Category: College Basketball

A look at the NCAA Tournament bubble. Team records and NET rankings are through games on Friday, March 1.

NET, not my bubble preference is how I rank the teams. I have to rank by something, and using the NCAA’s tool seems like a good start.

ACC

In: 
North Carolina [22-6 (14-3), Quad 1: 7-4; NET: 9]
Duke [22-6 (13-4), Quad 1: 6-3; NET: 13]
Clemson [20-8 (10-7); Quad 1: 5-4; NET: 22]

Bubble:
Wake Forest [18-10 (10-7); Quad 1: 1-5; NET: 27]
Virginia [21-8 (12-6); Quad 1: 3-5; NET: 46]
Pittsburgh [18-10 (9-8); Quad 1: 3-6; NET: 49]

North Carolina is a solid #2 seed while Duke appears headed for a #3 seed.  Clemson is now a lock, looking at a #5 or #6 seed in the Big Dance.

Wake Forest has a resume with good points and bad points. The Demon Deacons have zero bad losses (12-0 in Quad 3/4) but their road/neutral record (3-10) doesn’t impress, especially since those wins are over Towson, Boston College, and Georgia Tech.

Virginia goes on the road to play Duke on Saturday. If they win, the Cavaliers will be sitting pretty. If they lose, it won’t crush them but ACC Tournament damage would be needed.

Pittsburgh could have added Clemson to their road conquests of Duke and Virginia but fell by seven. Their final three games don’t offer much in terms of resume-boosting, but they can’t afford to lose any of them.

American Athletic

Bubble:
Florida Atlantic [21-7 (11-4); Quad 1: 1-2; NET: 35]
SMU [18-9 (10-5); Quad 1: 0-4; NET: 44]
South Florida [21-5 (14-1); Quad 1: 1-0; NET: 85]

Being ranked in the Top 25 doesn’t mean anything to the committee, but South Florida is emerging as an intriguing story if they don’t win the AAC tournament.

Florida Atlantic has a lot of good in its profile. Their profile has taken a hit thanks to the three teams they beat in the ESPN Events Invitational (Butler, Texas A&M, Virginia Tech) struggling recently. A strong schedule + a win over Arizona should outweigh their two Quad 4 losses, but it is much closer than it needs to be.

SMU is 2-8 in Quad 1/2. The wins were over non-tournament squads (Florida State on the road, Memphis at home). Their profile does not scream NCAA Tournament team.

As mentioned above, South Florida is an interesting story. The Bulls finally earned a Quad 1 win, from a game played weeks ago (their away win over Memphis on 1/18 now qualifies) but suffered a pair of bad Quad 4 losses back in November. One of their biggest issues was something they couldn’t control:  They only played Florida Atlantic once, and it was at home. A game at Charlotte (11-1 at home) awaits on Saturday.

Atlantic 10

Bubble:
Dayton [22-6 (12-4), Quad 1: 3-4; NET: 21]

Dayton likely lost any chance they had at the regular-season title with their loss to Loyola-Chicago on Friday. Now, they are in danger of falling to the #4 seed, as they finish the season on 3/8 against VCU.  The positives still exist: A top ten non-conference schedule that included wins over St. John’s (neutral), Cincinnati (neutral), and SMU (road). The Flyers also lost by five on the road to Northwestern and 14 on a neutral court to Houston.  Beyond that, they have zero Quad 3/4 losses. It all adds up to a resume that never required an A-10 title to justify its worthiness. They should be in, but don’t want to tempt fate by losing at St. Louis on Tuesday.

Richmond (NET: 72), VCU (NET: 74), and Loyola-Chicago (NET: 93) are three solid teams with seasons to be proud of, but all three will likely require a conference tournament crown to get in. It has been a season of close calls for VCU, as they have losses to Iowa State (by four), Boise State (four), and Memphis (five). What happens if they complete a sweep of Dayton on March 8th?  We’ll see if that can at least get them a closer bubble look.

Big 12

In:
Houston [25-3 (12-3), Quad 1: 8-3; NET: 1]
Iowa State [22-6 (11-4); Quad 1: 5-4; NET: 8]
BYU [20-8 (8-7), Quad 1: 5-6; NET: 10]
Baylor [19-8 (9-6); Quad 1: 6-7; NET: 14]
Kansas [21-7 (9-6); Quad 1: 6-6; NET: 17]

Bubble
Texas [18-10 (7-8); Quad 1: 5-7; NET: 33]
TCU [19-9 (8-7); Quad 1: 3-8; NET: 37]
Oklahoma [19-9 (7-8); Quad 1: 4-7; NET: 41]
Texas Tech [19-9 (8-7); Quad 1: 4-7; NET: 42]
Cincinnati [16-12 (5-10); Quad 1: 3-8; NET: 45]

I am sure more than one person said “Let’s see how Houston does when they join a deep conference!” Well, the Cougars joined the toughest conference in America and continue to dominate. Is this their year?

Texas jumped seven places in the NET to jump to the top of the bubble list. The Longhorns are 4-5 in road games, but only one of those games was against a bad team (West Virginia). The funny thing is that West Virginia won that game. The committee loves quality road wins, and that will carry Texas safely into the tourney.

TCU can do themselves a major favor by beating BYU on the road Saturday  If they lose that game, the Horned Frogs would be wise to not lose to West Virginia or UCF. In other words, they are on solid ground but they can’t give the committee a reason for using their atrocious non-conference slate against them.

Oklahoma is 1-3 during a tough stretch of their schedule (the one win was against the not-so-good team (Oklahoma State) in overtime). The Sooners close with Houston, Cincinnati, and Texas. Would an 0-3 finish followed by a first-round loss in the Big 12 tournament place them in danger?

Texas Tech didn’t earn any quality wins in the non-conference but has quality in-conference wins. For the sake of their fans’ sanity, they would be wise to win the road games against West Virginia and Oklahoma State.

Cincinnati is teetering on extinction. The Bearcats are 3-8 in their last 11 games, with losses to West Virginia and Oklahoma State mixed in. When the only thing that is keeping you afloat is the conference you play in, that’s not a good sign.

Big East

In:
UConn [25-3 (15-2); Quad 1: 9-3; NET: 4]
Marquette [22-6 (13-4); Quad 1: 6-5; NET: 11]
Creighton [21-8 (12-6); Quad 1: 6-5; NET: 12]

Bubble:
Villanova [16-12 (9-8); Quad 1: 3-8; NET: 32]
St. John’s [17-12 (9-9); Quad 1: 4-9; NET: 39]
Providence [18-10 (9-8); Quad 1: 5-7; NET: 56]
Seton Hall [18-10 (11-6); Quad 1: 5-6; NET: 64]
Butler [16-13 (7-11); Quad 1: 3-11; NET: 69]

This puzzle is hardly being solved. The only thing for certain is that the Big East is a 3-team league this season. Everyone else is fighting for whatever number of crumbs the committee wishes to throw their way. If I had to place percentages on it:  5-bid league: 65%; 6-bid league: 30%; 7-bid league: 5%.

Villanova mauled Georgetown, which is exactly what they needed to do. Their remaining three games include two road contests (Providence, Seton Hall) and one home contest (Creighton). Suffice it to say, 16-15 (9-11) isn’t going to impress the committee, so they should win at least one of these games + do some Big East Tournament damage.

St. John’s earned a big road win over Butler, and their neutral court win over Utah months ago has risen (barely) into Quad 1. The Red Storm have two games remaining (at DePaul, Georgetown). Those games can only hurt them, not help them, so they will need to beat a strong team in the Big East Tournament to have a shot.

How well have the bubble teams played against the “Big Three” in the Big East? For Providence, the answer is very well. The Friars are 2-2 with one game left (home against UConn). The Friars have zero bad losses. If they sweep their two remaining home games, lock them in. Those games are against Villanova and UConn, so good luck.

Seton Hall had no answers in their loss to Creighton on Wednesday. If they complete the sweep of UConn on Sunday, everything else is gravy. If not, a 2-1 finish leaves them at 20-11 (13-7), which would be a solid case for an at-large heading into the Big East Tournament.

When Butler defeated Creighton on the road on February 2nd, they were 15-7 and looked like a solid NCAA Tournament team. The Bulldogs are 1-6 since, as a tough schedule caught up to them. They will need a solid Big East Tournament run.

Big Ten

In:
Purdue [25-3 (14-3); Quad 1: 9-3; NET: 2]
Illinois [21-7 (12-5); Quad 1: 4-5; NET: 16]
Wisconsin [18-10 (10-7); Quad 1: 6-6; NET: 23]
Michigan State [17-11 (9-8); Quad 1: 4-7; NET: 24]

Bubble:
Nebraska [20-9 (10-8); Quad 1: 4-7; NET: 43]
Northwestern [20-8 (11-6); Quad 1: 5-5; NET: 48]
Iowa [17-12 (9-9); Quad 1: 2-8; NET: 60]
Ohio State [17-12 (7-11); Quad 1: 3-6; NET: 63]

The Big Ten appears destined for six bids. Can they earn a 7th? Iowa and Ohio State are trying to make their cases.

Nebraska shouldn’t feel 100% comfortable themselves. Their loss to Ohio State dropped them to 2-8 in road games and their non-conference schedule wasn’t good. That said, the Cornhuskers have zero bad losses. Their final two games (Rutgers, at Michigan) are games they should win.

Northwestern has an overtime win and loss against Purdue and an impressive win over Dayton in the non-conference (a much-needed win, since their non-conference schedule was bad). The Wildcats are as good of a story as any this season, and a 2-1 finish probably clinches a bid.

