Bracketology 2020: Xavier/DePaul, Wisconsin/Minnesota top matchups

Bracketology 2020: Xavier/DePaul, Wisconsin/Minnesota among top matchups

LAS VEGAS, NEVADA - MARCH 12: Josh Perkins #13 of the Gonzaga Bulldogs brings the ball up the court after stealing the ball from Tanner Krebs #00 of the Saint Mary's Gaels during the championship game of the West Coast Conference basketball tournament at the Orleans Arena on March 12, 2019 in Las Vegas, Nevada. The Gaels defeated the Bulldogs 60-47. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images) /

1 of 5

CHICAGO, ILLINOIS – MARCH 15: Zavier Simpson #3, Isaiah Livers #4, and Colin Castleton #11 of the Michigan Wolverines (Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images) /

Which games this week will have the biggest Bracketology implications? Here is a list of the top 10.

We’re officially in the month of February, which means these games coming up are going to have a major impact when it comes to Bracketology. Last week saw several teams have big wins, while others suffered debilitating defeats. As far as this upcoming week (Tuesday through Monday), here are 10 games I have an eye on the most.

10. Michigan (13-8, 4-6) at Michigan State (16-6, 8-3) – Sat, Feb 8

After suffering a four-game losing streak, Michigan was able to beat both Nebraska and Rutgers last week to right the ship. They’ve overall struggled without Isaiah Livers, who has been injured again the past couple of games. The victory over the Scarlet Knights was huge, adding another Quad-1 win along with Gonzaga and Creighton to keep the Wolverines away from the bubble.

Along with Ohio State, Michigan takes on rival Michigan State at home this week. If Livers isn’t playing this week, a 1-1 split will do but if they can upset the Spartans, the Wolverines will all but cash their ticket to the NCAA Tournament. As for Michigan State, they have a tough stretch of games either on the road in the Big Ten or against ranked foes in the month of February. As a projected 3 seed currently, getting wins against an underhanded Michigan squad are ones they should win to stay in “protected” status.

9. Harvard (13-6, 2-2) at Yale (16-4, 4-0) – Fri, Feb 7

Once a possible at-large contender, Harvard lost back-to-back close games this weekend on the road at both Penn and Princeton to have those hopes dashed. They are also now two games back in the Ivy League standings to Princeton and Yale, meaning that they’ll need to beat both those teams coming up to get back into the conference mix.

The Bulldogs are a serious at-large hopeful if they can win 15 of 16 in conference play. But with six of their last eight regular-season games coming on the road, they’ll need to remain unbeaten until that stretch. That includes a must-win game against what should be an angry Crimson squad. If you’re a power conference team on the bubble, you’re rooting for Yale to go down this week as Harvard did the week prior.

Home/Bracketology