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

LAS VEGAS, NV - MARCH 05: Jordan Ford #30 of the Saint Mary's Gaels guards TJ Haws #30 of the Brigham Young Cougars during a semifinal game of the West Coast Conference basketball tournament at the Orleans Arena on March 5, 2018 in Las Vegas, Nevada. The Cougars won 85-72. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images) /

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AUBURN, AL – FEBRUARY 01: Head coach Bruce Pearl of the Auburn Tigers (Photo by Todd Kirkland/Getty Images) /

Auburn Tigers – 19-2 (6-2 in SEC)

As the only matchup featuring ranked teams on Saturday, a lot of eyes were on Auburn facing off against Kentucky. ESPN’s College Gameday made the home event all the more special for Bruce Pearl and the Tigers. In a battle for second place in the SEC, along with a crucial resume win, this was a huge opportunity for the team.

Despite the numerous fouls, ugly shooting and overall play, Auburn was able to get the 75-64 win, led by Samir Doughty and his 23 points. Although the overall record looks good, the Tigers have yet to get a win against a surefire at-large team, let alone a Quad-1 win like this. This has big seeding implications for the Tigers if they can continue winning, possibly landing into the “protected” top 16 overall seeds rather than a 5 or a 6.

The other win this week for Auburn might not be as notable but in terms of Bracketology, it was just as important. They were trailing Ole Miss on Tuesday by as many as 20 points, in what was sure to end up being a bad loss for the team’s resume. But instead, the Tigers crept back to tie it at the end of regulation, before winning in double-overtime. Avoiding bad losses can be as important as getting good wins, which was something Auburn managed to do this week.

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