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Here’s a look at the East Region of the NCAA Tournament as March Madness gets set to tip off Tuesday:

No. 1 Duke (29-5)

Conference: ACC
Coach: Mike Krzyzewski (39th season)

Post-ing up: At full strength, the Blue Devils possess the most talent in the country — including three of the likely top-five picks in the upcoming NBA draft (Zion Williamson, RJ Barrett, Cam Reddish) — and will be the title favorite with Williamson back on the floor.

No. 16 North Carolina Central (18-15)

Conference: MEAC
Coach: LeVelle Moton (10th season)

Post-ing up: In the tournament for the third time in four years, the Eagles are a Dayton regular, losing in the First Four in 2017 and 2018. They are surging, having won eight of 10, and are coming off an upset of top-seeded Norfolk State in the MEAC title game.

No. 16 North Dakota State (18-15)

Conference: Summit
Coach: David Richman (Fifth season)

Post-ing up: The Bison had nine wins in late January, but as many victories since, to reach the NCAA Tournament for the first time in four years. They lack a star but have plenty of scoring options, with eight players averaging at least six points per game.

No. 8 VCU (25-7)

Conference: Atlantic 10
Coach: Mike Rhoades (Second season)

Post-ing up: Back in the tournament for the eighth time in nine years, VCU is again creating “Havoc,” ranked fifth in the nation in defensive efficiency and 14th in turnovers forced per game. Leading scorer and distributor Marcus Evans, a Rice transfer, ignites the shooting-challenged offense.

No. 9 UCF (23-8)

Conference: American
Coach: Johnny Dawkins (Third season)

Post-ing up: UCF earned a bid with late-season wins over Houston and Cincinnati and is playing its best basketball at the right time. B.J. Taylor and Aubrey Dawkins are an elite backcourt tandem, averaging a combined 31.6 points, while 7-foot-6 center Tacko Fall is 10th in the country in blocked shots (2.4).

No. 5 Mississippi State (23-10)

Conference: SEC
Coach: Ben Howland (Fourth season)

Post-ing up: Senior guard Quinndary Weatherspoon, an All-SEC first-team selection, carries the offensive load while freshman Reggie Perry is the Bulldogs’ top rebounder. They share the ball (14.4 assists) and shoot it well (47.1 percent shooting from the field), but their defense has let them down in big spots.

No. 12 Liberty (28-6)

Conference: Atlantic Sun
Coach: Ritchie McKay (Sixth season)

Post-ing up: The Flames hung with Georgetown and Alabama, and beat UCLA before winning the conference tournament in their debut season in the Atlantic Sun. Defense is their calling card; they hold opponents to 60.8 points per game, the sixth-best mark in the country.

No. 4 Virginia Tech (24-8)

Conference: ACC
Coach: Buzz Williams (Fifth season)

Post-ing up: Under Williams, the Hokies have made three straight NCAA Tournament appearances, topping the school’s output in the previous 28 years (two). Va. Tech has the right balance to go deep, with a top-10 3-point shooting unit and a top-15 defense.

No. 13 Saint Louis (23-12)

Conference: Atlantic 10
Coach: Travis Ford (3rd season)

Post-ing up: The Billikens will beat you up, slow you down and crash the glass. They allow just 64.1 points per game and are 18th in the country in rebounding. Senior Javon Bess, a physical 6-foot-6 wing and Saint Louis’ leading scorer, is a force in the paint and on the perimeter.

No. 6 Maryland (22-10)

Conference: Big Ten
Coach: Mark Turgeon (Eighth season)

Post-ing up: The Terps have largely underachieved in the Turgeon era — winning just three NCAA Tournament games — but the steady play of lead guard Anthony Cowan, physicality of big man Bruno Fernando and accelerated growth of several freshmen enabled this group to exceed expectations.

No. 11 Belmont (26-5)

Conference: Ohio Valley
Coach: Rick Byrd (33rd season)

Post-ing up: The Bruins won 14 straight games before falling to Murray State in the conference title game, but emerged from a sweaty Sunday as the first OVC team to earn an at-large berth in 32 years. The second-highest scoring team in the nation averages 86.9 points, led by 6-foot-8 NBA prospect Dylan Windler.

No. 11 Temple (23-9)

Conference: American
Coach: Fran Dunphy (13th season)

Post-ing up: The Owls are hoping to give Dunphy a proper send-off before retirement, and they have the pieces — led by the hard-nosed three-headed backcourt of Shizz Alston Jr., Quinton Rose and Nate Pierre-Louis — to give him at least one more tournament victory.

No. 3 LSU (26-6)

Conference: SEC
Coach: Tony Benford (Interim coach)

Post-ing up: The balanced and deep Tigers won the SEC regular-season title, but have to deal with the distraction of coach Will Wade being suspended indefinitely due to his connection to the FBI probe into college basketball.

No. 14 Yale (22-7)

Conference: Ivy
Coach: James Jones (20th season)

Post-ing up: The high-scoring Bulldogs avenged a season sweep at the hands of Harvard on Sunday in the Ivy League final, and are in the tournament for the first time since 2016. That group upset fifth-seeded Baylor, and this balanced team is capable of a similar feat.

No. 7 Louisville (20-13)

Conference: ACC
Coach: Chris Mack (First season)

Post-ing up: Following a rare season without a tourney invitation, the Cardinals were picked to finish 11th in the ACC, but Mack has the scandal-scarred school back on track, benefitting this season from having one of the best free-throw shooting teams in the country.

No. 10 Minnesota (21-13)

Conference: Big Ten
Coach: Richard Pitino (Sixth season)

Post-ing up: A Pitino-less postseason is no more. Rick’s son has largely underwhelmed since winning the 2014 NIT in his first season, but the Golden Gophers rode upperclassmen Amir Coffey and Jordan Murphy — who averages a double-double — to a second tournament appearance in four years.

No. 2 Michigan State (28-6)

Conference: Big Ten
Coach: Tom Izzo (24th season)

Post-ing up: Despite a rash of injuries, the Spartans won a share of another Big Ten title, with the brilliant two-way play and all-around excellence of lead guard Cassius Winston. Izzo has the fifth-most Final Four appearances (seven) of all time, but has been knocked out during the first weekend in three straight years.

No. 15 Bradley (20-14)

Conference: Missouri Valley
Coach: Brian Wardle (Fourth season)

Post-ing up: Bradley enters the field coming off its first conference tournament title in 31 years, rallying from 18 points down to beat Northern Iowa. The Braves are top heavy — stop high-scoring duo Darnell Brown and Elijah Child, you stop the Missouri Valley champion.

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