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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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INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA – DECEMBER 21: Matt Painter the head coach of the Purdue Boilermakers (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images)
INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA – DECEMBER 21: Matt Painter the head coach of the Purdue Boilermakers (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images) /

Purdue Boilermakers (14-10, 7-6 in Big Ten)

Like Minnesota, Purdue seems set on testing how many losses one can have overall and still make the NCAA Tournament field. They had one of the last four byes from our Bracketology heading into Saturday but certainly needed some wins this week against surefire Big Dance squads. They showed why they’re so feared at home against Iowa, scoring 61 first-half points en route to a 104-68 beatdown.

The question is whether they can win on the road against a good team (Northwestern doesn’t count). We were going to find out on Saturday against Indiana in an emotional environment thanks to former Hoosier head coach Bobby Knight making his long-awaited return to Assembly Hall. But the Boilermakers were able to tune out the crowd and thwart any potential run Indiana tried to make. Purdue got the much-needed road win, 74-62.

The Indiana win improves the team’s record to 4-7 against Quad-1 opponents. They have a top-30 NET ranking with a good Strength of Schedule, with just the road loss at Nebraska as their only true blemish. Next week will be big for the Boilermakers to continue improving on their standing, with games against Penn State and Ohio State. They want to avoid 15 total losses by Selection Sunday, so going 1-1 will be optimal.

Next. Top-25 mid-major power rankings. dark

While many teams closer on the bubble found themselves on the “winners” side for this week, expect some of the upper-echelon programs to get some shine for the next edition. With the top teams facing off in the ACC, Big 12 and elsewhere, massive seeding implications will be on the line. Let’s watch and see who comes out on top.

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