Busting Brackets
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Bracketology 2020 Bubble Watch: Breaking down at-large contenders

By Lukas Harkins

BLOOMINGTON, INDIANA - FEBRUARY 08: Trevion Williams #50 of the Purdue Boilermakers takes a shot over Trayce Jackson-Davis #4 of the Indiana Hoosiers during the second half at Assembly Hall on February 08, 2020 in Bloomington, Indiana. (Photo by Justin Casterline/Getty Images)
BLOOMINGTON, INDIANA - FEBRUARY 08: Trevion Williams #50 of the Purdue Boilermakers takes a shot over Trayce Jackson-Davis #4 of the Indiana Hoosiers during the second half at Assembly Hall on February 08, 2020 in Bloomington, Indiana. (Photo by Justin Casterline/Getty Images) /
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WICHITA, KS – NOVEMBER 23: Coach Marshall of the Shockers calls out. (Photo by Peter G. Aiken/Getty Images)
WICHITA, KS – NOVEMBER 23: Coach Marshall of the Shockers calls out. (Photo by Peter G. Aiken/Getty Images) /

Lead-Pipe Locks: Houston.

Safely in the field: None.

Some perspiration: Wichita State

Double the deodorant: Cincinnati, Memphis

Wichita State Shockers (19-6, 7-5 AAC)

NET: 43 | KPI: 31 | SOR: 35 | BPI: 38 | KP: 37 | Sag: 37

Q1: 2-3 | Q2:  6-3 | Q3: 2-0 | Q4: 8-0

Wichita State helps itself dramatically during this past week by simply securing back-to-back dominant wins. The Shockers had no trouble dispatching UCF (away) and Tulane (home) and that has pushed the team back into relatively safe positioning with regard to the NCAA Tournament. Head coach Gregg Marshall’s team has only suffered six losses all season long and none of them would be classified as “bad”. The lack of quality wins hurts Wichita State’s seeding potential but I think this team is a step ahead of most on the bubble right now. Taking care of USF at home in their next game will be crucial but a monster road meeting with Cincinnati also looks this weekend. Current Bracketology Placement: No. 9 seed.

Cincinnati Bearcats (17-8, 10-3 AAC)

NET: 50 | KPI: 27 | SOR: 49 | BPI: 40 | KP: 39 | Sag: 32

Q1: 2-5 | Q2: 6-0 | Q3: 6-3 | Q4: 3-0

Cincinnati continued its strong play as of late during this past week with a pair of victories. Both games wound up going to overtime so securing the wins wasn’t easy but Cincinnati did move into safer positioning as a result. The Bearcats have won seven of their last eight games to move onto the right side of the projected cutline heading into the final stretch of the season. With matchups against Wichita State (home) and Houston (away) still left on the schedule, Cincinnati has the opportunities needed to move up. The Bearcats are very firmly on the bubble, though, and could easily slide out of the field. Cincinnati only holds two Q1 wins and has suffered three Q3 losses. It’s not a perfect resume by any stretch. Current Bracketology Placement: No. 12 seed.

Memphis Tigers (17-8, 6-6 AAC)

NET: 59 | KPI: 54 | SOR: 59 | BPI: 64 | KP: 67 | Sag: 59

Q1: 1-4 | Q2: 5-2 | Q3: 5-2 | Q4: 6-0

Memphis has only dropped eight games so far this season but finds itself on the wrong side of the cutline. It is also important to mention that the Tigers are currently in the midst of a three-game losing streak that has put them in this predicament. They also missed strong road opportunities against Cincinnati and UConn during this past week. Looking ahead, Memphis has six regular-season games remaining and that includes both matchups with Houston (as well as a home game against Wichita State). The opportunities are left for this squad to make a run at a bid, but time is running out. Memphis only has one Q1 win to date and none of its metrics rank in the Top 50. Current Bracketology Placement: OUT.

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