Bracketology 2020: Duke, Butler, Auburn among this week’s losers

Ohio State

What in the world is going on in Columbus?

After rising all the way to “best team in the country” status, Ohio State has absolutely fallen off a cliff over the past few weeks. The Buckeyes are currently tied with Nebraska for second-to-last place in the Big Ten.

NEBRASKA.

Thankfully for Ohio State, they were able to beat the Cornhuskers last week to secure an early tiebreaker that Chris Holtmann never expected he would need. But that win is meaningless compared to the four losses that came before it, when the Buckeyes fell to West Virginia, Wisconsin, Maryland, and Indiana.

On Saturday, they lost yet again, this time to Penn State. The defeat brings the Buckeyes’ record to 1-4 in true road games on the season. Forget about whether Ohio State will be in the conversation for a #1 seed. This team is suddenly much closer to the cut line than the one line.

Purdue

Matt Painter hoped his team had turned a corner after their beatdown of Michigan State last Sunday, but they were unable to carry that momentum away from home into their next game against Maryland. To be sure, the Terrapins are one of the better teams in the league. But the Boilermakers’ train is running out of track and every loss brings them one step closer to missing the tournament after last season’s Elite Eight appearance.

Next week will be vitally important for Purdue, as they will have an opportunity to get back above .500 in league play with two games at Mackey Arena. They have been a much better team at home this season, and they will have a chance to show that off against Illinois and Wisconsin. Those two wins would go a very long way to improving Purdue’s odds at making the Big Dance.

Right now, though, this is a 10-8 team with a losing conference record and a ninth-place spot in the Big Ten standings. Even with the league projected to get a healthy number of bids, there is no guarantee that Purdue will be among the lucky recipients.

Minnesota

Like Purdue, Minnesota has struggled to consistently distinguish itself in the Big Ten. Sure, they’ve scored some big wins. Heck, they beat Penn State just this week. It may have come at home, and the Nittany Lions may have fallen out of the Top 25, but that’s a good win nonetheless.

Still, the Gophers need all the wins they can get after a somewhat forgettable non-conference campaign that included losses to Utah, Oklahoma, and DePaul. Only Oklahoma State and Clemson register as notable out-of-conference wins for Minnesota and neither of those victories will carry them too far.

That’s why this weekend’s loss to Rutgers was such a missed opportunity. The Gophers have conference wins over Michigan, Penn State, and Ohio State. But they also have losses to Rutgers, Purdue, and Iowa. At 10-8 overall and .500 in league play, Minnesota’s resume is very mediocre.