 points. That win gave Dean Smith his first national championship, and launched the career of the greatest basketball player in the history of the game. That one ended with a pretty memorable shot, too.