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Bracketology 2021: Creighton, Loyola-Chicago, Arkansas among big winners

By Joey Loose

Drake junior guard D.J. Wilkins, right, knocks the ball away from Loyola's Braden Norris in the first half on Saturday, Feb. 13, 2021, at the Knapp Center in Des Moines.20210213 Drakevsloyola
Drake junior guard D.J. Wilkins, right, knocks the ball away from Loyola's Braden Norris in the first half on Saturday, Feb. 13, 2021, at the Knapp Center in Des Moines.20210213 Drakevsloyola /
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LSU Tigers Trendon Watford Bracketology Matt Bush-USA TODAY Sports
LSU Tigers Trendon Watford Bracketology Matt Bush-USA TODAY Sports /

LSU

It can be hard to live up to expectations at the power conference level, especially if you’re a program that hasn’t been established in college basketball in recent memory. Sure, LSU was in the Final Four in 2006 and they had a great run of success with Shaquille O’Neal, but Will Wade’s program, controversial or not, has had some work to do to secure the future.

After recent struggles, the Tigers got back on track in a big way this week. They took care of business on Wednesday on the road against a feisty Mississippi State team, beating the Bulldogs by 14 points. More impressively, they took care of #16 Tennessee on Saturday, getting 25 points from elite scorer Cam Thomas in both outings.

This was a great bounce-back for the Tigers after a pair of losses to top 10 teams in the previous weeks, with their record now sitting at 13-6, and a great 8-4 in the SEC. They are right there behind Alabama at the top of the SEC race and this past week of action certainly brought a lot of that confidence back to Baton Rouge.

Previously, the Tigers had lost four of five games, including getting swept by the Crimson Tide, but a number of winnable games remain on the schedule. Much like Arkansas, who they’ll play in two weeks, the Tigers can keep riding these SEC wins as they ascend the seedlines. LSU is going to be an NCAA Tournament team, and if Thomas and the rest of the cast keep playing more like they did today, then this can be a dangerous team once more.

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