Bracketology Winners: Iowa State, Alabama snag resume-defining wins

Bracketology Winners: Iowa State, Alabama snag resume-defining victories

AMES, IA - JANUARY 5: Tyrese Haliburton #22 of the Iowa State Cyclones celebrates with George Conditt IV #4 of the Iowa State Cyclones after sinking a 3 point shot in the first half of play at Hilton Coliseum on January 5, 2019 in Ames, Iowa. (Photo by David Purdy/Getty Images) /

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COLUMBUS, OH – JANUARY 5: Head Coach Izzo of the Michigan State Spartans shouts. (Photo by Jamie Sabau/Getty Images) /

Michigan State Spartans

This one might be a tad confusing. Michigan State is already a top-10 team in the country and received a No. 2 seed in our most recent bracketology update. So…how could they really be a winner of the week with regards to their resume? Well, in my opinion, they put together arguably the most impressive back-to-back performances in the nation in wins over two potential NCAA Tournament teams.

For starters, MSU defended their home court by absolutely eviscerating Northwestern. I have been high on the ‘Cats since the start of this season but the Spartans tamed them for all 40 minutes en route to a dominant 81-55 victory. Head coach Tom Izzo’s team then followed that performance up by taking down nationally-ranked Ohio State on the road and without Joshua Langford. If you weren’t impressed by Sparty before, you should be now.

Michigan remains the favorite to win the Big Ten at this point in time (and proved that in a home win over Indiana) but their in-state rivals are not far behind. MSU has a legitimate argument to be ranked in the top-5 and they have plenty of opportunities coming up not only for them to gain experience but also creep towards the top rank in the nation. Seriously. If they are still undefeated by mid-January (would include wins over Purdue at home and Penn State/Nebraska on the road), the Spartans could be No. 1.

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