Bracketology Winners: Syracuse, Maryland secure key resume-builders

DURHAM, NORTH CAROLINA - JANUARY 14: (L-R) Tyus Battle #25, Paschal Chukwu #13, Frank Howard #23 and Oshae Brissett #11 of the Syracuse Orange celebrate during the final seconds of their win against the Syracuse Orange at Cameron Indoor Stadium on January 14, 2019 in Durham, North Carolina. Syracuse won 95-91 in overtime. (Photo by Grant Halverson/Getty Images) /

2 of 6

SUNRISE, FL – DECEMBER 22: Head coach Ford of Saint Louis reacts. (Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images) /

Saint Louis Billikens

Saint Louis entered this season as one of the favorites to win the Atlantic 10. Now at 5-0 in conference play, the Billikens are starting to realize that potential. With that said, though, Saint Louis’ at-large resume still has a long way to go. They rank outside of the top-90 in every quality metric and they are not in the top-50 in any ranking system used by the committee. During this past week, Saint Louis snagged quality wins over Fordham (away) and Saint Joseph’s (home) to improve their resume. In order to consistently win close games, though, they will need to improve their free throw shooting (58.9% – 349th nationally).

VCU Rams

Thanks to one of the best defenses in the nation, VCU has started to emerge as a legitimate contender for an at-large bid. They rank in the top-65 in every single metric thanks to solid performances with a difficult schedule. During this past week alone, the Rams secured home wins over Dayton and UMass to move to 4-1 in conference play. With four of their next five games on the road, VCU has an opportunity to secure some huge wins for their resume. Road victories are never easy to come by but they can be vital for a non-Power 6 resume.

Home/Bracketology