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Bracketology 2020 Projected Field: Creighton, USC on the rise

By Lukas Harkins

NEW YORK, NY - MARCH 8: Selection committee (Photo by Drew Angerer/Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NY - MARCH 8: Selection committee (Photo by Drew Angerer/Getty Images) /
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DURHAM, NORTH CAROLINA – DECEMBER 31: Jones of Duke laughs. (Photo by Grant Halverson/Getty Images)
DURHAM, NORTH CAROLINA – DECEMBER 31: Jones of Duke laughs. (Photo by Grant Halverson/Getty Images) /

East Region (New York)

(1) Duke vs. (16) Oral Roberts

(8) Stanford vs. (9) Xavier

(4) Dayton vs. (13) Northern Iowa

(5) Creighton vs. (12) Louisiana Tech

(6 Florida State vs. (11) Georgetown/Purdue

(3) Maryland vs. (14) Akron

(7) Arizona vs. (10) Temple

(2) West Virginia vs. (15) UC Irvine

Duke, even with its loss to Stephen F. Austin, definitely warrants a spot on the No. 1 seed line right now. Additionally, it is worth mentioning that SFA ranks high enough in the NET that Duke’s loss only falls into Quadrant 2. The Blue Devils currently sit at 12-1 on the season with a 4-0 record in Q1 games. Tre Jones is leading the way with his playmaking while Vernon Carey Jr. appears to be a legitimate contender for the National Player of the Year award. This team boasts the starpower and balance to be a title contender – no doubt about it.

Duke’s placement shouldn’t be a surprise but people might be confused by Maryland sticking on the No. 3 line. Admittedly, the Terrapins have not played very well as of late and that is evidenced by their back-to-back road losses to Penn State and Seton Hall. It is vital to mention, though, that neither of those losses hurts their resume much as they still hold a 5-2 record in Q1+2 games. Honestly, if the Terps had won both of those road games, we would be talking about them as the clear-cut No. 1 overall seed in the field. Maryland still ranks in the Top 20 in all committee-used metrics and would receive a very high seed if the tournament started today.

With regard to teams on the rise, Creighton is steadily gaining momentum and national attention. The Bluejays hold a 12-2 record for the season that includes five Q1+2 wins. They have been playing extremely well as of late and are starting to improve their efficiency metrics as a result. A 17-point beatdown of Marquette in their most recent game certainly helped. Creighton is steadily starting to look like a legitimate contender to win the Big East with its tricky small-defense and tremendous offensive firepower.

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