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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NEW YORK, NEW YORK – MARCH 15: Virginia Commonwealth Rams celebrate. (Photo by Al Bello/Getty Images) /

East Pod A – Columbia, SC

(1) Duke vs. (16) NC Central/NDSU

Duke should roll in this matchup. They are the best team in the country and should have no trouble with either No. 16 seed that comes their way. As everyone should know by now, a No. 1 seed has only lost in the first round once and it would be extremely shocking for that to occur once again this season. The Blue Devils just have way too much athleticism to be upset this early in the year. They will likely face North Dakota State in this matchup as they are the favored team in the First Four. If this is the case, Duke will need to be prepared to defend the 3-point line. With all of this said, though, this matchup should simply be a tune-up game for the Blue Devils as they get a couple of extra days to get healthy. Prediction: Duke.

(8) VCU vs. (9) UCF

If you are looking for a defensive struggle in the first round, look no further than this matchup. Two of the best defensive teams in the nation, both the Rams and the Knights do an excellent job shutting down their opponents and this has the potential to be a really engaging and low-scoring battle. UCF is the much better offensive team on paper, though, and that could prove to be the difference even if VCU is statistically better on the defensive end of the floor. The key statistic to watch in this matchup will be the free throw attempt differential. VCU’s biggest defensive weakness is allowing teams to get to the charity stripe and UCF is ranked second in the entire nation in free throw attempt rate. Prediction: UCF.

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