Bracketology 2020: Big 12, SOCON and Notre Dame among biggest losers

CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA - FEBRUARY 16: Head coach Mike Brey of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish reacts to a call in the first half during a game against the Virginia Cavaliers at John Paul Jones Arena on February 16, 2019 in Charlottesville, Virginia. (Photo by Ryan M. Kelly/Getty Images) /

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LAWRENCE, KANSAS – NOVEMBER 19: Head coach Steve Forbes of the East Tennessee State Buccaneers directs his team against the Kansas Jayhawks during the first half at Allen Fieldhouse on November 19, 2019 in Lawrence, Kansas. (Photo by Ed Zurga/Getty Images) /

East Tennessee State (and a #2BidSOCON?)

Week 5 Results

Beat Citadel, 96-84
Lost to North Dakota State, 78-68

#2BidSOCON was a popular hashtag this past March, as the public pushed hard for the Southern Conference to get two bids in the NCAA Tournament. At the time, Wofford had captured the hearts of America, while programs like Furman, UNC Greensboro, and East Tennessee State also looked like they had built potentially tournament-worthy resumes. But alas, only the Terriers ended up representing the SOCON in the 2019 Big Dance.

Even though most of Wofford’s core is gone, the rest of that foursome is looking strong in 2019-20. However, the hopes of a #2BidSOCON may have already met their death. East Tennessee State was tabbed as the league’s preseason favorite, but their at-large resume hit a snag on Saturday when they were taken down by North Dakota State. Their loss to Kansas earlier in the season wasn’t much of an issue, but this loss to the Bison almost assuredly means that the Bucs will need to win the conference tournament to punch a ticket.

Unfortunately for SOCON fans, East Tennessee State was probably the last best hope.

Furman came close to knocking off Auburn over the weekend, but they just couldn’t get the job done despite forcing overtime. The Paladins don’t have any awful losses, but they’ve also whiffed on all their chances to get big wins during out-of-conference play.

UNC Greensboro has a high-major win over Georgetown, but that victory is essentially canceled out by a home loss to Montana State. Like ETSU, the Spartans also lost to Kansas. But it’s not as though they were embarrassed by the Jayhawks.

In truth, both Furman and UNCG are good bets for Top 100 finishes and NIT bids, but short of a nearly flawless SOCON run, an at-large bid for either is unlikely.

For their part, Wofford started their defense of the league’s figurative throne by limping out to a 1-4 start that included a loss to William & Mary. Now, the conference tournament is the only way back to the Big Dance for the Terriers. Fletcher Magee isn’t walking through that door.

All told, it’s looking mighty likely that it’ll be a #1BidSOCON in 2020.

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