Bracketology 2020: Utah State, Rutgers and Wisconsin among biggest winners

Dayton and Gonzaga

To expand further on the results from the Mountain West Tournament, it looked like it provided clarity on how the top-tier mid-major trio between Gonzaga, San Diego State and Dayton would be handled on the top seedlines. The Kansas Jayhawks have won out and clinched the No. 1 overall seed, and while Baylor lost again to West Virginia, their resume is still simply better than the mid-majors; unless they lose to a non-Quad 1 team in the Big 12 Tournament.

The Selection Committee already had Gonzaga over San Diego State in their early bracket reveal. Since then, Gonzaga has lost to BYU and beaten Saint Mary’s twice, while the Aztecs lost to UNLV and Utah State, while not having just one Quad 1 win over those Aggies. So even if the Bulldogs lose to San Francisco in the semis of the WCC Tournament, they probably have the 1 seed in the West Region locked up.

The 4th overall No. 1 seed though is now in question, with San Diego State and Dayton fighting for it. Of course, the power conference teams will have a say, including the Big East, ACC, and Big Ten Tournament winners who’ll accumulate more Quad 1 wins along the way. But when you consider teams such as Maryland, Creighton, Duke and others recently suffering bad losses, it’ll be hard to see them taking that spot.

At the same time, it’s hard to see Dayton doing it on paper. They have the No. 3 NET ranking and has a win over Saint Mary’s but the other A-10 wins aren’t great compared to the others. What helps them is that many believe the Flyers are one of the best four teams in the country and that going unbeaten in the A-10 is still a tremendous achievement. If they get through their conference tournament unscathed, look for them to get that last No. 1 seed and have all the top mid-majors in their preferred locations.