Georgia (21-11 overall, 11-7 SEC)

Georgia’s most impressive performance came in a close 72-68 home loss to No. 1 Kentucky. The Bulldogs haven’t beaten an AP Top 25 this year, and they finished tied for third the SEC. Senior forward Marcus Thornton leads the team with 12.3 points and 7.2 rebounds per game, numbers similar to MSU’s own Branden Dawson (12.0 points per game, 9.1 rebounds per game). Like MSU, Georgia is a solid defensive team and terrific rebounding team. Head coach Mark Fox is 1-4 in the NCAA tournament. Also on the staff, Tom Izzo’s nephew Matt Bucklin is the operations coordinator for the Bulldogs.

Virginia(29-3 overall, 16-2 ACC)

All year long Virginia has played like a national title contender. Led by their pack line defense, the Cavaliers have held three opponents to under 30 points and have defeated the likes of Maryland, Notre Dame, North Carolina and Louisville. Virginia was the regular season champion in the ACC but lost junior guard Justin Anderson for a month due to a broken finger and appendectomy. Virginia just missed out on its second straight No. 1 seed and with the draw in the East region, the Spartans and Cavaliers could once again meet up in the tournament. Last season, MSU topped Virginia, 61-59, to reach the Elite Eight.

Belmont (22-10 overall, 11-5 OVC)

Belmont heads into the tournament fresh off of an improbable upset win over then-No. 25 Murray State to win the Ohio Valley Conference tournament title. Winners of their last seven games, the Bruins are a talented offensive team, led by junior guard Craig Bradshaw (18.1 points per game). Like the Spartans, Belmont shares the ball well, ranking 26th in the country in assists. Belmont is 0-6 in the NCAA tournament but in 2008 as a No. 15 seed, the team almost pulled the upset over second-seeded Duke, losing 71-70.