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Bracketology 2020 Projected Field: Ohio State on top, Gonzaga proving

By Lukas Harkins

SEATTLE, WA - DECEMBER 08: Joel Ayayi #11 and Filip Petrusev #3 of the Gonzaga Bulldogs celebrate after Ayayi hit a 3-point shot to put Gonzaga up by 6 pois in the 2nd half at Hec Edmundson Pavilion on December 8, 2019 in Seattle, Washington. (Photo by Mike Tedesco/Getty Images)
SEATTLE, WA - DECEMBER 08: Joel Ayayi #11 and Filip Petrusev #3 of the Gonzaga Bulldogs celebrate after Ayayi hit a 3-point shot to put Gonzaga up by 6 pois in the 2nd half at Hec Edmundson Pavilion on December 8, 2019 in Seattle, Washington. (Photo by Mike Tedesco/Getty Images) /
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SALT LAKE CITY, UTAH – MARCH 21: Baylor Bears celebrate. (Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images)
SALT LAKE CITY, UTAH – MARCH 21: Baylor Bears celebrate. (Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images) /

Midwest Region

(1) Ohio State vs. (16) Bethune-Cookman/St. Francis-PA

(8) Utah State vs. (9) Oklahoma

(4) Dayton vs. (13) East Tennessee State

(5) Purdue vs. (12) Louisiana Tech

(6) Tennessee vs. (11) Colorado

(3) Butler vs. (14) New Mexico State

(7) Marquette vs. (10) LSU

(2) Baylor vs. (15) South Dakota

Ohio State has easily been the best team in the country so far this season, in my opinion. The Buckeyes have seemingly dominated every single opponent that has crossed their path, and that includes wins over Villanova (by 25), North Carolina (by 25), and Penn State (by 32). There simply does not appear to be a single team on their level right now as head coach Chris Holtmann’s team is rolling on both ends of the floor. Ohio State currently holds the No. 1 spot on KenPom thanks to its fifth-ranked offense and second-best defense. It’s impossible to ignore how well the Buckeyes have played while putting together a strong early-season resume. They are more than deserving of the top overall seed right now.

Speaking of teams that have impressed in recent weeks, Baylor has recovered nicely from its neutral-site loss to Washington in the second game of the season. The Bears have won seven straight games since then, including victories over top-25 opponents in Villanova, Arizona, and Butler. Even though the latter two were both at home, that should not take away from the quality of those wins. Baylor is defending well, offensively rebounding at an exceptionally high rate, and is thriving while utilizing a perimeter-centric offensive scheme.

Lastly, let’s bring some attention to Utah State. The Aggies entered this year as a preseason top-25 team in the country and they have largely lived up to the hype. They sit at 10-1 on the year so far with their lone loss coming on the road against Saint Mary’s. They also had to play without star big man Neemias Queta in that hard-fought defeat. Queta has recently returned to action and will hopefully see more playing time in the future as he is currently on a minutes restriction. Two tough tests await this team with battles against BYU and Florida at neutral sites. The Aggies could climb up the seed list with two wins or fall dangerously close to the early-season bubble with a pair of losses.

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