It’s Bracket Builder week at ESPN, meaning teams are putting final touches on their tourney résumés, while Joe Lunardi is locked in a dungeon somewhere, trying to make sense of it all. Well, we here at GK Central are nothing if not helpful, so we’re offering Joe -- and you, dear readers -- our own take on the bubble.

What if we were to ditch comparative tools like quality road wins or schedule strength and focus, instead, on one simple idea: Which teams have the best chance at upsetting a high seed? That’s what our model is for, and we set it loose on Lunardi’s bubble teams. Below, we’ve rearranged his 16 teams on the fringe of the tourney, sorting them into his typical categories (from “Last Four Byes” to “Next Four Out”) by virtue of our model’s Giant Killer rating. It certainly leads to a different look -- and a more entertaining opening round.

Last Four Byes

BYU Cougars (23.5 Giant Killer Rating on a 100-point scale.)

The Cougars dug themselves a serious hole early in conference play, and if they don’t make the tourney, they can blame it on Pepperdine, which swept their season series. But if you like upsets, you should root for BYU to find its way into the bracket, because the Cougars are dangerous. Our model’s SRS rankings peg them as the 26th-best team in the country, and while they don’t play a quintessential GK style, they shoot a lot of 3-pointers (37.7 percent of their field goal attempts) and rebound well at both ends.

There’s star power in Provo, too, with Tyler Haws (22.4 PPG) and triple-double machine Kyle Collinsworth (13.2 PPG, 8.7 RPG, 5.7 APG). It may take a win over Gonzaga (either in the regular-season finale or the WCC tourney) to earn the Cougars a bid, but if they make the field, look out.

Cincinnati Bearcats (22.4 GK Rating)

A recent three-game slide has left the Bearcats in danger of missing the tournament, which would be a shame, because they produce all sorts of GK goodies that add up to one of the best “secret sauces” of the bubble teams. Cincinnati gains extra possessions both by grabbing offensive rebounds (36.7 percent) and forcing turnovers (21.5 percent of opponents’ possessions). Shooting remains a perpetual weakness -- Cincy hits just 31.4 percent of its 3-pointers -- but the Bearcats' slow pace also helps limit possessions against a better team, another historical key to big upsets.

Miami (FL) Hurricanes (21.3 GK Rating)

The Hurricanes have already proved their bona fides with a 16-point drubbing of Duke at Cameron, and Jim Larranaga knows all about slaying Giants. As their 17-10 record shows, they’re not a great team (our model pegs them as No. 41 in the country), but they are extra-dangerous as a Killer, largely because they take a ton of 3s (42 percent of their attempts). Angel Rodriguez and Sheldon McClellan can shoot (and have shot) Miami out of any game, but when they get hot, they can beat a good team by themselves, too.

Davidson Wildcats (20.3 GK Rating)

The Wildcats are your classic long-range bombers. They rank sixth in the nation with 39.8 percent of their total points coming from 3-point land, and their accurate deep shooting leads to an adjusted offensive efficiency of 118 points per 100 possessions (ninth in the country). In Tylor Kalinoski, Brian Sullivan, Jack Gibbs, Peyton Aldridge and Oskar Michelsen, they have a quintet of 3-point shooters that might be unmatched across the nation, and that gives them a chance to upset anyone. The problem? They don’t get stops. Not only do they rank 198th in overall defensive efficiency (103.4), they also don’t compensate by forcing turnovers. So on the nights where those treys aren’t connecting, they’re dead.

Last Four In

Illinois Fighting Illini (15.7 GK Rating)

Illinois is one of those squads that our model pegs as a better team than a Killer. The Illini rank 39th in the power rankings section of the formula, but their “Secret Sauce” knocks them down a peg. They’re still good enough to qualify for a play-in slot compared to the rest of this dicey bubble crew, and wins over Michigan State (away) and Baylor (neutral) show that they’ll bring some fight. But they don’t force turnovers like a typical John Groce team, get crushed on the offensive boards and shoot an average number of 3-pointers, meaning they have to beat a better team through conventional means. That’s hard.

Boise State Broncos (15.3 GK Rating)

Led by Derrick Marks, Boise State is another trey-loving Killer, as the Broncos launch 3-pointers on 40.8 percent of their shots and hit 39.9 percent of them (13th in the nation). They do a lousy job of tracking down those long misses (26.5 percent offensive rebound rate) but finish stops with defensive boards (25th nationally), a key trait in toppling a bigger Giant. They’ve rebounded from a four-game losing streak to take 11 of their last 12 games, and a win at San Diego State on Saturday would go a long way toward cementing a place in the field.

Dayton Flyers (14.6 GK Rating)

By whipping George Mason on Wednesday night, the Flyers climbed into a four-way tie atop the Atlantic 10, extending their amazing midseason comeback from personnel catastrophes. After Dayton slayed Giants all the way to the Elite Eight last year, starting PG Khari Price decamped for Southern Mississippi. Then one big man (prize recruit Steve McElvene) was declared ineligible and two more (Devon Scott and Jalen Robinson) were dismissed from the team in December after a “trespassing incident.” The Flyers have corrected course by going with an extremely undersized but efficient lineup, relying on Dyshawn Pierre, the leading vote-getter for the 2014 All-GK Team, and sharpshooters Jordan Sibert and Scoochie Smith. Unfortunately, their offensive rebounding has collapsed all the way to a 24.8 percent OReb rate (ranking 328th in the country), so our model does not view Dayton as a strong Killer. But the Flyers are a fun bunch, and they’ve got two huge chances, at VCU on Saturday and against Rhode Island next Tuesday, to advance their claim on a bid.