Iowa has work to do. Part of that work includes winning their final two games: Northwestern (road), and Illinois. The KenPom (50th) likes them more than the NET.

Ohio State is starting to roll at the right time. The Buckeyes are 3-1 in their last four games, with the three wins all of the high quality (Purdue, Michigan State, Nebraska). From 1/6-2/6, they went 1-8 with losses to Michigan (ouch) and Indiana mixed in. They can point to their win over Alabama as a counter to that terrible stretch. It should be noted that they only have one true road win – their 2/25 defeat of Michigan State.

Ivy League

Bubble:
Princeton [22-3 (10-2); Quad 1: 0-0; NET: 51]

The winners of seven straight, the Tigers have a big game against Cornell on Saturday. The winner will likely earn at least a share of the regular-season title (along with Harvard, also 10-2). It is important to earn the #1 seed in the tournament because there are three strong teams in this league. As of this moment, the top seed would play #4 Brown (9-17; NET: 219).

Missouri Valley

Bubble:
Indiana State [25-5 (16-3); Quad 1: 1-3; NET: 28]
Drake [24-6 (15-4); Quad 1: 3-1; NET: 52]

Indiana State jumped up five places in the NET, which is important. No Top 30 team in the NET has ever been left out of the tournament. That said, if they lose in the conference tournament, their NET will likely drop. Anyway, the Sycamores have won three straight by a combined 52 points as they are seemingly over their malaise. They close the season on Sunday against Murray State.

Drake came close to wiping themselves off the map but outlasted UIC 107-105 in three overtimes. Their season-closing game against Bradley on Sunday is a Quad 2 contest. Drake enters the game on a 20-game home winning streak.

Mountain West

In:
San Diego State [22-7 (11-5); Quad 1: 4-7; NET: 18]

Bubble:
New Mexico [21-7 (9-6); Quad 1: 3-4; NET: 25]
Boise State [20-8 (11-4); Quad 1: 5-4; NET: 26]
Colorado State [20-9 (8-8); Quad 1: 5-6; NET: 29]
Utah State [24-5 (12-4); Quad 1: 4-4; NET: 36]
Nevada [24-6 (11-5); Quad 1: 6-4; NET: 40]
UNLV [17-10 (10-5); Quad 1: 5-3; NET: 81]

I don’t care what league your favorite team is in – nothing beats the Mountain West for pure insanity. Five teams are either 12-4, 11-4, 11-5, or 10-5 with a few games left to go.

All the bunching up makes it hard to differentiate between resumes. New Mexico was locked in by me until the weird home loss to Air Force. They haven’t played since, but better be ready for Saturday’s road contest against Boise State.

Speaking of Boise State, the Broncos have taken care of the easier part of their schedule, going 4-0 against Fresno State, San Jose State, Wyoming, and Air Force. They finish with a flurry of toughies: New Mexico, Nevada, and San Diego State (road).

Colorado State has lost three in a row, knocking them out of the conference race. To their credit, all three losses were close (a combined 11 points). The Rams should finish 22-8, as their final two games are against Wyoming and Air Force.

Utah State gave their supporters a heart attack before pulling through to beat Fresno State in overtime. As you can see, the teams at the bottom of the conference aren’t rolling over for the “big boys.” The Aggies finish their season with games against San Jose State and New Mexico.

Nevada was 3-4 in conference play at one point. The Wolf Pack are on a 8-1 run since and have the most Quad 1 wins in the league. Their NET may be the second worst amongst the bubble teams, but they are in very good shape.

UNLV is all about the potential for chaos. Their final two games are against San Diego State and Nevada, giving them a chance at seven Quad 1 wins. Their strong non-conference schedule included a win over Creighton and a 2-OT loss to St. Mary’s. The Rebels are where they are because of three losses: Southern, Loyola Marymount, and Air Force. The Air Force loss was by 32 at home. While this might not be a big detail, they still have a shot to win the regular-season conference title. I can see the committee rewarding a shock bid, but a lot of things still need to go right.

Pac-12

In:
Arizona [22-6 (13-4); Quad 1: 8-3; NET: 3]
Washington State [22-7 (13-5); Quad 1: 6-3; NET: 38]

Bubble:
Colorado [19-9 (10-7); Quad 1: 1-5; NET: 30]
Utah [17-11 (8-9); Quad 1: 4-7; NET: 50]
Oregon [19-9 (11-6); Quad 1: 2-4; NET: 65]

A NET of 39 is not typically something one should lock-in, but that sweep of Arizona will shine a big light in the committee’s eyes. Washington State must avoid losing to UCLA/Washington in the final two games. Washington has played a lot of close games against tough competition, so that is no gimmie.

Colorado finishes their season on the road against the two Oregon schools. Their resume is iffy (despite having a better NET than Washington State) because of that singular Quad 1 win. Their NET is lifted by their zero Quad 3/4 losses + seven wins in Quad 2. It is far from a slam dunk for the Buffaloes.

Utah has only two road wins (one of which is high quality – St. Mary’s). The Utes can claim strong non-conference conquests, as they defeated St. Mary’s, BYU, and Wake Forest. They split with Colorado and Washington State while taking Arizona to three overtimes on 2/8. They check a lot of boxes, but work is required in the Pac-12 tournament. Like Colorado, they travel to Oregon to play the two Oregon schools to finish off the season.

A team like Oregon just wants a chance to prove themselves. Well, here is their chance: Their final three games are Arizona (road), Colorado, and Utah. The Ducks defeated nobody of consequence in the non-conference, so they need to do some late-season damage.

SEC

In:
Tennessee [22-6 (12-3), Quad 1: 5-5; NET: 5]
Alabama [20-8 (12-3); Quad 1: 3-7; NET: 6]
Auburn [21-7 (10-5); Quad 1: 1-7; NET: 7]
Kentucky [20-8 (10-5); Quad 1: 5-5; NET: 20]

Bubble:
Mississippi State [19-9 (8-7); Quad 1: 4-6; NET: 31]
Florida [20-8 (10-5); Quad 1: 3-7; NET: 34]
South Carolina [23-5 (11-4); Quad 1: 3-3; NET: 47]
Texas A&M [15-13 (6-9); Quad 1: 5-6; NET: 58]
Ole Miss [19-9 (6-9); Quad 1: 2-7; NET: 78]

Draw a bold line in ink underneath South Carolina. The seven teams above that line are getting their names called on Selection Sunday. The two teams under them need to fix things in a hurry.

Mississippi State won five in a row against teams they were supposed to beat before falling to Kentucky by two at home. Two of their Quad 1 wins are in the top ten, which is impressive. Their losses to Georgia Tech (road) and Southern are damaging but they have done enough to cover for that. All this said, their tough end-of-the-season schedule continues as their final three games are against Auburn (road), Texas A&M (road), and South Carolina. 

Florida has zero bad losses, though their best non-conference win was on a neutral court against Pittsburgh. A 20/10 SEC team is not likely to be left out.

That bodes well for South Carolina as well. The computers have dinged the Gamecocks for most of the season, and for good reason as they played a bad non-conference schedule. They are 10-3 on road/neutral courts, including recent back-to-back wins over Ole Miss and Texas A&M. It would feel like a travesty if they didn’t get in.

Texas A&M has lost five in a row at the worst possible time. Their resume is drowning, though they can still claim those five Quad 1 wins on their tax return. The Aggies defeated Ohio State and SMU in non-conference road games and lost to Houston by only four on a neutral court. They can be a high-loss at-large but they have to stop this gushing wound in a hurry.

Ole Miss is 14-0 in Quad 3/4 (yay!), but the rest of the resume has tanked. Their only win in February came against Missouri. To be fair to the Rebels, February was probably the toughest month of games that any team in the country was asked to play. However, you have to win at least a few of them.

Southland

Bubble:

McNeese [25-3 (14-1); Quad 1: 1-0; NET: 55]

The Cowboys will be 28-3 (unless something bizarre happens) entering the Southland Tournament. They played a solid non-conference schedule, but don’t have that “Look at us!” win to point to. Furthermore, the Southland is the 27th-ranked conference (out of 33). Essentially, McNeese is a rare outlier as the Southland rarely (never?) has bubble teams.

Their best win was on the road against VCU, which keeps teetering between a weak Quad 1 and a strong Quad 2. We all love to see these teams in the NCAA Tournament, so let’s hope they can win their conference tournament.

Sun Belt

Bubble:

James Madison [28-3 (15-3); Quad 1: 1-1; NET: 53]

James Madison finished their regular season on a 10-game winning streak and will enter the Sun Belt Tournament as the #2 seed behind Appalachian State, the team that has given the Dukes nightmares all season (two of their three losses). I don’t think they are earning an at-large, but if they want a chance they need to get to the title game.

West Coast

In:

St. Mary’s [24-6 (15-0); Quad 1: 4-2; NET: 15]

Bubble:

Gonzaga [23-6 (13-2); Quad 1: 2-5; NET: 19]

St. Mary’s needs to beat Gonzaga on Saturday to complete their unbeaten conference season.

While Gonzaga is locked into the #2 seed, it is a chance at a huge road win for the Bulldogs. Adding St. Mary’s to their conquests of Kentucky and San Francisco will probably clinch their spot.

San Francisco falls off the bubble as their loss to Gonzaga will be too much to overcome. The Dons are the third-best team in the conference, but the gap between them and the top two still feels significant.

WAC

Bubble:

Grand Canyon [25-4 (15-3); Quad 1: 1-1; NET: 54]

Grand Canyon deserves their chance to pull off a NCAA Tournament upset in 2024. Their path to doing that comes through winning the conference tournament.

A look at the NCAA Tournament bubble. Team records and NET rankings are through games on Sunday, February 25th.

