2/23 Men's Basketball Bubble Watch
We’re only three weeks from Selection Sunday, and leading up to the Big Dance College Sports Madness is your destination for all things March Madness. William Scott breaks down the NCAA Tournament Bubble and which teams are in…or out. After a win over Utah, Oregon stays in the field, and they’re Pac-12 foe UCLA remains out. Here is the complete breakdown:
Big Bubble Games This Week: (Bold = On Bubble)
1) Oregon (In) at Stanford (In) Sun.
2) Illinois (In) at Iowa (In) Wed.
3) Ole Miss (In) at LSU (In) Sat.
4) Boise State (Out) at San Diego State (In) Sat.
5) Tulsa (In) at Memphis (Out) Sat.
Last 4 in:
Oregon (10-5, 20-8)
Good wins: at Illinois, UCLA, #9 Utah
Bad Losses: Michigan, at Washington State, at Washington
Week ahead: at Cal, at Stanford
Notes: What a week for the Ducks!! They went 2-0, including a win over #9 Utah. They are in the field, but still on the bubble. The Stanford game on Sunday looms large in the Bubble World.
Tulsa (12-2, 19-7)
Good Wins: Memphis, UConn, Temple (twice)
Bad Losses: Oral Roberts, Southeastern Oklahoma State
Week Ahead: Tulane, at Memphis
Notes: Tulsa picked up a statement win over Temple to complete the season sweep of the Owls, who are comfortably in the field. They have a brutal three final games to end the regular season with Memphis, Cincinnati, and SMU. If they can somehow win all three, so question the Golden Hurricane is in.
Stanford (8-6, 17-9)
Good wins: at #9 Texas
Bad Losses: at DePaul, at Washington State, at Colorado
Week Ahead: Oregon State, Oregon
Notes: Wins for Oregon = Bad for Stanford. Oregon beating Utah was not good for the Cardinal, as the Ducks jumped them in the Pac-12 standings, as well as the bubble race. Only two teams at most are getting in from the Pac-12 bubble group that consists of Oregon, Stanford and UCLA. Like I mentioned earlier, Stanford vs Oregon on Sunday LOOMS LARGE.
Illinois (7-7, 17-10)
Good wins: at Baylor, #11 Maryland
Bad Losses: at Michigan, Nebraska
Week Ahead: at Iowa, Northwestern
Notes: The Illini had a big opportunity to pick up a crucial win against MSU, but they couldn’t. That makes the Illini the last team in the field. They play a good Iowa team on the road on Wednesday and a win there would be nice for the résumé.
First 4 Out:
NC State (7-7, 16-11)
Good Wins: Boise State, Louisiana Tech, Pittsburgh, Duke, at Louisville
Bad Losses: at Wake Forest
Week Ahead: at North Carolina, at Boston College
Notes: The Wolfpack are VERY close to being in. If they can somehow beat North Carolina in Chapel Hill, they would be in the field. They can’t afford to drop one at Boston College.
Boise State (10-4, 20-7)
Good Wins: at Saint Mary’s, Colorado State, San Diego State
Bad Losses: at Loyola (IL), at Fresno State
Week Ahead: New Mexico, at San Diego State
Notes: Boise went 2-0 last week, but their position hasn’t changed. A win Saturday night at San Diego State would be big, but still wouldn’t get them into the field. They probably have to make it to the Mountain West Championship game to get in.
UCLA (8-7, 16-12)
Good Wins: #11 Utah, Oregon
Bad Losses: Colorado, at Arizona State
Week ahead: Washington, Washington State
Notes: A win against Arizona would have been big for the Bruins; instead, they couldn’t finish strong and went 0-2 last week. They should win their last three regular season games, but if they want to go dancing, they HAVE to have a good Pac-12 tournament.
BYU (11-5, 21-8)
Good Wins: Stanford, UMass, Saint Mary’s
Bad Losses: at San Diego, Pepperdine (twice)
Week Ahead: at Portland, at #3 Gonzaga
Notes: BYU’s position has not changed as of last week. They have to close out the regular season with two road games. They should win one, and lose the other. If they can win that one game, they will be in the field. But don’t count on that.
Safe, for now… (Next 4 In)
Georgia (8-6, 17-9)
LSU (8-6, 19-8)
Purdue (10-4, 19-9)
St. Johns (7-7, 17-9)
NIT Bound (Next 4 Out)
Davidson (10-4, 19-6)
Miami (FL) (7-7, 17-10)
Old Dominion (9-5, 20-6)
Oregon State (8-7, 17-10)
Twitter: @WScottCSM
