Bracketology 2020 Losers: League play leads to early casualties

Mid-Majors

One of the most exciting games of the season took place out well after the bedtimes of many college basketball fans, as St. Mary’s ended up falling to Pacific in four overtimes. It was a disappointing continuation of the Gaels’ start to WCC play, having beaten San Francisco earlier. Randy Bennett isn’t in any real danger of seeing his team miss the tournament – yet. But the Gaels have to avoid taking too many losses like this one during conference play.

Staying out west, the MWC is barreling nearer to being a one-bid league after Utah State fell once more to the league’s runaway favorites, San Diego State. The Aggies have looked wayward over the past few weeks, going 4-4 in their last eight games after a 7-0 start to the year. They are trending in the wrong direction right now but should have plenty of chances to add wins to their resume during Mountain West play.

Across the country, the A-10 continues to produce multiple tournament-worthy teams, such as Dayton and VCU. But while those schools had success last week, schools like Rhode Island, George Mason, and Davidson all lost twice during New Year’s Week. Saint Louis also fell to Duquesne, putting a damper on the Billikens’ chances. It’s not a stretch to imagine the A-10 putting in three or four teams this season, but the talent level leaguewide means that we are in store for a wild battle for those bids.

Speaking of leagues where there is plenty of competition, the four top SOCON programs also traded haymakers last week. Furman made it out unscathed, but East Tennessee State, UNC Greensboro, and Wofford all took early conference losses. More and more, this season is shaping up to turn out similarly to last year.

Lastly, Belmont probably killed any chance at repeating as an at-large bid in the NCAA Tournament after losing to SIU-Edwardsville at home last week. That was already a longshot after the Bruins stacked up early losses to Illinois State and Eastern Washington, but this loss probably puts the final nail in the coffin. Luckily for Bruins fans, the team still looks like the class of the OVC this season. But now, Belmont really can’t afford another stumble in the league tournament.

That’s it for this week! Come back next time for another update on which teams are shooting themselves in the foot on the road to the Big Dance.