NET, not my bubble preference is how I rank the teams. I have to rank by something, and using the NCAA’s tool seems like a good start.

Is Florida Atlantic in any danger? Is there still a chance for a team out of the Princeton/McNeese/Indiana State/Drake/Grand Canyon/James Madison bucket to earn an at-large? Let’s analyze some of that below.

ACC

In: 
North Carolina [21-6 (13-3), Quad 1: 7-4; KenPom: 8; NET: 9]
Duke [21-6 (12-4), Quad 1: 6-3; KenPom: 9; NET: 10]

Bubble:
Clemson [19-8 (9-7); Quad 1: 4-3; KenPom: 24; NET: 23]
Wake Forest [18-9 (10-6); Quad 1: 1-4; KenPom: 19; NET: 25]
Pittsburgh [18-9 (9-7); Quad 1: 3-5; KenPom: 54; NET: 47]
Virginia [20-8 (11-6); Quad 1: 3-4; KenPom: 66; NET: 49]
Virginia Tech [15-12 (7-9); Quad 1: 3-8; KenPom: 55; NET: 56]

North Carolina pushes ahead of Duke, and it may be hard for the Blue Devils to overtake them. Remember that the ACC doesn’t have a tiebreaker – if 2+ teams tie for the best record in the conference, they are all recognized as the regular-season champions. They will use tiebreakers for tournament seeding.

Barring an 0-4 finish and a first-round exit in the ACC Tournament, Clemson is in good shape. Wins over Pitt and Notre Dame this week could be enough.
Wake Forest earned a massive win over Duke on Saturday. Why wasn’t that their second Quad 1 win? Their home win over Florida is back to being a strong Quad 2 victory. Their Quad 1 resume is why they aren’t locked in.
Pittsburgh (6-3 on the road) has a big game at Clemson on Tuesday. The Panthers close with three Quad 3 games, so this is their last chance to put their stamp on a bid.
Virginia can’t score (under 50 points in their last three games). The Cavaliers can’t fall into a trap and lose at Boston College on Wednesday. Their big game with Duke follows that.
Virginia Tech is now 1-8 on the road (3-10 in road/neutral) after their loss to Pittsburgh. Syracuse offers an opportunity at a needed Quad 2 road win on Tuesday. A home game with Wake Forest follows that.

American Athletic

Bubble:
Florida Atlantic [21-7 (11-4); Quad 1: 1-1; KenPom: 35; NET: 37]
SMU [18-9 (10-5); Quad 1: 0-3; KenPom: 45; NET: 43]
South Florida [21-5 (14-1); Quad 1: 0-0; KenPom: 93; NET: 84]

While the AAC is competitive, a Florida Atlantic tournament win could leave them with only one bid.

South Florida is officially running away with the regular-season title. Their NET is mediocre (but improving) and it is too bad that the Bulls played Florida Atlantic and SMU once apiece, both at home. I don’t know what the committee would do with them if they lose in the conference tournament, but they have to be considered.
Florida Atlantic is 0-3 in their last three conference road games, losing to UAB, South Florida, and Memphis. The Owls played a solid non-conference schedule, though most of the wins beyond Arizona have slipped into Quadrant 2, where they are 6-4. I think their footing is solid but that 3/6 game at North Texas (14-12) could be tricky.
SMU is 1-8 in Quad 1/Quad 2. The Mustangs had a shot to solidify their resume but lost a pair of road games to Florida Atlantic and South Florida. Their resume is being held together by duct tape, despite their decent NET.

Atlantic 10

Bubble:
Dayton [21-5 (11-3), Quad 1: 3-3; KenPom: 26; NET: 20]

Dayton hasn’t played since their 2/21 loss to George Mason. Assuming they get past Davidson, their Friday night game at Loyola-Chicago will play a role in determining the regular-season A-10 champions. Loyola is tied with Richmond at the top, but neither is an at-large threat.

Big 12

In:
Houston [24-3 (11-3), Quad 1: 7-3; KenPom: 1; NET: 1]
Iowa State [21-6 (10-4); Quad 1: 6-4; KenPom: 11; NET: 8]
BYU [19-8 (7-7), Quad 1: 4-6; KenPom: 18; NET: 13]
Kansas [21-6 (9-5); Quad 1: 7-5; KenPom: 15; NET: 14]
Baylor [18-8 (8-6); Quad 1: 5-8; KenPom: 14; NET: 16]

Bubble
TCU [19-8 (8-6); Quad 1: 3-7; KenPom: 25; NET: 30]
Texas Tech [19-8 (8-6); Quad 1: 5-7; KenPom: 31; NET: 35]
Oklahoma [19-8 (7-7); Quad 1: 4-6; KenPom: 38; NET: 39]
Texas [17-10 (6-8); Quad 1: 4-7; KenPom: 36; NET: 40]
Cincinnati [16-11 (5-9); Quad 1: 4-7; KenPom: 47; NET: 45]

The bubble teams continue to shift. There is an obvious gap between the top of the conference and the middle, but most of these teams could win an NCAA Tournament game. By the way, BYU is 5-5 in their last ten games but their NET has barely moved. Three of their remaining four games are brutal (Kansas (road), TCU, and Iowa State (road). If they go 0-3 and lose to Oklahoma State at home (the Cougars lost to the Cowboys on the road), could it get interesting? Maybe.

TCU is dinged by me (and the NET) due to an atrocious non-conference slate that didn’t include one quality win. Playing in the Big 12 has offered up opportunities, and wins over Houston and Baylor (road) stand out. Additionally, they are 3-4 in conference road games, with several close losses (Kansas (2 points), Cincinnati (4, in overtime), and Texas Tech (1)). Bottom line? Tournament committees hate bad non-conference schedules but TCU has counteracted that with solid play within the nation’s best conference.
Texas Tech echos TCU – bad non-conference schedule void of a big win. Their Saturday loss at UCF stings, but they can make up for that by beating Texas on Tuesday.
Oklahoma needed a buzzer-beater to avoid a devastating loss to Oklahoma State (one of only two Big 12 schools (West Virginia) that I haven’t featured in the Bubble Watch). Their remaining schedule may be the most brutal in the country: Iowa State (road), Houston, Cincinnati, Texas (road). It would serve them well to win one.
Texas is equal parts intriguing and frustrating. Can they solidify their position with a win at Texas Tech on Tuesday?
Cincinnati is trying to spoil the “Big 12 will get ten bids!” party. The Bearcats are 1-4 in their last five games and go to Houston on Tuesday. Good luck (?)

Big East

In:
UConn [25-3 (15-2); Quad 1: 9-3; KenPom: 3; NET: 3]
Creighton [20-8 (11-6); Quad 1: 6-5; KenPom: 12; NET: 11]
Marquette [21-6 (12-4); Quad 1: 6-5; KenPom: 13; NET: 12]

Bubble:
Villanova [15-12 (8-8); Quad 1: 3-8; KenPom: 33; NET: 38]
Saint John’s [16-12 (8-9); Quad 1: 2-9; KenPom: 39; NET: 44]
Providence [18-9 (9-7); Quad 1: 5-6; KenPom: 53; NET: 55]
Seton Hall [18-9 (11-5); Quad 1: 5-5; KenPom: 56; NET: 61]
Butler [16-12 (7-10); Quad 1: 3-11; KenPom: 58; NET: 62]

UConn has the regular-season title all but wrapped up and will fight for the #1 overall seed in the NCAA Tournament. The Big East continues to be a 3-team league with a wild bunch-up underneath. Can they get as many as six bids?  Five is more realistic, but six isn’t impossible.

Villanova? It’s a broken record. The Wildcats hope their wins over Texas Tech, North Carolina, and Creighton (road) carry the day. They had a chance to make a statement against UConn and flopped.
Saint John‘s is far away from being a contender, but the Red Storm’s chances would have been closing in on zero if they lost at home to Creighton. Can they beat struggling Butler on the road?
Providence is the latest team to knock Xavier down, as the Friars won an important road game by four. You can do worse than 8-9 in Quad 1/2 games without a bad loss. They go to Marquette on Wednesday.
Seton Hall‘s NET isn’t great, but the Pirates are on solid ground. They are 3-0 during what I called a “6-game gauntlet,” but those three teams have fallen (Xavier, St. John’s (road), Butler). If they can find a way to split their next two games (road against Creighton and UConn), good luck trying to keep them out.
Butler ran into a tough part of their schedule. They are 3-5 during this stretch, including 1-5 in their last six. The Bulldogs desperately need to beat St. John’s at home.

Xavier fell under .500, eliminating themselves from bubble consideration. If the Musketeers can go on a late-season run, I will re-add them.

Big Ten

In:
Purdue [25-3 (14-3); Quad 1: 9-3; KenPom: 2; NET: 2]
Illinois [20-7 (11-5); Quad 1: 4-5; KenPom: 10; NET: 17]
Wisconsin [18-9 (10-6); Quad 1: 7-6; KenPom: 22; NET: 22]
Michigan State [17-11 (9-8); Quad 1: 3-8; KenPom: 20; NET: 24]

Bubble:
Nebraska [19-8 (9-7); Quad 1: 4-6; KenPom: 34; NET: 41]
Northwestern [19-8 (10-6); Quad 1: 4-5; KenPom: 43; NET: 53]
Iowa [16-12 (8-9); Quad 1: 3-8; KenPom: 49; NET: 60]
Ohio State [16-12 (6-11); Quad 1: 3-6; KenPom: 62; NET: 66]

As soon as I lock in Michigan State, they lose back-to-back home games to Iowa and Ohio State. I will keep them there, but the rest of their regular-season schedule isn’t easy (Purdue (road), Northwestern, Indiana (road)).

