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2019 NCAA Tournament Bracket Analysis: East Region Predictions
Zion Williamson and the Duke Blue Devils will draw more eyeballs than any other team, but winning the tournament and having the no. 1 pick in the NBA Draft don't necessarily go hand-in-hand.
Duke is projected to cruise in its opening matchup before drawing VCU after the team from Virginia knocks off UCF in its opening round matchup. This region isn't exactly stuffed with upsets in the early going, but the Maryland-Belmont appears to be the best matchup to pick the early upset. Both teams win 50% of simulations, but Maryland gets the slightest of edges, so the computer has Maryland going through to meet LSU after the Tigers knock out the Ivy League's Yale comfortably in the first game.
Michigan State is projected to make easy work of Bradley in the Spartans' first game, before knocking out Louisville to arrive at the Sweet 16. The Michigan State-LSU matchup favors Michigan 62% to 38%, before the Spartans meet Williamson and the Blue Devils in the Elite 8.
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Before arriving at the Elite 8, the Blue Devils have to get past Virginia Tech, which is projected to only slightly edge Mississippi State in the second round to make the second weekend of the tournament. That matchup, the Virginia Tech versus Miss. State is a near toss-up, according to the computer, with Virginia Tech only winning 52% of simulations.
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Duke is projected to beat Virginia Tech with 61% confidence before meeting Michigan State with a trip to the Final Four. Michigan State is projected to upset Duke in the Elite 8, but Duke's road to the Elite 8 is easier that MSU's , so the Blue Devils still have a higher percentage chance to advance to the Final Four, 32.0%, and win the title, 8.24% than the Spartans, 29.1% and 7.9% respectively.
Still, AccucScore projects a close Elite 8, with Michigan State pulling the upset 51% of the time to advance to the Final Four.
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Be sure to check out all of AccuScore's Region-by-Region Bracketology Previews:
South Region
West Region
Midwest Region
