NCAA Tournament: Duke, Michigan State headline East Region primer

CHARLOTTE, NORTH CAROLINA - MARCH 14: Teammates Zion Williamson #1 and RJ Barrett #5 of the Duke Blue Devils react against the Syracuse Orange during their game in the quarterfinal round of the 2019 Men's ACC Basketball Tournament at Spectrum Center on March 14, 2019 in Charlotte, North Carolina. (Photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images) /

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LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA – DECEMBER 15: The Belmont Bruins celebrate. (Photo by Katharine Lotze/Getty Images) /

Teams to watch in the East Region

Favorite to win: Duke

This should come as no surprise. Arguably the top team in the entire nation, the Duke Blue Devils are the No. 1 overall seed in the Big Dance and boast all of the talent needed to win it all. They have the National Player of the Year in Zion Williamson and his supporting cast is also tremendous. When the Blue Devils are healthy, there are very few teams in the nation that can actually keep up with them. Their offense is tremendous but it also heavily relies on their elite-level defense getting stops and creating turnovers. This is probably the toughest team to match up against nationally.

Sleeper pick: Virginia Tech

With Justin Robinson coming back for the NCAA Tournament, I really like Virginia Tech as a sleeper pick. They have one of the nation’s most efficient offenses and just added one of their best playmakers back to the roster. 3-point shooting can be vital in the NCAA Tournament and the Hokies have plenty. They rank fifth in the nation in 3-point percentage while also exhibiting the 37th-highest 3-point attempt rate. On the defensive end of the floor, VT really slows teams down and does not allow them to get to the free throw line.

If the slipper fits…Belmont

Belmont barely squeaked into the NCAA Tournament as an at-large team but they earned their bid. The Bruins were one of the best mid-majors in the country throughout the year and proved it time and time again. With Dylan Windler leading the way, this team has the star needed to make a deep run and they also bring highly-efficient offense to the table. Belmont is ranked 20th in the nation in adjusted offensive efficiency and 31st in tempo – that could cause some problems for a lot of opponents.

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