Busting Brackets Podcast: Examining ACC and Big East midway through 2019-20

The latest Busting Brackets podcast focuses on both the Big East and the ACC. Who are the key teams to keep on eye on going forward?

This episode of Busting Brackets podcast is twice as big as usual, with hosts Brian Rauf and Connor Hope joined by Lukas Harkins and Mychal Hunter. Both of their specialties, the Big East and ACC respectively, are the main topics this time around.

There were many reactions from the NCAA Basketball section committee’s early bracket reveal, including who got the No. 1 seed from the West Region. Do the guys agree that Gonzaga should’ve gotten the edge over San Diego State or did they get it wrong?

The Duke Blue Devils got a 2 seed in the East Region and could be growing. Mychal talks about the traditional juggernaut and why they have a shot at move onto the 1 line. The 3 and 4 seeds were also discussed, looking at who’s most likely to fall out and who has staying power in the race to get a protected seed in the NCAA Tournament.

Several of the top Big East programs this season found their way into the top-16. Seton Hall looks to be the current favorite to make a deep run but which of the others also has the potential? Creighton, Villanova, Butler, and Marquette gets talked about, with their strengths and weaknesses dissected. The Bracketology is also brought into the conversation, with the possibility of Xavier getting into the bubble mix mentioned.

The talk turns to the ACC, with the constant turmoil of the league outside the top-3 the main topic. There are several programs fighting to get one of the couple of remaining projected tournament bids, including Virginia, Syracuse, Notre Dame, NC State and Virginia Tech. Mychal and Lukas look at the bracketology impact of the next couple of weeks for the conference, including important bubble matchups right around the corner.

The guys then turn to the top teams, Duke, Florida State, and Louisville. All three of them are likely top-seed teams and are in a close battle for the ACC regular-season title. The guys pick their winners from the ACC overall, before giving their same kind of selections on the Big East.

As usual, bold predictions close out the show. Find out why the Iowa Hawkeyes are on the chopping block, while there could be some mayhem out west in some of the conference standings, along with some turmoil over Brian’s “claims” concerning Saint Mary’s. Thanks for listening to this podcast and stay tuned for next week’s edition.