Bracketology 2021: BYU, Utah State, and Virginia among biggest winners

Maryland Terrapins

With the exceptions of Nebraska and Penn State, there’s a reasonable case to be made for the other 12 programs in the Big Ten to have at-large hopes for the NCAA Tournament. Of course, not all of them are in a similar situation. Teams such as Michigan and Wisconsin should be considered safely in, while Maryland, Indiana, and Purdue are those near the bottom that has a lot of work to do.

At least the Boilermakers got a win over the Hoosiers to give themselves some separation, but a win like that won’t make major noise. What will is what the Terrapins did this past Sunday against Illinois, winning 69-66 thanks to 19 points from Darryl Morsell and 16 from forward Donta Scott. That victory, along with a win on Friday over Wingate due to postponements in the conference upgrades the Terps to 8-6 overall and 2-5 in Big 12 play.

Coming into the Illinois game, Maryland had lost three straight games. None of them were bad but still, it’s difficult being the 12th best team in the conference, and think that you’ll still end up with an at-large bid. Beating the Illini gives them their second Quad 1 win of the season to go to 2-5, along with some needed confidence as they face both Michigan and Wisconsin on the road next week. A split there would be even more massive for the Terrapins.