Nebraska isn’t going to earn many points for their 4-game winning streak (Michigan, Penn State, Indiana (road), Minnesota), but losing any of those games would have hurt their chances. The Cornhuskers are in compiler mode but need to be careful as two of their final three games are on the road (Ohio State, Michigan).
Northwestern has pulled into a tie for third in the conference (Wisconsin), as they are 4-1 in their last five games. Don’t lose that road game to Maryland this week!
Iowa was going for a third straight big win (after beating Wisconsin and Michigan State) but came up ten points short at Illinois. The Hawkeyes need work had help. They will get another shot at Illinois to close out the season.
Ohio State earns a spot on my list after knocking off Purdue and Michigan State on back-to-back Sundays. Their non-conference win over Alabama certainly helps, but they likely need to finish the season 19-12 (9-11) + some work in the Big Ten Tournament.

Ivy League

Bubble:
Princeton [21-3 (9-2); Quad 1: 0-0; KenPom: 64; NET: 51]

The winners of six straight, the Tigers have a big game against Cornell on Saturday. The winner will likely earn at least a share of the regular-season title (along with Harvard, also 9-2)

Missouri Valley

Bubble:
Indiana State [24-5 (15-3); Quad 1: 1-3; KenPom: 46; NET: 33]
Drake [23-6 (14-4); Quad 1: 2-1; KenPom: 50; NET: 46]

Drake fell off the conference pace by losing to Northern Iowa by 14. Meanwhile, Indiana State is tired of their random losses as they crushed Valparaiso and UIC by a combined 34 points. In terms of the bubble, it could be interesting if both teams win out until the conference title game. Would that guarantee a slot for both?

Mountain West

In:
San Diego State [21-7 (10-5); Quad 1: 5-7; KenPom: 16; NET: 18]

Bubble:
New Mexico [21-7 (9-6); Quad 1: 4-3; KenPom: 32; NET: 26]
Colorado State [20-8 (8-7); Quad 1: 4-6; KenPom: 29; NET: 27]
Utah State [22-5 (10-4); Quad 1: 3-4; KenPom: 40; NET: 29]
Boise State [19-8 (10-4); Quad 1: 5-5; KenPom: 42; NET: 32]
Nevada [22-6 (9-5); Quad 1: 5-4; KenPom: 41; NET: 42]
UNLV [16-10 (9-5); Quad 1: 5-4; KenPom: 75; NET: 81]

As we enter the final stretch of the season, five teams have either four or five conference losses.

I had two choices with New Mexico this week. I don’t want to take teams I place into the “In” category out, but I felt it was more appropriate to push them down to the bubble rather than bring Colorado State up to the land of locks.

The top four bubble teams are hard to differentiate. Beyond those four, Nevada has five Quad 1 wins but played a poor non-conference schedule. That said, they defeated TCU in the non-conference and have wins over Utah State (road), San Diego State, and UNLV (road) during their 6-1 stretch.
New Mexico has alternated losses and wins since their five-game winning streak. Their most recent loss (home against Air Force) falls into Quad 4, and that is problematic. That said, they swept Nevada and won singular games against Colorado State and San Diego State. I still think they are safe – just not “lock them in” safe.

UNLV winning the regular-season conference title would be a fun story. The Rebels are 8-1 in their last nine games with wins over New Mexico (road) and Colorado State. 

Essentially, everyone except for UNLV is challenging the committee to leave any of them out of the field. It’s that tight. I don’t think any conference in college basketball is better at playing the “Quad 1” system to their advantage.

Pac-12

In:
Arizona [21-6 (12-4); Quad 1: 7-3; KenPom: 4; NET: 4]
Washington State [21-7 (12-5); Quad 1: 5-3; KenPom: 37; NET: 36]

Bubble:
Colorado [18-9 (9-7); Quad 1: 1-5; KenPom: 30; NET: 34]
Utah [16-11 (7-9); Quad 1: 3-7; KenPom: 51; NET: 54]
Oregon [18-9 (10-6); Quad 1: 2-4; KenPom: 60; NET: 63]

It looked like Washington State was going to steal the conference title from Arizona, but Arizona State had other ideas. The Cougars are 13-1 at home and their remaining games are all home games. Even with the loss to Arizona State and subsequent drop in the NET, I am keeping them in…barely.

Yes, I get the ridiculousness in having Colorado on the bubble while locking in Washington State. The major issue for me is the 1-5 Quad 1 record. Furthermore, while Washington State swept Arizona, Colorado lost both games by a combined 67 points. Bottom line? Not a horrible resume, but I think I can justify Washington State as “In” while leaving Colorado “Out” for now.
Utah is 2-7 on the road, with their big win being over St. Mary’s. The Utes own a neutral-court win over Wake Forest but are 2-6 in their last eight games
Oregon‘s resume is blah. Their loss at California should have been the final nail, but the Ducks still play Arizona (road), Colorado, and Utah.

SEC

In:
Tennessee [21-6 (11-3), Quad 1: 4-5; KenPom: 6; NET: 5]
Alabama [19-8 (11-3); Quad 1: 3-7; KenPom: 7; NET: 6]
Auburn [21-6 (10-4); Quad 1: 1-6; KenPom: 5; NET: 7]
Kentucky [19-8 (9-5); Quad 1: 5-5; KenPom: 17; NET: 19]

Bubble:
Mississippi State [19-8 (8-6); Quad 1: 3-5; KenPom: 28; NET: 28]
Florida [19-8 (9-5); Quad 1: 4-7; KenPom: 27; NET: 31]
South Carolina [22-5 (10-4); Quad 1: 3-3; KenPom: 48; NET: 48]
Texas A&M [15-12 (6-8); Quad 1: 5-6; KenPom: 57; NET: 58]
Ole Miss [19-8 (6-8); Quad 1: 3-6; KenPom: 74; NET: 75]

The race to the finish here is fun. I am happy that Kentucky justified my lock by winning three of their last four games (Ole Miss, Auburn (road), and Alabama). 

Mississippi State turned on the jets to differentiate themselves from the crowd. Their five straight wins aren’t huge (struggling Ole Miss is the only quality-ish win). All this said, here’s the big test to end the season: Kentucky, Auburn (road), Texas A&M (road), and South Carolina.
Florida took a minor hit in the NET. That said, the Gators lost to Alabama in overtime before taking care of business against Vanderbilt. As long as they avoid losing to Missouri this week, they should be OK.
South Carolina needed a decent win and got it (at Ole Miss). Ole Miss’ struggles hold that win down. Can they follow that up with a road win over Texas A&M?
Texas A&M has five Quad 1 wins and four Quadrant 3 losses. A 4-game losing streak heading into their game with South Carolina isn’t ideal and they finish their season with games against Mississippi State and Ole Miss (road). A 1-3 finish puts them at 16-15 (7-11). The problem is that it possible that is exactly where they will be.
Ole Miss is destroyed. They haven’t defeated a quality opponent in February (Missouri only) but have a shot at a big win over Alabama on 2/28.

Southland

Bubble:

McNeese [24-3 (13-1); Quad 1: 0-0; KenPom: 65; NET: 52]

Simply keep avoiding the bad losses. Better yet, just make life easy on yourselves and win the conference tournament.

Sun Belt

Bubble:

James Madison [26-3 (13-3); Quad 1: 1-1; KenPom: 61; NET: 50]

The combined record of their opponents during their 8-game winning streak isn’t impressive (beyond Akron’s). Their schedule eased up greatly down the stretch and the Dukes took care of it. Appalachian State (23-5, 14-2) is their big nemesis – will they meet up again in the title game?

West Coast

In:

St. Mary’s [23-6 (14-0); Quad 1: 4-2; KenPom: 23; NET: 15]

Bubble:

Gonzaga [22-6 (12-2); Quad 1: 1-5; KenPom: 21; NET: 21]
San Francisco [22-7 (11-3); Quad 1: 0-5; KenPom: 63; NET: 57]

Gonzaga passed their mild test by beating Santa Clara by 13. Their fate rests in their final two games: On the road against San Francisco and St. Mary’s.
San Francisco‘s fate may already be sealed. If a few coin flips went their way, they would be sitting on a few Quad 1 wins, at least. As is, they probably need to get to the conference title game to have any shot at at-large consideration, but that is even a stretch.

WAC

Bubble:

Grand Canyon [24-4 (14-3); Quad 1: 1-1; KenPom: 68; NET: 59]

I will leave Grand Canyon on the list since I don’t have anything better to do. Obviously, big conference schools get credit if they lose close road games against good competition. In the WAC, you can’t go on the road and lose to Abilene Christian (NET: 254). It’s a dagger that is almost impossible to overcome.

 

 

 

 

 

 

A look at the NCAA Tournament bubble. Team records and NET rankings are through games on Thursday, February 22.

NET, not my bubble preference is how I rank the teams. Essentially, I have to rank by something, and using the NCAA’s tool seems like a good start.

ACC

In: 
North Carolina [20-6 (12-3), Quad 1: 6-4; KenPom: 10; NET: 10]
Duke [21-5 (12-3), Quad 1: 6-2; KenPom: 8; NET: 12]

Bubble:
Clemson [18-8 (8-7); Quad 1: 4-3; KenPom: 24; NET: 25]
Wake Forest [17-9 (9-6); Quad 1: 1-5; KenPom: 20; NET: 27]
Virginia [20-7 (11-5); Quad 1: 3-3; KenPom: 65; NET: 47]
Virginia Tech [15-11 (7-8); Quad 1: 3-6; KenPom: 50; NET: 51]
Pittsburgh [17-9 (8-7); Quad 1: 3-5; KenPom: 61; NET: 57]

North Carolina and Duke are heading for a collision course for the regular-season title. From a tournament perspective, a #2 seed is still in play. The Blue Devils’ NET is improving (+5 since Sunday).

