Skip navigation
Favorites
Sign up to follow your favorites on all your devices.
Sign up

Seton Hall headlines the list of Saturday’s bubble losers

Fuquan Edwin, Cleveland Melvin

Seton Hall’s Fuquan Edwin, right, slaps the ball from DePaul’s Cleveland Melvin during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game, Tuesday, Jan. 10, 2012, in Newark, N.J. (AP Photo/Bill Kostroun)

AP

The task at hand for Seton Hall was simple: after a dominating performance in a win over No. 11 Georgetown, all the Pirates had to do to lock up a bid was beat Rutgers and DePaul.

Easy, right?

Not for Kevin Willard’s club.

After falling to Rutgers in overtime, Seton Hall got absolutely pummeled by the 12-18 Blue Demons. The Pirates turned the ball over 15 times and allowed DePaul to hit 10 threes in a 86-58 loss that was just as thorough as the final score indicates.

The craziest part is that Seton Hall (19-11) could very well be in the NCAA tournament if it started today. That’s how much success they had during the non-conference portion of their schedule. The tournament doesn’t start today, however, which means that every other team currently competing for those last couple of spots in the NCAA tournament is going to have a chance to build on their resume during Championship Week.

Like everyone else currently situated on the cut-line, the Pirate need to win a game or two in Madison Square Garden if they hope to earn an at-large bid. The Pirate drew the 10-seed, which means that they’ll get a first-round date with Providence with the winner earning the right to play No. 19 Louisville. Without a trip to the quarterfinals, Seton Hall may be on the outside looking in on Selection Sunday.

Other bubble losers

South Florida: The Bulls (19-11) are in an interesting spot. They are 12-6 in Big East play, but other than wins over Cincinnati and Louisville, there isn’t much substance on this resume. USF gets the winner of Rutgers-Villanova in the second round of the Big East tournament. After losing to West Virginia 50-44, a loss probably means they are out.

Texas: If the Longhorns (19-12) had gone into Phog Allen Fieldhouse and beaten No. 3 Kansas, they would be dancing. But, like seemingly every other opponent that has set foot in the visitor’s locker room in Lawrence, Kan., Texas left with a loss. Texas probably needs to win a game or two in the Big 12 Tournament to get a bid.

Alabama: The Crimson Tide (20-10) are probably still in good shape, but a 60-51 loss to Ole Miss means their margin for error is that much smaller.

Washington: The Huskies (21-9) have been a topic of conversation this past week in regards to their bubble standing. They certainly pass the eye test, but their profile simply doesn’t appear to be that of a tournament team. Losing to UCLA 75-69 certainly didn’t help matters.

BYU: The Cougars (25-8) are probably going to be on the outside looking in come Selection Sunday after getting run out of the gym by Gonzaga in the semifinals of the WCC.

Related: Saturday’s bubble winners

Rob Dauster is the editor of the college basketball website Ballin’ is a Habit. You can find him on twitter @robdauster.