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This week brought a significant shakeup to the No. 1 seeds in CBS Sports Bracketology as our model reacted to Iowa State and Vanderbilt losing for the first time. Both the Cyclones and Commodores have been displaced on the top line after taking lopsided road losses against unranked conference foes.

Duke and UConn have risen to take their places entering another big weekend of conference action around college basketball. The Blue Devils and Huskies aren't necessarily dominating the opposition, but they are finding ways to win.

UConn's 13-game winning streak is tied with BYU's for the longest of anyone aside from the sport's three remaining unbeaten teams. Since falling to Arizona on Nov. 19, the Huskies have earned victories over Illinois, Kansas, Florida and Texas, in addition beginning Big East play at 7-0. As a result, UConn is tops nationally in wins above bubble (WAB), which supports its case to be a No. 1 seed at this juncture.

Duke is right behind UConn at No. 2 in the WAB as the Blue Devils lead the nation in Quad 1 wins with seven. Among them was Wednesday night's win over Cal, which narrowly qualifies as a Quad 1 game for now. Retaining their status as a No. 1 seed will be a challenge for the Blue Devils on Saturday as they take on Stanford while completing the second leg of their West Coast road trip.

Bracketology top seeds


Check out the full field of 68 at the CBS Sports Bracketology hub.

Massive tilt for Saint Mary's

Though it sits at No. 28 in the NET, Saint Mary's is among the First Four Out in the CBS Sports Bracketology model. That will change Saturday if the Gaels beat Santa Clara on the road. The 50-mile southward trek to play the Broncos brings just the second Quad 1 opportunity of the season for Saint Mary's, which lost by 25 to Vanderbilt in its only other Quad 1 game.

At 30th in KenPom and with a 17-2 (6-0 WCC) record, the Gaels look the part of an NCAA Tournament club. But with 12 of those 16 victories coming in Quads 3 and 4, they need a resume boost, and a win over Santa Clara would do wonders. Our model's initial projection suggests a win would catapult Saint Mary's potentially as high as a No. 9 seed in Bracketology while doubling its selection percentage from 41.4% to 83%.

Our initial projection suggests a loss would leave the Gaels with just an 16.2% chance of making the Big Dance. Such a scenario would attach massive stakes to two games against Gonzaga (Jan. 31 and Feb. 28) in their final meetings as WCC foes before Gonzaga leaves for the reforming Pac 12.

Stanford highlights ACC's resurgence

One year after placing just four of its 18 teams in the NCAA Tournament field, the ACC is enjoying a significant resurgence. Entering the weekend, nine ACC teams are in the field, according to the CBS Sports Bracketology model. Another two — Virginia Tech and Syracuse — aren't far behind. Strong debut campaigns for new coaches Jai Lucas (Miami), Will Wade (NC State) and Ryan Odom (Virginia) have helped breathe new life into the conference.

But no one has been more surprising than Stanford. Picked to finish 17th in the league's preseason poll, the Cardinal (14-4, 3-2 ACC) are up to 4-1 in Quad 1 after upsetting North Carolina 95-90 on Wednesday. Now comes another showcase opportunity on Saturday against Duke in a battle between two of the nation's most exciting freshmen. 

Three-star guard Ebuka Okorie is leading the ACC in scoring at 22.9 points for Stanford and just torched UNC for 36 points. But the Cardinal will have their hands full against a Duke team led by five-star phenom Cam Boozer. The bruising forward has led the Blue Devils to a 16-1 (5-0) start and a spot on the No. 1 seed line in CBS Sports Bracketology.