Clemson is 90% safe. The home loss to North Carolina State delayed their ascension to lock status, but they didn’t let that snowball on the road against Georgia Tech. The Tigers are done with North Carolina/Duke (1-2, with one of the losses a 1-point loss at Duke) so they simply need to keep their nose clean.
Wake Forest is an example of why one doesn’t just look at NET to declare a team in or out. By most measures, Clemson’s resume outshines theirs. So, why are they so close? Clemson has two Quad 3 losses while Wake Forest has zero Quad 3/4 losses. A big home game against Duke on Saturday offers them a Quad 1 opportunity.
Virginia? One can excuse most road losses. It isn’t easy to win on the road, which is why a quality road win is held in such high esteem. However, a late-season loss to Virginia Tech by 34 points doesn’t resonate well. Something to consider: Every Virginia road loss is by double digits (23, 22, 16, 19, 11, 34). On top of that, they lost to Wisconsin by 24 on a neutral court (counteracted by a three-point win over Florida). In other words, their resume isn’t necessarily bad, but red flags are abundant.
Virginia Tech needed that win over Virginia. The Hokies have one road win (North Carolina State) and have two coming up: A huge bubble game against Pitt and Syracuse.
Pittsburgh has two big road wins (Duke, Virginia) but owns one of the worst non-conference schedules in the country with no quality wins (their best non-conference win was a Quad 3 victory over West Virginia). We’ve seen better teams get dinged by the committee.

American Athletic

Bubble:
Florida Atlantic [21-6 (11-3); Quad 1: 2-1; KenPom: 34; NET: 33]
SMU [18-8 (10-4); Quad 1: 0-3; KenPom: 40; NET: 40]
South Florida [20-5 (13-1); Quad 1: 0-0; KenPom: 98; NET: 93]

South Florida has a 2-game lead with one game left against SMU and zero games left with Florida Atlantic. This would be a shocking conference title.

Tournament decision-makers encourage teams to play tough schedules. Florida Atlantic did just that, beating Butler, Texas A&M, Virginia Tech and Arizona in non-conference play while losing to Illinois by nine. Their resume takes a hit thanks to a weird loss to Bryant and a deadly loss to Florida-Gulf Coast. As terrible as that loss is, the Owls should feel comfortable.
SMU needs to do something in Quad 1. After losing at Florida Atlantic on Thursday night, their opportunities the rest of the regular season = 0. It isn’t like their resume is boosted in Quad 2, as they are only 2-3 in those games.
South Florida‘s win over FAU has fallen into a strong Quad 2 victory instead of a Quad 1. It could flip back the other way, so the game doesn’t matter too much. What does hurt? Losses to Maine and Central Michigan.I am intrigued to know what the committee would do if they win out, only to lose in the conference tournament finals (or even semi-finals).

Atlantic 10

Bubble:
Dayton [21-5 (11-3), Quad 1: 3-4; KenPom: 28; NET: 19]

No team hanging around the Top 20 in the NET is going to miss the tournament. Losing on the road to George Mason takes them out of first place in the A-10, but they don’t need a conference title to be a tournament team.

Richmond (NET: 70) and Loyola-Chicago (6 straight wins; NET: 99) are tied atop the conference but aren’t at-large threats at this time.

Big 12

In:
Houston [23-3 (10-3), Quad 1: 9-3; KenPom: 1; NET: 1]
Iowa State [20-6 (9-4); Quad 1: 6-5; KenPom: 9; NET: 8]
BYU [19-7 (7-6), Quad 1: 4-5; KenPom: 15; NET: 11]
Baylor [18-7 (8-5); Quad 1: 6-5; KenPom: 14; NET: 14]
Kansas [20-6 (8-5); Quad 1: 6-4; KenPom: 17; NET: 17]

Bubble
Texas Tech [19-7 (8-5); Quad 1: 4-6; KenPom: 25; NET: 29]
TCU [18-8 (7-6); Quad 1: 3-7; KenPom: 32; NET: 37]
Texas [17-9 (6-7); Quad 1: 4-7; KenPom: 33; NET: 38]
Oklahoma [18-8 (6-7); Quad 1: 3-7; KenPom: 36; NET: 39]
Cincinnati [16-10 (5-8); Quad 1: 3-6; KenPom: 41; NET: 45]

The possibility of ten NCAA Tournament teams still exists in the Big 12. I can’t imagine how they would fall under nine, barring a major collapse.

Texas Tech has two road wins, but they are quality (Oklahoma, Texas). Their bad non-conference schedule (and lack of a big non-conference win) is what holds them back.
Look at TCU/Texas/Oklahoma. How do you differentiate between those profiles? Texas has the extra Quad 1 win, and TCU has the extra in-conference win. Texas has a Quad 3 loss while TCU and Oklahoma have identical records in all four quadrants. None of the three played strong non-conference schedules, though TCU’s rank (325th) is atrocious. At the moment, it’s meaningless as it only impacts the seed lines.
Cincinnati is a touch below those three teams. Their non-conference schedule wasn’t great and they didn’t beat either of the two good teams on it (Xavier/Dayton). The Bearcats are on a 4-8 freefall and need to fix that if they want to feel safe.

Big East

In:
UConn [24-3 (14-2); Quad 1: 9-3; KenPom: 3; NET: 4]
Creighton [20-7 (11-5); Quad 1: 6-4; KenPom: 11; NET: 9]
Marquette [19-6 (10-4); Quad 1: 6-5; KenPom: 13; NET: 13]

Bubble:
Villanova [15-11 (8-7); Quad 1: 3-6; KenPom: 31; NET: 34]
Saint John’s [15-12 (7-9); Quad 1: 2-9; KenPom: 45; NET: 50]
Providence [18-9 (9-7); Quad 1: 5-6; KenPom: 54; NET: 56]
Xavier [13-13 (7-8); Quad 1: 2-9; KenPom: 49; NET: 61]
Butler [16-11 (7-9); Quad 1: 4-10; KenPom: 57; NET: 62]
Seton Hall [17-9 (10-5); Quad 1: 5-5; KenPom: 60; NET: 65]

Should UConn fear dropping to a #2 line because their NET is 4? Short answer: No. The NET is an important tool in the shed. But one has to look at the overall resume. The Huskies are closer to the #1 overall seed than a #2 seed. That said, the middle of the Big East being “meh” this season is not helping the “Big 3” in the computer rankings.

Villanova would be locked in if not for that 0-3 record in the Big 5 Classic, a Philadelphia-area tournament the Wildcats typically dominate. However, they went 3-0 in the Battle 4 Atlantis, defeating Texas Tech and North Carolina along the way. After a 5-game conference losing streak, they are on a minor 4-1 run heading into their game at UConn.
Saint John’s is an example of the NET not always telling a full story. The Red Storm’s only two wins over the last several weeks have come against DePaul and Georgetown, as their last win of consequence was nearly a month ago against Villanova. If a team was safely in the tournament, having Georgetown and DePaul in two of their final four games would be a blessing. As is, those games are toss-outs and the only thing that matters is what they do against Creighton and Butler (road).
Providence has five Quad 1 wins, which will weigh heavily in the board room. Their resume may need a final boost and three of their final four games offer that opportunity (Marquette (road), Villanova, UConn)
Xavier is teetering on extinction. Resume-wise, they are not all that dissimilar from St. John’s. However, 13-13 won’t cut it. The Musketeers have both games against Marquette awaiting.
Butler is legitimately about two things: The road wins over Marquette and Creighton + those 14 Quad 1 games. Well, three things if you factor in the lack of bad losses (8-0 in Quad 3/4). Their road game against Seton Hall on Saturday has major bubble implications.
Seton Hall has languished on the bottom of the bubble, according to the NET. In reality, those five Quad 1 wins carry a lot of weight. The Pirates are in the middle of a six-game gauntlet, where they are 2-0 with games against Butler, Creighton (road), UConn (road), and Villanova upcoming. Win one of those games (and beat DePaul) and they are looking at 19-12 (12-8) heading into the conference tournament. That’s solid work.

Big Ten

In:
Purdue [24-3 (13-3); Quad 1: 9-3; KenPom: 3; NET: 2]
Illinois [19-7 (10-5); Quad 1: 4-5; KenPom: 12; NET: 16]
Wisconsin [18-9 (10-6); Quad 1: 7-6; KenPom: 21; NET: 21]
Michigan State [17-10 (9-7); Quad 1: 3-8; KenPom: 16; NET: 23]

Bubble:
Nebraska [19-8 (9-7); Quad 1: 3-7; KenPom: 38; NET: 43]
Northwestern [19-8 (10-6); Quad 1: 4-6; KenPom: 44; NET: 55]
Iowa [16-11 (8-8); Quad 1: 3-7; KenPom: 51; NET: 63]

Purdue is back in the running for the top overall seed, after UConn’s loss. Don’t forget that the Boilermakers played arguably the best non-conference schedule in the country, something that will weigh heavily in the committee’s decision.

Nebraska is a good story that needs to put the finishing touches as a clean resume (12-0 in Quad 3/4) that includes wins over Purdue and Wisconsin. The rest of their schedule is manageable, leaving the Big Ten Tournament as the ultimate decider.
Northwestern has a little bit of everything in its profile. The non-conference schedule was bad, with a loss to Chicago State equalized by a win over Dayton. A road win over Maryland on Wednesday would be a decent resume-booster.
Iowa won’t let me get rid of them, as they earned back-to-back wins over Wisconsin and Michigan State (road). The Hawkeyes have both games with Illinois remaining + a road game against Northwestern. A 2-1 record will raise their profile significantly.

