Busting Brackets
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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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Jan 28, 2016; Syracuse, NY, USA; Notre Dame Fighting Irish forward V.J. Beachem (3) dribbles the ball around Syracuse Orange forward Tyler Roberson (21) during the first half at the Carrier Dome. Mandatory Credit: Rich Barnes-USA TODAY Sports
Jan 28, 2016; Syracuse, NY, USA; Notre Dame Fighting Irish forward V.J. Beachem (3) dribbles the ball around Syracuse Orange forward Tyler Roberson (21) during the first half at the Carrier Dome. Mandatory Credit: Rich Barnes-USA TODAY Sports /

11 Seeds: Pittsburgh, Temple, Connecticut, Syracuse

Syracuse has rebounded in impressive fashion after a rough opening to the season. After starting ACC play at 0-4, the Orange are 8-5, tied for seventh behind Duke and Louisville. With four games left, Syracuse is probably a solid lock if they win at Louisville, home over Pittsburgh, or at North Carolina.

The Temple Owls has muscled the rest of the American Conference aside to reach 10-3 in conference play. This is thanks to a recent five game win streak that includes wins over Tulsa and Connecticut. With six games left, including a nonconference game at home against Villanova, Temple has positioned themselves well to finish strong for an at-large bid, if not the automatic.

UCONN is currently tied for second in the American Conference with a record of 9-4. They recently picked up a key win over SMU to get just their second win against the RPI top-50. I like the Huskies’ chances for an at-large bid if they can win at Cincinnati or SMU before season’s end.

Pittsburgh is a weak bubble team right now. They have decent strength of schedule and RPI, but are just 5-7 against the RPI top-100 while being ninth in the ACC at 7-6. The Panthers need to win either at Syracuse or at home over Louisville or Duke to secure a bid before the ACC tournament.

Next: The Terrific 10s

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