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Bracketology 2020: Notre Dame/Virginia, NC State/Syracuse among big matchups

By Tristan Freeman

CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA - JANUARY 11: Buddy Boeheim #35 of the Syracuse Orange shoots over Casey Morsell #13 of the Virginia Cavaliers in the first half during a game at John Paul Jones Arena on January 11, 2020 in Charlottesville, Virginia. (Photo by Ryan M. Kelly/Getty Images)
CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA - JANUARY 11: Buddy Boeheim #35 of the Syracuse Orange shoots over Casey Morsell #13 of the Virginia Cavaliers in the first half during a game at John Paul Jones Arena on January 11, 2020 in Charlottesville, Virginia. (Photo by Ryan M. Kelly/Getty Images) /
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PITTSBURGH, PA – MARCH 17: Jeff Dowtin #11 and Fatts Russell #2 of the Rhode Island Rams (Photo by Rob Carr/Getty Images)
PITTSBURGH, PA – MARCH 17: Jeff Dowtin #11 and Fatts Russell #2 of the Rhode Island Rams (Photo by Rob Carr/Getty Images) /

10. Purdue (14-10, 7-6) vs Penn State (18-5, 8-4) – Tuesday, Feb 11

What a past 10 days for the Boilermakers. From nearly losing at Northwestern for what would’ve been a bad loss, Purdue fought back to beat them. Then they took care of both Iowa and Indiana on the road for a three-game winning streak, as well as moving away from the bubble in a good way. The Boilermakers now have a top-30 NET ranking and have an opportunity to get an even bigger win, with Penn State coming into Mackey Arena on Tuesday.

The Nittany Lions didn’t make the top-16 reveal but should be right on the cusp. They’ve won six straight games after beating Michigan State and Minnesota this past week. Penn State is safely in the field but can absolutely rise to one of the top-4 protected seeds. Let’s see if they can handle a Boilermaker squad who plays like a top-5 team when they’re at home.

9. Rhode Island (18-5,10-1) vs Dayton (21-2, 10-0) – Tuesday, Feb 11

Dayton got some good news on Saturday when they received a 2 seed from the Selection Committee. That’s probably going to be their ceiling since an ACC team is more likely to land a 1 seed over them but they’ll have to keep winning in the Atlantic 10 to avoid sliding down to a 3 or 4 seed. They also need to win this matchup against a team that has the same number of conference wins currently in Rhode Island.

The Rams have been a pleasant surprise since the start of conference play, projected as an at-large NCAA Tournament team after winning 10 straight. But with a 6-4 overall record against Quad 1 and 2 opponents, Rhode Island can’t get comfortable and could use this win to solidify their spot. They still have a home matchup against the Flyers to come but the Rams are good enough to make this interesting on the road as well.

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