Minnesota is on the bubble’s bubble – they need a miracle but have three road games (Nebraska, Illinois, Northwestern) to help make that miracle happen.
Ivy League

Bubble:
Princeton [19-3 (7-2); Quad 1: 0-0; KenPom: 69; NET: 54]

Nothing has changed here. Their neutral court win over Rutgers is unlikely to reach Quad 1 status, which would likely help but not guarantee a thing. They are a long shot if a conference tournament victory isn’t secured.

Missouri Valley

Bubble:
Indiana State [23-5 (14-3); Quad 1: 1-3; KenPom: 46; NET: 32]
Drake [23-5 (14-3); Quad 1: 2-1; KenPom: 48; NET: 44]

It is a fight to the finish for these two teams. If they both win their remaining regular-season games and get to the conference championship, a decent chance that both will get into the bracket. The biggest hurdle remaining for Drake is a home game against Bradley. The biggest hurdle for Indiana State is themselves, as they can’t afford another bad loss.

Mountain West

In:
San Diego State [20-7 (9-5); Quad 1: 4-7; KenPom: 18; NET: 18]
New Mexico [21-6 (9-5); Quad 1: 3-3; KenPom: 26; NET: 20]

Bubble:
Colorado State [20-7 (8-6); Quad 1: 3-6; KenPom: 29; NET: 26]
Utah State [22-5 (10-4); Quad 1: 3-4; KenPom: 39; NET: 31]
Boise State [18-8 (9-4); Quad 1: 5-4; KenPom: 43; NET: 35]
Nevada [21-6 (8-5); Quad 1: 5-4; KenPom: 42; NET: 42]
UNLV [15-10 (8-5); Quad 1: 4-3; KenPom: 84; NET: 87]

It is time for me to lock in New Mexico. The Lobos have only one big road win (Nevada), but it is hard to imagine them being left out of the field.

Colorado State hasn’t done much wrong this season. They knocked off Creighton (by 21) and Colorado while losing by three to St. Mary’s. The Rams’ issue is a 3-6 road mark without a quality win.
Utah State is atop the conference by a half-game with three “easy” games on the docket before a season-ending home game against New Mexico. Their 10-4 record in road/neutral games is impressive. with wins over San Francisco, UNLV, and New Mexico mixed in.
Boise State‘s neutral court loss to Washington State keeps earning them points, especially since it was only a 5-point deficit. The Broncos end their campaign with games against New Mexico, Nevada, and San Diego State (road). Their resume promised to be a good one.
Nevada is 5-1 in their last six games, including wins over Utah State (road) and San Diego State. Their only loss was a one-point defeat by New Mexico.
If UNLV goes 5-0 down the stretch (wins over Colorado State, San Diego State, and Nevada), maybe they are in the discussion. After all, that would be a 20-10 record with seven Quad 1 wins. Easier said than done.

Pac-12

In:
Arizona [20-6 (11-4); Quad 1: 7-3; KenPom: 4; NET: 3]
Washington State [21-6 (12-4); Quad 1: 5-3; KenPom: 30; NET: 28]

Bubble:
Colorado [17-9 (8-7); Quad 1: 2-5; KenPom: 37; NET: 41]
Utah [16-10 (7-8); Quad 1: 4-6; KenPom: 47; NET: 46]
Oregon [18-8 (10-5); Quad 1: 2-5; KenPom: 56; NET: 59]

Washington State completed a sweep against Arizona on Thursday night, giving them a half-game lead with the tiebreaker. The Huskies are 11-1 in their last 12 games, as they turned a blah early-season resume into a lock before the calendar turns to March. The Cougars will be a dangerous team in the NCAA Tournament.

Colorado is a beneficiary of Washington State’s run, as their home conquest of the Cougars has risen to Quad 1. The Buffaloes must get out of their 1-4 rut, however.
Like Colorado, Utah is struggling lately (2-5). If Pac-10 bubble games are your pleasure, Utah travels to Colorado on Saturday.
Oregon needs to sweep their final five games, including at Arizona.

Washington‘s NET (69) is on the edge of bubble consideration, but it is tied heavily into their non-conference schedule and not so much into quality wins (1-6 in Quad 1). Their two remaining road games (Arizona and Washington State) could earn them a look if they somehow win them.

SEC

In:
Alabama [19-7 (11-2); Quad 1: 3-6; KenPom: 6; NET: 5]
Tennessee [20-6 (10-3), Quad 1: 5-5; KenPom: 7; NET: 6]
Auburn [20-6 (9-4); Quad 1: 2-5; KenPom: 5; NET: 7]
Kentucky [18-8 (8-5); Quad 1: 3-6; KenPom: 23; NET: 24]

Bubble:
Florida [18-8 (8-5); Quad 1: 2-8; KenPom: 27; NET: 30]
Mississippi State [18-8 (7-6); Quad 1: 3-6; KenPom: 35; NET: 36]
Texas A&M [15-11 (6-7); Quad 1: 6-5; KenPom: 52; NET: 49]
South Carolina [21-5 (9-4); Quad 1: 2-3; KenPom: 55; NET: 58]
Ole Miss [19-7 (6-7); Quad 1: 3-6; KenPom: 70; NET: 68]

Kentucky may have me questioning my “lock” choice, but I will keep them there. As for the other locks, I don’t know if any of them can sneak into a #1 seed in the NCAA Tournament, but all of them are in the #2 seed conversation.

Florida played one of the most entertaining games of the season, a 98-93 overtime loss at Alabama. Close losses against good teams dot their resume and they have zero losses outside Quad 1. It is a “different” resume, but the formula works.
Mississippi State has followed up a 3-6 stretch with four straight wins, the biggest being a home conquest of Mississippi. If the Bulldogs stretch that streak to nine, it will mean they added wins over Kentucky Auburn (road), Texas A&M (road), and South Carolina.
Texas A&M is going in the opposite direction. The Aggies have three straight losses, two against non-tournament teams (Vanderbilt, Arkansas (home)). They can lean on those six Quad 1 wins, but they must stop the bleeding. That will be tough on Saturday (at Tennessee).
South Carolina has been off all week, and it couldn’t have come at a better time. Their next two games are on the road (Ole Miss, Texas A&M). If the Gamecocks lose both, their resume will go from rock solid a few weeks ago to questionable.
Ole Miss needs that win as much as South Carolina does. The Rebels were one of the last unbeaten teams this season, but conference play has eaten them up. They are 14-1 at home and will need to hold serve against South Carolina and Alabama next.

Southland

Bubble:

McNeese [23-3 (12-1); Quad 1: 1-0; KenPom: 64; NET: 53]

I have nothing to add to what I wrote last time:
Three of their final five opponents have NET rankings over 300. Their NET will take a small hit if they win these games. If they lose any of them? Good night.

Sun Belt

Bubble:

James Madison [25-3 (12-3); Quad 1: 1-1; KenPom: 58; NET: 48]

My advice? Keep comparing their resume to those of McNeese, San Francisco, Grand Canyon, Indiana State, and Drake amongst the mid-major hopefuls. Only 1-2 may get in (unless they win the conference tournaments).

West Coast

In:

St. Mary’s [22-6 (13-0); Quad 1: 4-2; KenPom: 22; NET: 15]

Bubble:

Gonzaga [21-6 (11-2); Quad 1: 1-5; KenPom: 19; NET: 22]
San Francisco [21-7 (10-3); Quad 1: 0-5; KenPom: 66; NET: 60]

Gonzaga hit an easy part of the schedule and took care of business convincingly. However, destroying Loyola Marymount, Pacific, and Portland isn’t going to wow anyone (as evidenced by their solid footing on the bubble). The Bulldogs can’t lose at home against a tricky Santa Clara squad. The road game against St. Mary’s to close the regular season is huge for their chances.
San Francisco lost by four to St. Mary’s on Tuesday. Add that to their annoying losses to Boise State (5 points), Grand Canyon (4 points), Utah State (1 point), and Gonzaga (5 points). All those games were either on a neutral court or the road (Gonzaga). As of now, they will get two more cracks at Gonzaga (home on 2/29 and a potential semi-final matchup in the conference tournament)

WAC

Bubble:

Grand Canyon [24-3 (14-2); Quad 1: 1-0; KenPom: 62; NET: 52]

Sometimes, you run into a hot team and lose. That is what happened to Grand Canyon on Thursday night, as they lost to Tarleton State on the road. The Texans have seven straight wins to place themselves just a game and a half behind Grand Canyon.

As for Grand Canyon, does a second conference loss destroy their chances? It certainly doesn’t help, but in-conference games are always tough to navigate. The Lopes have lost to both teams right behind them in the standings (Seattle is the other). They have made their resume more difficult to argue for, but they are not out of the running.

