Bracketology 2023: Arizona State, North Carolina, Gonzaga big winners

Bracketology 2023: Arizona State, North Carolina and Gonzaga among biggest winners

Dec 21, 2022; San Francisco, California, USA; Arizona State Sun Devils head coach Bobby Hurley talks to forward Jamiya Neal (5) during the first half against the San Francisco Dons at War Memorial at the Sobrato Center. Mandatory Credit: D. Ross Cameron-USA TODAY Sports /

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Clemson junior guard Chase Hunter Brevin Galloway Clemson Basketball Vs Penn State University Acc Big 10 Challenge /

Clemson Tigers

There was no biggest loser in Bracketology from the week prior than Clemson, who suffered a Quad 4 road loss at lowly Louisville to suffer a devastating setback on the bubble. A case could be made that with the awful losses on the resume (South Carolina, Loyola-Chicago, Louisville), the Tigers are just about auto-bid or bust.

But this past week has given them some hope. It started with a 91-73 blowout home win over Syracuse, led by 29 points and 10 rebounds from Hunter Tyson, one of five starters in double figures. Beating the Orange doesn’t do much but the margin is helpful for the NET, which has been a weakness for them all season.

Clemson helped matters with another blowout road win, this time a Quad 1 variety against NC State. The final score was 96-71, with Brevin Galloway going for a career-high 28 points on just 7/9 shooting (4/5 from deep). This puts them not only with a 4th Quad 1 win to be a combined 7-4 against Quad 1/2 foes but the NET ranking is now in the more manageable 70s.

There’s still plenty of work to do for the Tigers but they have newfound momentum heading into the final week of the regular season. They have one more opportunity to change their resume, taking on a slumping Virginia on the road on Tuesday.

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