Busting Brackets
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Bracketology 2020: Ranking the 16 teams from early bracket reveal

By Tristan Freeman

NEW YORK, NEW YORK - NOVEMBER 05: Tre Jones #3 of the Duke Blue Devils drives past Devon Dotson #1 of the Kansas Jayhawks in the first half of their game at Madison Square Garden on November 05, 2019 in New York City. (Photo by Emilee Chinn/Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NEW YORK - NOVEMBER 05: Tre Jones #3 of the Duke Blue Devils drives past Devon Dotson #1 of the Kansas Jayhawks in the first half of their game at Madison Square Garden on November 05, 2019 in New York City. (Photo by Emilee Chinn/Getty Images) /
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SEATTLE, WASHINGTON – JANUARY 18: Payton Pritchard #3 (middle) celebrates with Chris Duarte #5 of the Oregon Ducks (Photo by Abbie Parr/Getty Images)
SEATTLE, WASHINGTON – JANUARY 18: Payton Pritchard #3 (middle) celebrates with Chris Duarte #5 of the Oregon Ducks (Photo by Abbie Parr/Getty Images) /

12. Oregon Ducks (18-6, 7-4 in Pac-12)

If we’re just looking at all 16 rosters when healthy, Oregon would probably jump up there in the top-4. They have an All-American caliber player in Payton Pritchard, a former JUCO star turned instant impact newcomer in Chris Duarte, along with sharpshooting grad transfer wing Anthony Mathis. That doesn’t even mention the great frontcourt depth, including CJ Walker, Shakur Juiston and N’Faly Dante.

Yet for some reason, the Ducks are looking more like an 8-9 seed than in the top-16 overall. They’re 2-4 on the road in Pac-12 play and have had a number of other close calls as well. They can score nearly 90 points one game and barely get over 50 in the next. It’s similar to last season’s inconsistencies on offense but this team has way too much talent to not be hitting their stride. Oregon has Final Four potential without question but a good 12-seed mid-major squad could also knock them out early.

11. Florida State Seminoles (20-3, 10-2 in ACC)

There’s nothing that this team does exceptionally well, either on offense or defense. But they don’t have a real weakness either, something that many of these teams can’t say. What is considered Florida State’s biggest strength is their overall depth (11 rotation players) and size, with multiple imposing frontcourt players. Teams who aren’t used to this kind of size, or those smaller in general will not want to see the Seminoles in their region.

What concerns me about this team is that they only have a few true offensive threats in MJ Walker, Trent Forrest and Devin Vassell. The other thing is that I’m still not sure whether to put this team in the “elite” category or not. Through no fault of their own, the ACC this season lacks marquee matchups (excluding a road win over Louisville), while non-conference wins over Florida and Tennessee haven’t meant much. The Seminoles can win games but will have to avoid offensive letdowns in the Sweet 16 and beyond. I’m not sure if they can.

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