Busting Brackets
Fansided

Busting Bracketology 2.0: ACC and Big 12 in command

By Doug Winkey

Mar 18, 2015; Portland, OR, USA; General view of chairs with "The Road to the Final Four" logo and NCAA logo prior to the second round of the 2015 NCAA Basketball Championship at the Moda Center. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 18, 2015; Portland, OR, USA; General view of chairs with "The Road to the Final Four" logo and NCAA logo prior to the second round of the 2015 NCAA Basketball Championship at the Moda Center. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports /
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Feb 13, 2016; Durham, NC, USA; Duke Blue Devils guard Grayson Allen (3) celebrates with the Cameron Crazies after making the game winning basket in the second half of their game against the Virginia Cavaliers to win 63-62 at Cameron Indoor Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark Dolejs-USA TODAY Sports
Feb 13, 2016; Durham, NC, USA; Duke Blue Devils guard Grayson Allen (3) celebrates with the Cameron Crazies after making the game winning basket in the second half of their game against the Virginia Cavaliers to win 63-62 at Cameron Indoor Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark Dolejs-USA TODAY Sports /

5 Seeds: Duke, Texas A&M, Notre Dame, Purdue

Duke picked up a huge win when they scored the comeback victory at North Carolina on Wednesday evening. Even with the win, Duke has to be mildly concerned that starting guard Matt Jones suffered an ankle injury during the game. The Blue Devils are already a man down without senior Amile Jefferson and another injury would shorten an already thin bench.

I don’t really know what has happened to Texas A&M. After beating Iowa State in January, the Aggies lost four straight and now sit tied for third in the SEC with South Carolina and Florida. There’s no real danger in missing the postseason with the team’s quality resume (which includes victories over Texas, Gonzaga, and Baylor), but the Aggies really need to go at least 3-2 in their final five regular season games to maintain a favorable seed.

Notre Dame is another member of the ACC that is making a late run. The Irish most recently picked up a win over Louisville to tie the Cardinals and Duke for fourth in ACC play at 9-4. I love the team’s final five games, which features only one team with a winning conference record in Miami.

I feel like Purdue has been overlooked a lot this year, with so much focus on Indiana, Iowa, and Maryland in Big Ten play. Nonetheless, the Boilermakers have managed to hang at fifth in the conference standings with a record of 9-5. Assuming the team doesn’t collapse in their final four games, I like them in the Big Dance with the fifth most rebounds per game, 14th most assists per game, and 17th best defense for point allowed.

Next: The Formidable 4s

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