Bracketology 2024: Clemson, Utah, and Washington among week’s biggest winners
2. Memphis Tigers
After back-to-back losses to Ole Miss and Villanova, Memphis needed some resume-builders so they could have some breathing room by the time AAC play started. The first game was on the road at VCU, a game that ended up going to overtime before the Tigers prevailed. They followed that up with a big road win on the road at Texas A&M that gave them their first Quad 1 victory of the year.
That win over VCU is also likely to get better as time goes on as they get back a key piece to the roster in Sean Bairstow. If that victory somehow rises to Quad 1 status, Memphis could end up with as many as five in the non-con, depending on what happens with Missouri and Michigan. The team has two more big opportunities to round out the non-con, with Clemson and Virginia both coming to Memphis in the next week.
1. Washington Huskies
Washington doesn’t have anything wrong with its resume, having lost to Nevada, San Diego State, and Colorado State. Hopefully for them, the Mountain West ends up being as strong as last season when they sent four teams to the Big Dance. But outside of a win over a shaky Xavier squad, the team didn’t have anything to show for its resume heading into Pac-12 play.
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That changed on Saturday, where the Huskies came down from 10 pts in the second-half to beat rival Gonzaga. The Bulldogs are a near-guarantee to be a Quad 1 win when it’s all said and done and it gives them a true signature victory for its at-large hopes. It’s been a while since the Huskies beat Gonzaga and if they make the NCAA Tournament, what happened Saturday night will likely be why.