 

 

 

 

 

 

A look at the NCAA Tournament bubble. Team records and NET rankings are through games of Sunday, 2/18

ACC

In: 
North Carolina [20-6 (12-3), Quad 1: 5-4; KenPom: 10; NET: 9]
Duke [20-5 (11-3), Quad 1: 5-2; KenPom: 11; NET: 17]

Bubble:
Clemson [17-8 (7-7); Quad 1: 4-3; KenPom: 30; NET: 27]
Wake Forest [16-9 (8-6); Quad 1: 1-5; KenPom: 26; NET: 40]
Virginia [20-6 (11-4); Quad 1: 2-2; KenPom: 53; NET: 41]
Pittsburgh [17-8 (8-6); Quad 1: 2-4; KenPom: 51; NET: 47]
Virginia Tech [14-11 (6-8); Quad 1: 3-6; KenPom: 64; NET: 62]

The home loss to North Carolina State delays Clemson‘s ascension to locked status, but the Tigers should be fine.
Wake Forest finally earned a Quad 1 win – from a game that was played in November. Their home conquest of Florida now qualifies.
Virginia would appear to be in great shape, given that they are in the conference title race. Perhaps the computers hate 49-47 wins as well?
Pittsburgh has won five straight and has a 7-3 road/neutral record. The Panthers went from an also-ran to a legit contender once they beat Duke at Cameron and they have kept that momentum going (6-1 since that game)
Virginia Tech has three Quad 1 wins but is 1-4 in their last five games. The Boise State/Iowa State wins can only carry you so far.

American Athletic

In:
None.

Bubble:
Florida Atlantic [20-6 (10-3); Quad 1: 2-1; KenPom: 34; NET: 29]
SMU [18-7 (10-3); Quad 1: 0-2; KenPom: 39; NET: 34]
South Florida [19-5 (12-1); Quad 1: 1-0; KenPom: 100; NET: 92]

Florida Atlantic showed their grit in their comeback attempt against South Florida but came up short. Their resume is still rock solid.
SMU mauled Memphis. Their rise is impressive, but the lack of a Quad 1 win (and only two Quad 2 wins) will hold them back.
South Florida has 11 straight wins. Their losses to Central Michigan, Maine, Hofstra, and UMass are what crush their NET.

Memphis (and North Texas for that matter) have better NET rankings than South Florida, but it is easier for me to justify South Florida for the time being.

Atlantic 10

Bubble:
Dayton [21-4 (11-2), Quad 1: 2-4; KenPom: 24; NET: 19]

Loyola-Chicago (11-2) and Richmond (10-2) won’t let Dayton get away, but the Flyers are still the lone tournament at-large hopeful from this league. The Flyers travel to Loyola-Chicago on March 1st.

Big 12

In:
Houston [22-3 (9-3), Quad 1: 8-3; KenPom: 1; NET: 1]
Iowa State [20-5 (9-3); Quad 1: 6-4; KenPom: 9; NET: 8]
BYU [18-7 (6-6), Quad 1: 3-5; KenPom: 16; NET: 10]
Baylor [18-6 (8-4); Quad 1: 6-4; KenPom: 12; NET: 11]
Kansas [20-6 (8-5); Quad 1: 6-4; KenPom: 17; NET: 16]

Bubble:
Texas Tech [18-7 (7-5); Quad 1: 4-6; KenPom: 23; NET: 26]
Texas [16-9 (5-7); Quad 1: 4-7; KenPom: 29; NET: 33]
TCU [18-7 (7-5); Quad 1: 3-6; KenPom: 32; NET: 36]
Cincinnati [16-9 (5-7); Quad 1: 3-6; KenPom: 36; NET: 37]
Oklahoma [18-8 (6-7); Quad 1: 3-7; KenPom: 37; NET: 39]
UCF [13-11 (4-8); Quad 1: 2-6; KenPom: 69; NET: 67]
Kansas State [15-9 (5-6); Quad 1: 2-4; NET: 77]

Texas Tech would be safely in if they played better teams in the non-conference. As is, the Red Raiders have road wins over Oklahoma and Texas alongside their home win over Kansas.
Texas has three solid in-conference road wins to go along with their home win over Baylor. The Longhorns still have road games against Kansas, Texas Tech, and Baylor.
TCU not only has that 3-OT road win over Baylor. The Horned Frogs lost road games to Kansas by two and Cincinnati by four in overtime. You don’t always have to win for the committee to be impressed.
Cincinnati added UCF to its road ledger which includes Texas Tech and BYU. Quality road wins are gold.
Oklahoma is in a 5-7 rut after their 13-1 start. The Big 12 schedule doesn’t make it easy to get out of such ruts.
UCF is 1-6 on the road (Texas) and 1-5 in their last six games. The fork is getting closer to the plate.
Kansas State is 1-6 in their last seven games If the fork is closing in on UCF, it has already penetrated the skin on Kansas State.

Big East

In:
UConn [24-2 (14-1); Quad 1: 9-2; KenPom: 2; NET: 4]
Creighton [19-7 (10-5); Quad 1: 5-4; KenPom: 13; NET: 13]
Marquette [19-6 (10-4); Quad 1: 6-5; KenPom: 14; NET: 14]

Bubble:
Villanova [14-11 (7-7); Quad 1: 3-6; KenPom: 31; NET: 35]
Saint John’s [14-12 (6-9); Quad 1: 2-9; KenPom: 42; NET: 51]
Xavier [13-12 (7-7); Quad 1: 2-9; KenPom: 44; NET: 54]
Butler [16-10 (7-8); Quad 1: 4-9; KenPom: 55; NET: 57]
Providence [17-9 (8-7); Quad 1: 4-6; KenPom: 56; NET: 59]
Seton Hall [17-9 (10-5); Quad 1: 5-5; KenPom: 59; NET: 63]

The Big East has to be disappointed in their overall performance. The conference is ranked 5th according to NET, with only the Pac-12 below them amongst the power conferences.

Villanova needs wins, no matter who they are against. They aren’t getting into the tournament, however, based on a gaudy record. The Wildcats have to win some games against quality opponents down the stretch.
Saint John’s is the second-highest team on the Big East bubble according to the NET, but is anyone taking them seriously? The only team they have defeated since January 24th is DePaul.
Xavier’s NET is OK, and they had a strong non-conference schedule. However, they might be under .500 soon.
Butler will send the committee videos of their road wins over Marquette and Creighton to remind the committee what they are capable of. However, both teams bounced back to beat Butler on their home court.
Providence is 2-6 on the road (DePaul, Seton Hall). Their next two games are road games against Xavier and Marquette.
Seton Hall‘s NET is hurt by losses to USC and Rutgers. However, they are 5-4 on the road, have five Quad 1 wins, and swept St. John’s. I think their NET doesn’t tell the full story of who they are.

Big Ten

In:
Purdue [23-3 (12-3); Quad 1: 9-3; KenPom: 3; NET: 2]
Illinois [19-6 (10-4); Quad 1: 4-5; KenPom: 8; NET: 12]
Michigan State [17-9 (9-6); Quad 1: 3-7; KenPom: 15; NET: 20]
Wisconsin [17-9 (9-6); Quad 1: 6-6; KenPom: 19; NET: 21]

Bubble:
Nebraska [18-8 (8-7); Quad 1: 3-6; KenPom: 40; NET: 49]
Northwestern [18-8 (9-6); Quad 1: 4-5; KenPom: 47; NET: 56]
Iowa [15-11 (7-8); Quad 1: 1-7; KenPom: 57; NET: 67]

Michigan State is now locked in.

Nebraska is terrible on the road. The Cornhuskers have stacked wins, but have work to do (the upcoming road game against Ohio State is huge)
Northwestern has wins over Dayton, Purdue, Michigan State, and Illinois. How did this team lose to Chicago State (Quad 4)??
Iowa re-enters my bubble after beating Wisconsin. Now comes the make-or-break week: Games at Michigan State and Illinois.

For now, I cannot justify adding Ohio State, as they are second-to-last in the conference. We will revisit if they build off the Purdue win.

Ivy League

Bubble:
Princeton [19-3 (7-2); Quad 1: 0-0; KenPom: 66; NET: 53]

I figured I would take a look at Princeton today. I don’t see their resume as more compelling than the likes of McNeese, James Madison, or Grand Canyon. I think the Tigers could have afforded one conference loss heading into the conference tournament. Two was one too many. We’ll keep them here, for now.

Missouri Valley

Bubble:
Indiana State [22-5 (13-3); Quad 1: 1-3; KenPom: 49; NET: 32]
Drake [22-5 (13-3); Quad 1: 2-1; KenPom: 48; NET: 46]

Indiana State followed up their brutal loss to Illinois State with a road loss to Southern Illinois. Their final four regular-season games are must-wins if they want a shot at an at-large.
Drake has won four in a row to tie at the top of the conference. The Bulldogs have a 19-point neutral court win over Nevada as their biggest feather.

Mountain West

In:
San Diego State [20-6 (9-4); Quad 1: 5-6; KenPom: 18; NET: 18]

Bubble:
New Mexico [20-6 (8-5); Quad 1: 3-3; KenPom: 25; NET: 24]
Colorado State [20-6 (8-5); Quad 1: 4-5; KenPom: 28; NET: 25]
Utah State [21-5 (9-4); Quad 1: 2-4; KenPom: 41; NET: 30]
Boise State [17-8 (8-4); Quad 1: 5-5; KenPom: 50; NET: 43]
Nevada [20-6 (7-5); Quad 1: 5-4; KenPom: 45; NET: 44]
UNLV [14-10 (7-5); Quad 1: 4-4; KenPom: 94; NET: 94]

At this point, New Mexico and Colorado State are hardly perfect but are close to locking in.
Utah State is in good shape, though they can use a few more Quad 1 wins. The Aggies can’t allow their recent 20-point loss to Colorado State to snowball.
Boise State has five Quad 1 wins and the committee is going to have a tough time ignoring that. The Bronocs are 7-7 in Quad 1/Quad 2  They are in the middle of a 4-game stretch against easier opponents. It would serve them well to go 4-0.
Nevada also has five Quad 1 wins. and is 4-1 in their last five games (the one loss was by a point against New Mexico). If they stay clean, they should make it.
UNLV has little chance. The Rebels have three Quad 1 games remaining, two of which are at home. If they win all three to end the season 7-4 in Quad 1, they need to be looked at closely. Good luck with that.

