NCAA Tournament: Duke, Virginia Tech, Michigan State and LSU remain in East Region

Predictions

(2) Michigan State vs. (3) LSU – Friday, March 29 7:09 PM EST CBS

The Michigan State Spartans are here for a reason. As stated earlier, they’ve got 10 wins against Quadrant 1 opponents during the regular season. All 10 victories are against opponents ranked in the AP Poll, including the Florida Gators and the Maryland Terrapins. They beat the Terrapins convincingly in conference play, a team LSU just struggled with in the second round. Given those odds, it’s hard to pick against the Spartans. Winston has played stellar and without a hitch despite injuries.

Prediction: Michigan State

(1) Duke vs. (4) Virginia Tech – Friday, March 29 9:39 PM EST CBS

The Blue Devils and Hokies are meeting for the second time this season. With all eyes on Zion and Duke to play big, the Virginia Tech Hokies will have one advantage in the game being in Washington D.C.. Given the location of the game, look for them to have a bit of a homecourt advantage, something that played a role in their victory back in late February. This time around though, Zion could be too much of a match for them with a limited frontcourt.

Prediction: Duke

(1) Duke vs. (2) Michigan State – Sunday, March 31 – TBD

In the regional finals, the Duke Blue Devils could be the second ACC team the Spartans face this season. They fell to the Cardinals 82-78 in overtime in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge on Nov. 27. The Blue Devils are a completely different squad but again, with arguably the best player in college basketball, it’s hard to pick against the Blue Devils.

Barrett is also averaging 21.0 points, 11.0 rebounds and 3.5 asissts per contest on 57.1 percent shooting from behind the arc. He’s beginning to find his way as Zion has, so expect him to play big down the stretch.

Prediction: Duke