Busting Brackets
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NCAA Basketball: Smart’s hot seat, Duke’s weakness and more takeaways

By Brian Rauf

AUSTIN, TX - NOVEMBER 16: Head coach Shaka Smart of the Texas Longhorns reacts as his team plays the Citadel Bulldogs at the Frank Erwin Center on November 16, 2018 in Austin, Texas. (Photo by Chris Covatta/Getty Images)
AUSTIN, TX - NOVEMBER 16: Head coach Shaka Smart of the Texas Longhorns reacts as his team plays the Citadel Bulldogs at the Frank Erwin Center on November 16, 2018 in Austin, Texas. (Photo by Chris Covatta/Getty Images) /
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LINCOLN, NE – JANUARY 17: Thomas Allen #12 of the Nebraska Cornhuskers and Isaiah Roby #15 and Glynn Watson Jr. #5 walk off the court after the loss against the Michigan State Spartans at Pinnacle Bank Arena on January 17, 2019 in Lincoln, Nebraska. (Photo by Steven Branscombe/Getty Images)
LINCOLN, NE – JANUARY 17: Thomas Allen #12 of the Nebraska Cornhuskers and Isaiah Roby #15 and Glynn Watson Jr. #5 walk off the court after the loss against the Michigan State Spartans at Pinnacle Bank Arena on January 17, 2019 in Lincoln, Nebraska. (Photo by Steven Branscombe/Getty Images) /

3) The Big Ten is getting in its own way

The Big Ten has two great teams at the top in Michigan and Michigan State, both of whom have national championship aspirations. Then there are another eight or nine teams that have legitimate NCAA Tournament hopes.

However, those eight or nine teams have demonstrated the ability to cannibalize themselves in a way that will keep the conference from getting nine or 10 teams in.

For starters, Indiana is reeling thanks to a six-game losing streak that includes home losses to Nebraska and Michigan by a combined 38 points. Ohio State, who needed a win after going through a similar streak, ended it by beating Nebraska on the road. That result put Nebraska closer to the wrong side of the bubble. Maryland, who was a consensus top 15 team, lost both of their games this week, including one to last-place Illinois.

Our bracketologist, Lukas Harkins, currently has five Big Ten teams on the bubble – and Wisconsin is the only team of that group that didn’t lose a game this week.

It would be better if some teams from that group separated themselves and strengthened their resumes. The conference simply has too many balanced teams behind the Wolverines and Spartans, and it’s keeping more teams from elevating their national profile.

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