NCAA Tournament: Duke, Michigan State headline East Region primer

East Pod B – San Jose, CA

(5) Mississippi State vs. (12) Liberty

5/12 matchups are always some of the best of the opening round. There are seemingly at least one or two of these upsets every single year and therefore they are always worthy of attention. For reference, Mississippi State will enter this matchup on a bit of a skid as they have dropped three of their last five games with their only two wins coming against Texas A&M. Liberty, on the other hand, was one of the best mid-majors throughout this season although they were overshadowed at times by Lipscomb, one of their conference foes. With regards to this matchup, though, the Flames’ offense should be able to put up some points against the Bulldogs but they will need a strong defensive performance to win. Liberty should look to force Mississippi State into crucial turnovers as that has been a flaw of the team all season. Prediction: Mississippi State.

(4) Virginia Tech vs. (13) Saint Louis

Saint Louis sneaked into the NCAA Tournament with the Atlantic 10 automatic bid but can still be very dangerous. The Billikens own their fair share of quality wins this season and their record does not reflect the level of talent on the roster. With that said, though, Virginia Tech is getting Justin Robinson back and that makes them all the more dangerous. It might take some minutes for the team to get used to having him back in the rotation but this is a major addition that not many people are talking about. Robinson takes the Hokies to the next level and they should be able to handle the Billikens in the first round. Prediction: VT.