Busting Brackets
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Bracketology 2020: Gonzaga, Maryland and Purdue among biggest winners

By Tristan Freeman

SEATTLE, WA - DECEMBER 08: Gonzaga Bulldogs players celebrate at half court after defeating the Washington Huskies 83-76 at Hec Edmundson Pavilion on December 8, 2019 in Seattle, Washington. (Photo by Mike Tedesco/Getty Images)
SEATTLE, WA - DECEMBER 08: Gonzaga Bulldogs players celebrate at half court after defeating the Washington Huskies 83-76 at Hec Edmundson Pavilion on December 8, 2019 in Seattle, Washington. (Photo by Mike Tedesco/Getty Images) /
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COLLEGE PARK, MARYLAND – JANUARY 30: Anthony Cowan Jr. #1 of the Maryland Terrapins (Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images)
COLLEGE PARK, MARYLAND – JANUARY 30: Anthony Cowan Jr. #1 of the Maryland Terrapins (Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images) /

Maryland Terrapins (19-4, 9-3 in Big Ten)

In the battle royale that is Big Ten Basketball this season, multiple teams have taken the mantle of the No. 1 spot in the standings. After this week, it’s the Maryland Terrapins that stands alone after a big pair of wins.

They first took care of business at home against Rutgers, which this season is actually a quality resume victory. It wasn’t the best performance from the Terrapins that night but they still managed to squeak by a 56-51 win. Maryland struggled again at Illinois on Friday, falling behind by as many as 14 points early on. But the Terps made a big run in the second half to take the lead, winning 75-66 for a Quad-1 win.

There were two Big Ten teams from the bracket reveal – Maryland and Michigan State. And with the Spartans losing, the Terps now stand as the top dog in both the standings and in Bracketology. Currently a 3 seed, Maryland has a real shot at rising to a 2 seed in the coming weeks. But it won’t be easy, with a pair of games against Michigan State coming up soon.

What’s also helping the Terps is their non-conference opponents continuing to do well. Rhode Island is now second in the Atlantic Ten and in the field, while Marquette continues to be strong. With no losses outside the Quad-1 category, Maryland just has to handle business and they’ll have a possibility to possibly rise to a 1 seed, depending on what others do.

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