Bracketology 2020: Georgia/Kentucky, Baylor/Florida among key matchups

TEMPE, ARIZONA - DECEMBER 14: Anthony Edwards #5 of the Georgia Bulldogs handles the ball against the Arizona State Sun Devils during the first half of the NCAAB game at Desert Financial Arena on December 14, 2019 in Tempe, Arizona. The Sun Devils defeated the Bulldogs 79-59. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images) /

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NEW YORK, NEW YORK – NOVEMBER 22: Courtney Ramey #3 of the Texas Longhorns (Photo by Emilee Chinn/Getty Images) /

There are plenty of games this week that will have major Bracketology implications. Which ones are the most notable?

To some degree, all NCAA Basketball games have Bracketology implications. Whether it’s a heavy favorite looking to avoid an awful loss, an underdog trying land a massive Quad-1 win, or two bubble teams in a similar situation battling it out for an advantage come Selection Sunday.

While conference play is now fully underway, a lot of the attention will be on the non-conference matchups in the Big 12/SEC Challenge. Although injuries/ineffective play has taken the juice out of a couple of games, there still are a few that are must-watch television. There are also some other games that may be flying under the radar but could have huge Bracketology implications. Here are my top-10.

10. Arkansas (14-3, 3-2) at Mississippi State (11-6, 2-3) – Wednesday, Jan 22

NET rankings (as of Jan 20th) – Arkansas (32), Mississippi State (57)

The Razorbacks missed an opportunity at a massive resume win with Kentucky in town, losing by seven points after John Calipari was ejected in the second half. Now they’ll be on the road at Mississippi State, a team who’s been a major disappointment so far this season. The Bulldogs don’t have much of a resume, losing to the three SEC teams currently in the field.

Considering that neither program drew a great Big 12 squad in the Challenge on Saturday, they’ll have to take care of a down-SEC schedule and rack up wins. Arkansas can afford a loss but Mississippi State can’t, especially with this matchup being at home.

9. LSU (13-4, 5-0) at Texas (12-5, 2-3) – Saturday, Jan 25

NET rankings: LSU (22), Texas (59)

After a shaky non-conference performance, the LSU Tigers have climbed up the seed lines into a safe position. They’ve taken care of business so far in the SEC and have provided themselves some breathing room in case they take a slip. Texas, on the other hand, is 1-5 against Quad-1 and 2 opponents and has struggled against any team who can score on offense. The only thing keeping them on the bubble is not having a bad loss.

What makes this matchup important for both teams is that there’s a chance the loser of this game could go 0-2 this week. LSU takes on Florida and Texas faces West Virginia earlier in the week so the opportunity is there to land massive wins. For the Longhorns, it’s a “must” that they get at least one win this week.

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