Texas Longhorns (14.2 GK Rating)

Oy vey. What do you do with a problem like the Longhorns? Somehow, they are 17-11 yet rank 21st on KenPom.com and 18th in our model’s power rankings. They certainly play more like a Giant than a Killer: They hold opponents to the fourth-worst effective field goal percentage in Division I but hardly ever force a turnover and shoot few 3-pointers. So their decent GK rating stems purely from the idea that they’ll likely be underseeded if they make the tourney. Good luck reconciling all that info. But then again, if they keep dropping games to ranked conference foes (they’ve lost nine of their past 14 games), you won’t have to, because they won’t be going anywhere after Selection Sunday.

First Four Out

Purdue Boilermakers (12.8 GK Rating)

Winners of six of their past seven games, the Boilermakers are hot. But that doesn’t mean they’re likely to continue that roll in the NCAA tourney. Sure, they beat Ohio State and Iowa at home and swept Indiana, but their statistical profile doesn’t scream “Giant Killer.” They shoot few 3-pointers (31.7 percent of their attempts) and force turnovers just 18.7 percent of the time. A top-notch offensive rebound rate (37 percent) gives them at least one traditional GK weapon in their slingshot, and our model sees them as the 37th-best team in the country, so there’s some reason for optimism. But the Boilers, it seems, would need a favorable matchup to advance.

Stanford Cardinal (11.4 GK Rating)

The Cardinal were a Giant Killer last year, knocking off Kansas in the round of 32. This year, even with Chasson Randle, Stefan Nastic and Anthony Brown back, our model isn’t much of a fan. Their conservative defense forces turnovers just 17.2 percent of the time, and while it allows them to handle the defensive glass, they are just slightly above average on the offensive boards (an area where Reid Travis’ injury certainly hurt). One bright spot, though, is Stanford’s potential for a chameleon turn. Like Harvard -- which happens to be coached by Johnny Dawkins’ former backcourt mate, Tommy Amaker -- Stanford shoots the 3-ball very well (39.9 percent), just not often (31 percent of attempts). If the Cardinal can dial up that frequency against a high-level opponent, their upset odds would rise.

UCLA Bruins (10.6 GK Rating)

If upsets came down to just a couple of players, UCLA would interest our model. Bryce Alford takes care of the 3-point shooting, firing up 6.8 per game, while springy frosh Kevon Looney sports a 12.2 percent offensive rebound rate. But on the whole, the Bruins fail to impress. Our model pegs them as just the 55th-best team in the country, and other than solid rebounding at both ends, they don’t carry many traits of typical Giant Killers.

Pittsburgh Panthers (10.1 GK Rating)

With wins against Notre Dame and North Carolina, Pittsburgh might seem capable of producing a memorable March upset. But be careful: This is not a vintage Pitt team. It’s certainly unusual, with a D that ranks 214th nationally. Quietly, the Panthers have been one of the nation’s most efficient offensive teams over the past decade, and this year they’re 16th in the country. But they produce those results without high-variance tactics, as they take care of the basketball and attack the rim rather than launch 3-pointers (just 25 percent of their attempts). That’s not how upsets happen.

Next Four Out

Rhode Island Rams (8.9 GK Rating)

Danny Hurley’s squad still might be a year away from garnering real national attention, but the Rams’ defense at least makes them relevant right now. They hold foes to a 43.9 effective field goal percentage and, of great importance to Giant Killing prospects, they force turnovers on 23.5 percent of opponents’ possessions (15th in the nation). That’s critical, because their offense remains problematic, both in conventional terms and for their upset potential. Rhode Island relies heavily on guard E.C. Matthews and lacks another consistent 3-point threat. Add in ball handlers who cough it up on 21.6 percent of possessions and the Rams often struggle to score, although they have improved of late (they’ve won eight of their last nine games).

Temple Owls (7.0 GK Rating)

The Owls are riding that 25-point win over Kansas back in December as far as it can take them. But that game is more of an aberration than a harbinger of a future slaying. Temple’s offense is dreadful -- 237th in the nation in efficiency and 334th in effective field goal percentage (43.5). Their defense is a different story, ranking eighth in the country at an adjusted 89.6 points per 100 possessions, but the one thing they fail to do at a high level is force turnovers (19.9 percent of opponents’ possessions). In many ways, then, Temple is the antithesis of a Giant Killer.

Oregon Ducks (5.5 GK Rating)

The third Pac-12 team on the wrong side of our GK bubble, Oregon clicks hardly any of the upset-generating boxes. The Ducks are no better than average in 3-point frequency, overall defense and rebounding at both ends. They play faster than the national average and have the 300th-ranked turnover rate on defense (17 percent). They did just beat Utah at home and feature one of the nation’s more underrated players in guard Joseph Young (19.8 PPG, 4.5 RPG, 3.7 APG), but this doesn’t figure to be their year, even if they find a way into the bracket.

Tulsa Golden Hurricane (5.4 GK Rating)

At the bottom of our bubble you’ll find Tulsa, a team that has rolled through a surprisingly weak American Conference schedule but which hasn’t beat a top-50 KenPom.com team all season. Our model sees the Golden Hurricane as seriously below tourney quality, ranking them 82nd in its power rankings, and it doesn’t give them any bonus points for Giant Killer qualities, either. In fact, it deducts points from Tulsa, which hardly shoots 3-pointers, doesn’t create second shots and forces only an average number of turnovers. Yes, Tulsa ranks 15th in overall defensive efficiency and finishes its stops with boards (opponents collect just 26.3 percent of available offensive rebounds), but if the Golden Hurricane make the field of 68, they will be a welcome sight for a top seed.