Riding a six-game conference winning streak, the Tennessee Volunteers find themselves in the thick of the at-large conversation. Since losing at home to Georgia in early February, the Vols have won three league road games and beaten Kentucky and Florida in Knoxville. And while one could argue (correctly) that the SEC isn’t particularly strong or deep, Tennessee has given itself a chance to participate in March Madness. Such a scenario would have been considered a stretch a month ago.
A similar streak helped Illinois overcome a 2-7 mark in the Big Ten. Without a major slip, the Illini are now a likely NCAA participant. A lot can change in two weeks.
Which brings us to Selection Sunday – now just over two weeks away.
Our latest bubble update finds teams moving both toward and away from the cutline. Besides the aforementioned Volunteers, here are some teams climbing the at-large ladder: Temple, Saint Mary’s, and California. Akron should be included too. The Zips beat Ohio for a second time Wednesday and have a clear path toward an outright Mid-American Conference title. That will add credibility to the Zips’ profile if they were to fall short in the MAC tournament.
Teams moving in the opposite direction include Arkansas, Charlotte, and Indiana State. The Sycamores have lost any momentum they once had and probably need to win the MVC tournament in St. Louis to reach the NCAA tournament. For now, they’ve been removed from the bubble.
One other Missouri Valley note: Both Creighton and Wichita State remain as “Should Be In” teams at the time of this update. However, both have slipped a bit of late and certainly aren’t locks. Saturday, they battle for the MVC title. The winner takes a significant step toward an NCAA bid as it’s hard to imagine the outright MVC champion being left out of the Field.
RPI and SOS data is credited to ESPN and is for games played through Wednesday, February 27.
UPDATED: Thursday, February 28
Total Spots (68): Number of teams in the Field.
Automatic Bids (31): None at this time
- Projected Locks (20): Teams who project to have secured a spot in the NCAA Tournament.
- Should Be In (16): These teams are in solid position to receive an at-large bid.
- Bubble: (31): Teams projected to be under consideration for at-large selection.
- Spots Available (11): Estimated number of openings after Automatic Bids, Locks, and Should Be Ins are considered.
- RPI and SOS: RPI and SOS data are updated through games completed on Wednesday, February 27.
Atlantic 10 |
Locks: Butler, Saint Louis | Should Be In: VCU | Bubble: La Salle, Temple, Charlotte, Massachusetts, Xavier |
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ACC |
Locks: Duke, Miami-FL | Should Be In: NC State | Bubble: North Carolina, Virginia, Maryland |
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BIG EAST |
Locks: Syracuse, Louisville, Georgetown, Marquette | Should Be In: Pittsburgh, Notre Dame | Bubble: Cincinnati, Villanova, St. John’s |
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BIG 10 |
Locks: Indiana, Michigan, Michigan State, Ohio State, Wisconsin | Should Be In: Illinois, Minnesota | Bubble: Iowa |
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BIG 12 |
Locks: Kansas, Kansas State, Oklahoma State | Should Be In: None | Bubble: Baylor, Oklahoma, Iowa State |
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CONFERENCE USA |
Locks: None | Should Be In: Memphis | Bubble: Southern Miss |
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MISSOURI VALLEY |
Locks: None | Should Be In: Creighton, Wichita State | Bubble: None |
MOUNTAIN WEST |
Locks: New Mexico | Should Be In: Colorado State, San Diego State, UNLV | Bubble: Boise State, Air Force |
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PAC 12 |
Locks: Arizona | Should Be In: Oregon, UCLA, Colorado | Bubble: Arizona State, California |
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SEC |
Locks: Florida | Should Be In: Missouri | Bubble: Mississippi, Kentucky, Alabama, Arkansas, Tennessee |
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WEST COAST |
Locks: Gonzaga | Should Be In: None | Bubble: St. Mary’s |
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BEST OF THE REST |
Locks: None | Should Be In: None | Bubble: Middle Tennessee, Belmont, Bucknell, Akron, Louisiana Tech |
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