Bubble Watch: VCU in a crowd as blue bloods improve resumes originally appeared on NBC Sports Washington
Less than three weeks to go before Selection Sunday and it is go-time in college basketball. And for teams on the NCAA Tournament bubble, losses cannot afford to be had at the risk of their seasons tumbling down at their feet.
This season, the bubble is as intriguing as ever. There are blue bloods of the sport, Power 5 contenders, strong mid-major programs and even typical single-bid conferences trying to get multiple bids. With such a variety of teams competing for some of the final spots, this battle and bubble talk will likely go down to the final days before the bracket is revealed.
Teams like VCU are in the bunch that could easily vault themselves solidly into the tournament field or drop outside of the bubble. Joining them in that category is conference foe Saint Louis and Wichita State. At one point or another during this season, the two Atlantic 10 teams were well up the seed list and off the bubble. The Shockers have done it by reeling off five straight wins and seven of their last eight in the American.
It's dire for those programs because of the breadth of Power 5 teams in this list and those sitting outside of the bubble. There are several teams that still have the schedule and quality of opponents to play themselves into the field. It might not matter what VCU, Saint Louis or Wichita State does (besides winning their leagues' auto bid), a Duke or Michigan State or Seton Hall can fly in with a single win.
But having a lot of eyeballs over the next several weeks are some of the small teams that remain in the field. That includes Drake, Western Kentucky and Loyola-Chicago (who is not listed on the good side of the bubble). Any of those teams fall in the regular season or early in a conference tournament and boom, there's a new at-large available.
Teams are rooting against others on the bubble -- but for most, the number one rule on the bubble is just win.
Teams like Louisville, Oregon, Maryland, Connecticut, Boise State, Colorado State and St. Bonaventure have all moved to the good side of the bubble and are not included on this list.
*Average seed is a combination of the latest ESPN, CBS, SB Nation and Bracketville bracket projections.
North Carolina Tar Heels Resume
Record: 14-8 (8-5 ACC)
NET: 44
KenPom: 36
BPI: 31
Average Seed: No. 10 seed
Remaining Schedule: vs. #11 Florida State, at Syracuse, vs. Duke
Drake Bulldogs Resume
Record: 23-2 (14-2 Missouri Valley)
NET: 34
KenPom: 47
BPI: 65
Average Seed: No. 11 seed
Remaining Schedule: at Bradley, at Bradley
Seton Hall Pirates Resume
Record: 13-10 (10-7 Big East)
NET: 53
KenPom: 42
BPI: 40
Average Seed: No. 11 seed
Remaining Schedule: vs. Connecticut, at St. John's
VCU Rams Resume
Record: 17-5 (10-3 Atlantic 10)
NET: 33
KenPom: 44
BPI: 63
Average Seed: No. 11 seed
Remaining Schedule: at Davidson
Western Kentucky Hilltoppers Resume
Record: 15-5 (8-2 Conference-USA)
NET: 80
KenPom: 84
BPI: 86
Average Seed: No. 12 seed
Remaining Schedule: vs. FIU, vs. FIU, vs. ODU, vs. ODU
Wichita State Shockers Resume
Record: 13-4 (9-2 American)
NET: 67
KenPom: 76
BPI: 98
Average Seed: No. 12 seed
Remaining Schedule: at Tulane, at Temple
Stanford Cardinal Resume
Record: 14-10 (10-8 Pac-12)
NET: 60
KenPom: 64
BPI: 68
Average Seed: First Four Out
Remaining Schedule: vs. Oregon State, at USC
Minnesota Golden Gophers Resume
Record: 13-11 (6-11 Big Ten)
NET: 65
KenPom: 56
BPI: 71
Average Seed: First Four Out
Remaining Schedule: at Nebraska, at Penn State, at Rutgers
Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets Resume
Record: 12-8 (8-6 ACC)
NET: 40
KenPom: 33
BPI: 41
Average Seed: First Four Out
Remaining Schedule: vs. Syracuse, vs. Duke, at Wake Forest
Indiana Hoosiers Resume
Record: 12-11 (7-9 Big Ten)
NET: 54
KenPom: 34
BPI: 36
Average Seed: Next Four Out
Remaining Schedule: vs. Michigan, at Michigan State, at Purdue
Saint Louis Billikens Resume
Record: 11-5 (4-4 Atlantic 10)
NET: 50
KenPom: 51
BPI: 35
Average Seed: Next Four Out
Remaining Schedule: vs. Richmond, vs. Massachusetts
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Over the course of the weekend, there are a few games that could have a big impact on the bubble. Friday night, it tips off with Saint Louis vying for any sort of a quality win against Richmond. The Spiders have an outside chance, still, at a tournament at-large and are desperate to get this win.
Indiana and North Carolina could greatly improve their tournament resumes with wins over ranked opponents. Those are wins that could move them off the bubble.
Of course, Drake and Western Kentucky need to win so they don't fall out and so does free-falling Minnesota. The Golden Gophers have lost four straight and losing to Nebraska might be a nail in the coffin.
Bubble Watch Schedule
Richmond vs. Saint Louis, Friday at 7:00 p.m. (ESPN2)
Drake at Bradley, Friday at 7:00 p.m. (ESPN+)
No. 3 Michigan at Indiana, Saturday at 12:00 p.m. (FOX)
Syracuse at Georgia Tech, Saturday at 12:00 p.m. (ACCN)
VCU at Davidson, Saturday at 2:00 p.m. (ESPNU)
No. 11 Florida State vs. North Carolina, Saturday at 4:00 p.m. (ESPN)
Oregon State at Stanford, Saturday at 7:00 p.m. (Pac-12)
Minnesota at Nebraska, Saturday at 7:00 p.m. (BTN)
Drake at Bradley, Saturday at 7:00 p.m. (ESPN+)
FIU at Western Kentucky, Sunday at 3:00 p.m. (ESPN+)
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February 26, 2021 at 12:16PM
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