Busting Brackets
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Bracketology Bubble Watch: Seton Hall, Utah State sitting right on the edge

By Lukas Harkins

LONDON, ENGLAND - SEPTEMBER 30: Bubbles are seen prior to the Premier League match between West Ham United and Swansea City at London Stadium on September 30, 2017 in London, England. (Photo by Dan Mullan/Getty Images)
LONDON, ENGLAND - SEPTEMBER 30: Bubbles are seen prior to the Premier League match between West Ham United and Swansea City at London Stadium on September 30, 2017 in London, England. (Photo by Dan Mullan/Getty Images) /
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BLOOMINGTON, INDIANA – FEBRUARY 19: Langford of Indiana prepares. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images)
BLOOMINGTON, INDIANA – FEBRUARY 19: Langford of Indiana prepares. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images) /

Big Ten Conference

Lead-pipe lock: Michigan, Michigan State, Purdue, Wisconsin, Iowa, Maryland

Firmly in the field: Ohio State

Some perspiration: None.

Double the deodorant: Indiana, Minnesota, Nebraska.

Ohio State Buckeyes (18-10, 8-9 B10)

NET: 40 | KPI: 41 | SOR: 32 | BPI: 32 | KP: 33 | Sag: 33

Q1: 4-7 | Q2: 4-2 | Q3: 4-1 | Q4: 5-0 

Thanks to a dominating home performance against Iowa earlier this week, Ohio State has moved firmly in the field as a single-digit seed. To put it simply, the Buckeyes have been one of the few teams that have, for the most part, escaped the seemingly all-encompassing grasp of the bubble. After dropping five straight games earlier in Big Ten play, many thought that Ohio State was bound for bubble life for the rest of the season. Since then, though, head coach Chris Holtmann has led his team to six wins in 10 games to move into a safe position. They do finish the season with a tough schedule but just one more win (including in the BTT) should lock this team up. Current Bracketology Status: No. 9 seed.

Indiana Hoosiers (14-14, 5-12 B10)

NET: 58 | KPI: 61 | SOR: 55 | BPI: 49 | KP: 49 | Sag: 42

Q1: 5-9 | Q2: 1-5 | Q3: 2-0 | Q4: 6-0

Just when it seems like it is time to take Indiana off the bubble altogether, they find a way to scrape out a monster victory. That was once again the case during this past week when the Hoosiers used overtime and a game-winning drive by star freshman Romeo Langford to defeat Wisconsin at home. This gave the Hoosiers just their second win in their last 14 games but they remain on the cutline thanks to their five Q1 wins. And with a relatively favorable closing schedule that includes matchups with Illinois (away) and Rutgers (home), things could get interesting. If, though, Indiana wins two of their last three and then makes the NCAA Tournament with a 7-13 conference record, some might actually riot. Indiana has not looked like a tournament team for two months. Current Bracketology Status: Next Four Out.

Minnesota Golden Gophers (18-11, 8-10 B10)

NET: 55 | KPI: 46 | SOR: 38 | BPI: 57 | KP: 47 | Sag: 47

Q1: 2-8 | Q2: 6-3 | Q3: 5-0 | Q4: 5-0

Minnesota picked up a much-needed win in its last outing by taking down Northwestern on the road. Prior to that performance, the Golden Gophers had dropped six of their last seven games and were trending quickly towards the outside looking in. With that victory, though, head coach Richard Pitino’s team deserves to stay on the right side of the cutline. But it will not be easy to stay in the projected field. Sure, there are not a ton of teams knocking on the door to get in at the moment but Minnesota does close with Purdue at home and then Maryland on the road. They could easily drop both of those games and sit in very precarious position heading into the Big Ten Tournament. Current Bracketology Status: No. 11 seed (Last Four Byes).

Nebraska Cornhuskers (15-14, 5-13 B10)

NET: 49 | KPI: 74 | SOR: 59 | BPI: 37 | KP: 46 | Sag: 39

Q1: 2-11 | Q2: 5-3 | Q3: 3-0 | Q4: 4-0

I think it is time to write off Nebraska as an at-large contender. The Huskers, who did have nearly the kind of non-conference that Indian had, have now dropped 10 of their last 13 games and have simply fallen apart. In addition, their once pristine rankings have dipped considerably and they have a couple of very tough games left to finish their schedule (at Michigan State, vs. Iowa). If they do find a way to escape their current slump and win both of those games, they could still be back in. That is hard to imagine given their play as of late. Current Bracketology Status: Next Four Out.

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