March Madness 2019: East Region preview, predictions – Can anyone stop Zion, Duke?

The East Region is headlined by number one overall seed Duke Blue Devils. Let’s see what does the rest of the region look like.

The East region is led by the fields No. 1 overall seed Duke Blue Devils, and it’s not much of a shock that they ended with that claim to fame. Let’s start with three quick takeaways.

1. Virginia Tech received a good draw

The Virginia Tech Hokies were bounced by Florida State in the ACC Tournament, but it took everything FSU had to win that game. Va Tech is led by Kerry Blackshear, but they’re getting an added boost by the return of Justin Robinson. A Sweet 16 bid against Duke isn’t out of the question for the Hokies.

2. LSU can make a run

The LSU Tigers are currently dealing with some NCAA issues that involve their head coach, and we don’t know how that will play out. That being said if they can put all of the outside noise aside they can make some noise in the East region. They’ll have to get by Yale who can pull off an upset but a decent run could be in the Tigers’ future.

3. Mississippi St. could go home early

Mississippi St. drew a five seed with a 23-10 record on the regular season, but they may have drawn the short end of the stick in a matchup with Liberty. Liberty finished their conference schedule with a 14-2 record, and are sixth in the country allowing 60.8 points per game. Be on the lookout for another 12 seed upset.

5 best players

• Zion Williamson, Duke: This goes without explanation. It’s Zion
• Kerry Blackshear Jr.: Blackshear is the leader of this group and is a dominant post threat. He is the focal point of the Hokies.
• R.J. Barrett: He’s probably the second best player in the tournament and can score at will.
• Cassius Winston: He might be the Big 10 player of the year and if he brings his A-game can lead the Spartans deep into the tournament.
• Tremont Waters: Of the power five schools in this region Waters may be the most overlooked averaging 15 points and six assists a night.

3 upsets to watch for

Liberty over Mississippi State: Mississippi State finished the season with a 23-10 record, but they stumbled in conference play finishing with a 10-8 record and falling to Tennessee in the SEC Tournament. Liberty, on the other hand, can lock you up defensively boasting the countries sixth-best scoring defense. Led by Scottie James the Liberty Flames could pull off the yearly 12 over five seed upset.

Virginia Tech over Duke: Virginia Tech has already beaten Duke this season albeit without Zion Williamson. But seeing as they’ve done it before it’s feasible that they can do it again on the big stage. Duke will have Williamson back for the tournament obviously but Va Tech will have one of their best players back in Justin Robinson.

Louisville over Michigan State: This is probably the least likely to happen out of all the upsets possible in this region but this is March. Louisville should have run Duke out of the gym in their matchup a few weeks ago if not for a monumental collapse. If the Cardinals don’t turn the ball over as they did against Duke don’t be surprised if they send the Spartans home.

3 best potential matchups

• Duke vs Virginia Tech
• Louisville vs Michigan State
• Duke vs Michigan State

Regional final prediction

I think this region is pretty cut and dry for the No. 1 overall seed Duke Blue Devils. They’ll end up in the Elite Eight with a chance to go to the Final Four. Who they’ll be playing though is up for grabs. In the end, I think Michigan State is following the script that the Michigan Wolverines followed last season after winning the Big 10 championship. Duke against Michigan State with a shot at the Final Four on the line, a true blue blood matchup.