Bracketology 2020: Rhode Island, BYU and Auburn among biggest winners

Bracketology has a way of showing teams solidifying themselves, along with others coming back from the dead. Whose resumes boosted the most this week?

As the calendar turns to the month of February, that means we have around six weeks left of regular season and conference tournament games before Selection Sunday. In terms of Bracketology, it could be either plenty of time… or not enough, depending on where your team currently stands.

Take North Carolina for example. They’ve struggled mightily after their star guard Cole Anthony went down with an injury, missing the entire month of January. The Tar Heels lost six straight ACC games to go under .500 and little hope of making the NCAA Tournament. But back-to-back wins over Miami and NC State, along with Anthony’s return to the lineup this Saturday against Boston College gave UNC fans signs of life. Unfortunately, Anthony’s 26 points weren’t enough for the win, losing another bad game to the Eagles by a point.

The Tar Heels are pretty much done when it comes to the Big Dance but others aren’t going down without a fight. Despite all the off the court turmoil, the Wisconsin Badgers got a huge win on Saturday, upsetting No. 14 Michigan State. The reigning national champion Virginia Cavaliers got a much-needed win over Florida State to stay on the bubble, while Texas Tech got a home win over West Virginia to boost their own resume.

Even the mid-major got some impressive wins, including East Tennessee State over UNC-Greensboro in a matchup of SoCon elites, while Stephen F. Austin kept their faint at-large hopes alive by beating both Sam Houston State and Abilene Christian. Both Gonzaga and San Deigo State had scares in their respective battles against San Francisco and Utah State but each was able to come away with wins.

Who else were big winners from this past week? Check out my five biggest Bracketology beneficiaries as March Madness gets even closer.