Bracketology 2023: Penn State, Marquette, Utah State among big winners

Bracketology 2023: Penn State, Marquette and Utah State among biggest winners

By Joey Loose | Mar 11, 2023

Northwestern Wildcats guard Brooks Barnhizer (13) defends Penn State Nittany Lions guard Jalen Pickett (22) during the Big Ten Men’s Basketball Tournament game, Friday, March 10, 2023, at United Center in Chicago. Penn State won 67-65 in overtime.Norpsu031023 Am16293 /

6 of 11

Bracketology Memphis Tigers forward DeAndre Williams (12) and guard Kendric Davis Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports /

Memphis

When the Tigers needed a win to secure their place in the NCAA Tournament, they got legendary performances from their two best players. The Tigers have been the only hopes for a multi-bid AAC, with Houston looking virtually unbeatable this season, defeating Memphis twice in the last month. However, the Tigers took care of business on Friday in their first test in the postseason.

Though they grabbed a double-digit halftime lead, UCF gave them a challenge in the quarterfinals of the AAC Tournament, with Memphis clinging to an 81-76 victory. Their quarterfinals performance was due solely to two very important players, as DeAndre Williams had 35 points and 13 rebounds while Kendric Davis had 33 points and 7 assists. They were a two-man wrecking crew and scored most of Memphis’s points.

With this win, you can guarantee without question that Memphis is an NCAA Tournament team, though many people have expected this for several weeks. They needed to avoid the bad loss and they’ve done that in recent weeks. While the Tigers still have just 2 Quad 1 wins, their metrics are in fine shape and they’ll be the favorites against Tulane in the conference semifinals on Saturday, hoping to get one more shot at Houston in the title game.

Home/Bracketology