Bracketology 2023: Creighton, West Virginia and Baylor among week’s big winners

USC

The Pac-12 has not been great; it’s been the weakest of the power conferences for a considerable amount of time. USC’s season started poorly with a 13-point home loss to Florida Gulf Coast but they’ve done a decent job to right the ship ever since that stinker. Wins over Auburn and Arizona State cemented their resume, but they got the job done in an even bigger way this week.

This past Thursday, the Trojans delivered revenge to their crosstown rivals, beating #8 UCLA 77-64. Boogie Ellis had 31 points in a phenomenal performance, with Drew Peterson adding 16 points of his own. The Trojans avenged a 2-point loss to the Bruins just three weeks earlier and got the marquee victory that their resume needed.

USC now sits 7-3 in a paltry Pac-12 but has an impressive win over one of the two elite teams in the league. They’re working their way into the field, as this Top 10 win certainly makes the bubble feel more comfortable in Los Angeles. Obviously, the Trojans will need to avoid major slip ups in the weeks ahead; there’s only so much good they can do against some of these teams in the weeks to come.

We’ve looked closely at ten different teams considered bracketology winners from the past week. Do you think we’ll see these teams in the NCAA Tournament and in a good position to cause damage?