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Bubble Banter: Five SEC bubble teams were in action Tuesday night

Michigan v LSU

LAHAINA, HI - NOVEMBER 20: Tremont Waters #3 of the LSU Tigers takes a shot as he falls forward after losing his balance during the second half of the game against the Michigan Wolverines at the Lahaina Civic Center on November 20, 2017 in Lahaina, Hawaii. (Photo by Darryl Oumi/Getty Images)

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As we will do every day throughout the rest of the season, here is a look at how college basketball’s bubble teams fared on Monday night.

It’s worth reminding you here that the way winning are labeled have changed this season. Instead of looking at all top 50 wins equally, the selection committee will be using criteria that breaks wins down into four quadrants, using the RPI:


  • Quadrant 1: Home vs. 1-30, Neutral vs. 1-50, Road vs. 1-75
  • Quadrant 2: Home vs. 31-75, Neutral vs. 51-100, Road vs. 76-135
  • Quadrant 3: Home vs. 76-160, Neutral vs. 101-200, Road vs. 136-240
  • Quadrant 4: Home vs. 161 plus, Neutral vs. 201 plus, Road vs. 240 plus

The latest NBC Sports Bracketology can be found here.

WINNERS

ARKANSAS (RPI: 29, KenPom: 43, NBC seed: 10): Arkansas is a notoriously bad team away from home, but they managed to buck that trend on Tuesday and beat Georgia in double-overtime in Athens. With a win over Oklahoma on a neutral, Tennessee at home and Georgia on the road, Mike Anderson’s club has three Quadrant 1 wins. A home loss to LSU doesn’t look great, but the Razorbacks are in a good position for the stretch run, especially since ...

LSU (RPI: 89, KenPom: 63, NBC seed: Next four out): ... the Tigers continue to play themselves closer and closer to the bubble. They have swept Texas A&M, won at Arkansas and beat Michigan on a neutral, giving them four Quadrant 1 wins. The problem is that two of their seven losses came to teams ranked outside the top 125 and six of their wins came against opponents outside the top 200. LSU’s next six games may end up being what determines their postseason outcome: at Auburn (8), at Tennessee (12), Arkansas (29), at Florida (23), Ole Miss (91), at Alabama (24). Four top 25 opponents on the road, and a fifth top 30 opponent at home. That’s a brutal stretch.

LOSERS

PROVIDENCE (RPI: 37, KenPom: 54, NBC seed: 8): The Friars had a chance to set themselves up in perfect position to get a bid when they went into Philly to take on No. 1 Villanova. It didn’t quite work out that way -- they lost by 20. The Friars are still in a good spot, as their win over Xavier looks great, one of three Quadrant 1 wins on their résumé. A home loss to Minnesota looks much worse today than it did when it happened, and falling at UMass was not good. But with six Quadrant 1 games left, the Friars are still in a good spot.

OKLAHOMA STATE (RPI: 83, KenPom: 62, NBC seed: Out): The Pokes blew a chance to land an elite road win on Tuesday, wasting a 12-point halftime lead against Texas Tech. Mike Boynton’s club has two Quadrant 1 wins, their worst loss is at Baylor (No. 90) and every team they play from here on out is a top 100 opponent. they’re on the outside right now, but getting hot down the stretch will change things.

ALABAMA (RPI: 24, KenPom: 53, NBC seed: 9): Alabama fell at Ole Miss on Tuesday night, but that loss is hardly a killer. With wins over Rhode Island (9) and Auburn (8), plus a win over Texas A&M, the Crimson Tide are in a good spot. But with nine of their last 11 games coming against top 40 opponents, including eight in the top 30, this thing could end up spiraling.

TEXAS A&M (RPI: 28, KenPom: 30, NBC seed: 10): The Aggies are going to be tough to project because of how weird their roster situation has been this season. They have some great wins (West Virginia on a neutral, at USC) and their only two losses to teams outside the top 25 are against LSU, the latter of which came on Tuesday. A trip to Kansas this weekend is massive.

GEORGIA (RPI: 48, KenPom: 67, NBC seed: 10): Georgia took a rough loss at home against Arkansas in double-overtime on Tuesday, a game that would have been a nice Quadrant 1 win for the Bulldogs. The good news for Georgia is that Saint Mary’s, Marquette and Alabama have all been playing well enough that they currently have three Quadrant 1 wins. The biggest concern here may actually be losses to San Diego State and UMass, both of which are Quadrant 3 losses.