Bracketology 2021: Ohio State, USC, and St. John’s among big winners

February has arrived, bringing us nearer to the prime of the college basketball season. Despite dealing with the national pandemic and the issues it has caused, a significant amount of the season has been played, a testament to the hardworking men and women behind the scenes, especially in keeping these players safe and putting together enough games to build adequate schedules.

March Madness is closer with each passing week, and these last few weeks of conference play have proven that. Some teams have played their way into the discussion, meriting attention, while others have done the opposite. Either way, the games continue to rise in importance as we get closer to postseason play. There are still a great number of programs with some work to do, especially in the eyes of the Selection Committee.

Specifically, this past week provided opportunities for a number of programs. Some programs took advantage and got important victories, while others faltered and watched their stock take a hit. After all, some team has to lose every single game that’s played. For the winners, they’ve improved their standing and made as much of an impact as possible. At this point in the season, any big win will make a significant impact, especially in regards to bracketology. If you get on a hot streak now, it’s much more critical than stringing together unimpressive nonconference wins in November.

We’ll be taking a look at ten teams who were winners this week; teams that certainly watched their stock rise thanks to their on-court performances. Bracketology is a tricky art, but here are ten teams that certainly caught the eyes of your average bracketologist and are on the rise.