Bracketology Winners: NC State, Kentucky land resume-building wins

Oklahoma Sooners

Has there been a more pleasant surprise in the nation than Oklahoma so far this season? At 11-1, the Sooners have been absolutely superb while climbing into the AP top-25 this past week. Head coach Lon Kruger’s has done an incredible job with this roster while molding his team into one of the best defensive units in the land. Oh, and that Christian James guy can be a dominant offensive threat when needed for OU.

During this past week alone, the Sooners landed a couple more strong wins. First, they landed a double-digit victory over Creighton in one of the more high-paced games of the year (78 total possessions). Then, the team also went on the road and took down an underrated Northwestern team in overtime.

On the whole, Oklahoma has played the 11th-toughest schedule in the nation as a major conference team. With Big 12 play still remaining, there is a legitimate chance that OU ends this season having played the most difficult schedule in the nation. As long as their defense continues to smother opponents, the Sooners could compete for the conference title alongside Kansas (who will win the league because they always do).

While it is impossible to determine how important this week will end up being for their respective teams, it is clear that all of these teams at least in some way helped their future Big Dance resume. Will they all be able to ride this momentum into conference play or do stumbles await?