Pac-12

In:
Arizona [20-5 (11-3); Quad 1: 7-3; KenPom: 4; NET: 3]

Bubble:
Washington State [20-6 (11-4); Quad 1: 4-3; KenPom: 33; NET: 31]
Colorado [17-9 (8-7); Quad 1: 1-5; KenPom: 38; NET: 42]
Utah [16-10 (7-8); Quad 1: 3-5; KenPom: 46; NET: 50]
Oregon [17-8 (9-5); Quad 1: 2-4; KenPom: 61; NET: 61]

Washington State came out of nowhere and is on the brink of a tournament clinch. They would be on a 12-game winning streak if not for a weird loss to Cal on 1/20.
Colorado is hanging on, thanks to a 6-4 Quad 2 record and zero bad losses. It is too bad, for their sake, that the 27-point mauling of Miami doesn’t carry more weight as Miami has underperformed.
Utah needed that 1-point road win over a surging UCLA squad on Sunday. A bubblicious matchup at Colorado comes on Saturday.
Oregon has a couple of “easy” road games next (both in California) before ending their season with Arizona/Colorado/Utah. When your resume has holes, you often need miracles.

SEC

In:
Alabama [18-7 (10-2); Quad 1: 2-6; KenPom: 6; NET: 5]
Tennessee [19-6 (9-3), Quad 1: 5-5; KenPom: 5; NET: 6]
Auburn [20-6 (9-4); Quad 1: 2-5; KenPom: 7; NET: 7]
Kentucky [18-7 (8-4); Quad 1: 3-6; KenPom: 21; NET: 22]

Bubble:
Florida [18-7 (8-4); Quad 1: 3-7; KenPom: 27; NET: 28]
Mississippi State [17-8 (6-6); Quad 1: 3-6; KenPom: 35; NET: 38]
Texas A&M [15-10 (6-6); Quad 1: 6-5; KenPom: 43; NET: 45]
South Carolina [21-5 (9-4); Quad 1: 3-3; KenPom: 54; NET: 58]
Ole Miss [19-6 (6-6); Quad 1: 3-5; KenPom: 67; NET: 65]

Let’s not fool ourselves:  Kentucky is an NCAA Tournament squad.

Florida is 7-1 in their last eight games. The stretch includes wins over Mississippi State, Auburn, and Kentucky. Can they beat Alabama (road) on Wednesday?
Mississippi State is hurt by a 1-6 road record (the only win is over Missouri). Their final six games are brutal (when you consider LSU is a road game). Good luck.
Texas A&M has six Quad 1 wins. SIX! Texas A&M has four Quad 3 losses. FOUR!
South Carolina surprisingly needs to do more despite a 21-5 (9-4) record in a strong conference. Their neutral court wins over Virginia Tech and Grand Canyon should elevate them somewhat, but their final five games include four road contests against other NCAA hopefuls. The Gamecocks may be nervous on Selection Sunday.
Speaking of nerves, Ole Miss has two big bubble games this week: Mississippi State (road) and South Carolina. Their lack of bad losses (14-0 in Quad 3/Quad 4) is a blessing (committee likes clean resumes!) and a curse (that’s a lot of Quad 3/4 games). The Rebels need a few more quality wins.

Southland

Bubble:

McNeese [23-3 (12-1); Quad 1: 1-0; KenPom: 63; NET: 52]

McNeese’s NET has soared (+15 since 2/11), placing them in the same range as Utah, St. John’s, Princeton, Xavier, James Madison, and Northwestern. Their non-conference SOS was solid (69th in the KenPom). All this adds up to to a school that should be taken seriously if they get to the conference title game and lose.

Sun Belt

Bubble:

James Madison [24-3 (11-3); Quad 1: 1-0; KenPom: 65; NET: 55]

McNeese and James Madison look like twins, but McNeese had (by far) the stronger non-conference slate. That said, James Madison has the better Quad 1 win (Michigan State vs. VCU). Also helping James Madison is that the Sun Belt is the 17th-ranked conference in the nation, while the Southland is 27th.

West Coast

In:

St. Mary’s [21-6 (12-0); Quad 1: 4-2; KenPom: 22; NET: 15]

Bubble:

Gonzaga [20-6 (10-2); Quad 1: 1-5; KenPom: 20; NET: 23]
San Francisco [21-6 (10-2); Quad 1: 0-5; KenPom: 68; NET: 60]

Gonzaga doesn’t earn many points for beating 6-22 Pacific They won’t earn many by beating 9-19 Portland., either. The key to their tournament lock (which isn’t too far off, to be honest) is a 3-game stretch against Santa Clara, San Francisco, and St. Mary’s to close out their season. After that, a date with San Francisco again could await in the conference tournament semi-finals.
San Francisco has two more chances at a Quad 1 win (St. Mary’s (road) and Gonzaga). It’s hard to justify them now, but winning those games and getting to the conference championship would make it interesting.

WAC

Bubble:

Grand Canyon [24-2 (14-1); Quad 1: 1-0; KenPom: 58; NET: 48]

Lumped with McNeese and James Madison, Grand Canyon plays in the 14th-ranked conference. Their Quad 1 win was over San Diego State. Both the KenPom and the NET ranks them better than the other two, and it is hard to disagree with that.

 

 

 

 

 

 

1. UConn (24-2) (2) – Marquette is a Final Four contender. UConn beat them by 28.
2. Houston (22-3) (3) – Their 82-point effort on Saturday was the first time this season they scored 80+ points against an NCAA Tournament contender (Texas).
3. Purdue (23-3) (1) – A 4-point road loss to Ohio State doesn’t crush a resume that includes the #1 non-conference schedule (11-0 in those games).
4. Tennessee (19-6) (4) – The Volunteers have played one bad game all year (85-69 road loss to Texas A&M).
5. Arizona (20-5) (7) – One of four teams in the Top 15 in adjusted offense and defense.
6. Iowa State (20-5) (9) – 7-1 in last eight games (TCU (2x), Kansas State, Kansas, Baylor (loss), Texas, Cincinnati, Texas Tech). That’s a gauntlet.
7. Baylor (19-6) (13) – This offense-first squad ends their season with six games against probable NCAA Tournament teams.
8. Auburn (20-6) (10) – Destroyed South Carolina (40!). Followed that up with an 11-point loss to Kentucky.
9. Marquette (19-6) (5) – How do we rank a team that won eight straight games, only to lose to UConn by 28? I think dropping them four spots is enough.
10. Kansas (20-6) (8) – The Jayhawks need to get back on track as they are only 7-5 in their last 12 games.
11. North Carolina (20-6) (6) – After surging to the ACC lead, the Tar Heels are only 3-3, including losses to non-tournament teams Georgia Tech and Syracuse.
12. Duke (20-5) (12) – Right back in the conference race. Can they beat both Miami and Wake Forest on the road this week?
13. Illinois (19-6) (11) – A lot can still happen, but the March 5th game against Purdue could have regular-season title implications.
14. Creighton (19-7) (15) – Can they slay the UConn beast at home this week?
15. Alabama (18-7) (16) – Eighr games with 100+ points, including a 100-75 thumping of Texas A&M on Saturday.
16. Saint Mary’s (21-6) (17) – No team other than Gonzaga has won the outright WCC title since 2012 (St. Mary’s). Technically, the Gaels won the title in 2016, as both teams were 15-3 but St. Mary’s swept Gonzaga. The last time a team other than St. Mary’s or Gonzaga won the outright conference title was in 2000 (Pepperdine).
17. San Diego State (20-6) (21) – Back-to-back home wins over Colorado State and New Mexico.
18.  BYU (18-7) (14) – A slog as of late, but they have banked enough quality wins while suffering zero bad losses.
19. Dayton (21-4) (23) – The Flyers still haven’t lost outside of Quad 1 (2-4 within Quad 1).
20. Kentucky (18-7) (24) – A huge double-digit road win over Auburn.
21. Colorado State (20-6) (20) – 5-1 in their last six games. The Rams crushed Utah State by 20 on Saturday.
22. Michigan State (17-9) (NR) – It was only Penn State and Michigan, but the Spartans earned two much-needed road wins last week.
23. Washington State (20-6) (NR) – Seven straight wins and 10-1 in their last 11 games (including a win over Arizona)
24. New Mexico (20-6) (NR) – New Mexico is 5-4 on the road, but the conquest over Nevada was their first one of significance.
25. Texas Tech (18-7) (NR) – The Red Raiders mauled Kansas by 29 before hanging tough on the road against Iowa State.

Dropped Out:

South Carolina (21-5) (18) – Banking all those wins will be helpful come Selection Sunday, but losing by 40 to Auburn and one (at home) against LSU are damaging.
Wisconsin (17-9) (19) – Many of their recent losses are “flip a coin” types, and the Badgers have six Quad 1 wins in the bank.
Florida Atlantic (20-6) (22) – A lot of quality in their resume, but the Owls are in trouble when it comes to the regular-season AAC title.
Indiana State (22-5) (25) – I figured Southern Illinois had “trap game” potential. What I didn’t figure was that they would lose to Illinois State at home.

Just Missed:

Grand Canyon (24-2) – With Indiana State falling, the Lopes may be the new “mid-market” obsession (if they weren’t already).
Gonzaga (20-6) – Winning the games they are supposed to win, which is good enough for now.
Utah State (21-5)/Boise State (17-8)/Nevada (20-6) – I have three Mountain West teams ranked with three under consideration. The conference is bunched up to the point where I don’t know how the committee can leave any of them out.