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Bubble Banter: VCU is in serious trouble after loss

COLLEGE BASKETBALL: JAN 31 VCU at Rhode Island

KINGSTON, RI - JANUARY 31: VCU Rams guard Marcus Evans (2) during a college basketball game between VCU Rams and Rhode Island Rams on January 31, 2020, at the Ryan Center in Kingston, RI. (Photo by M. Anthony Nesmith/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

There is plenty of action happening on the bracketology bubble watch despite it being a relatively slow night for college hoops.

Dave Ommen’s latest bracketology can be found here. Rob Dauster’s Bubble Watch can be found here. The full NET rankings can be found here.

Here is everything you need to know to.

THE BUBBLE WATCH WINNERS ...

FLORIDA (NET: 44, NBC: 10): The Gators could not afford to lose to Texas A&M (133) on Wednesday night, and they got the win they needed, beating the Aggies by 17 in College Station. As it stands, Florida’s resume is more or less built on a home win over Auburn (15) and a neutral court win over Xavier (42). They are now 6-9 against the top two Quads without a Quad 3 or 4 loss, but this is still not a very strong resume. With two games left against Kentucky (22) and a home date with LSU (27), the Gators are not as comfortable is it may seem, but they will have chances to improve.

RICHMOND (NET: 55, NBC: Next four out): For my money, the Spiders’ at-large hopes are more or less dead. I cannot see how they are going to be able to get enough wins to jump six or seven teams that play in tougher leagues with a schedule that includes a bunch of bad teams and a home game against VCU (35). I’ll leave them here for now since our Dave Ommen has the Spiders as one of the next four out.

NORTHERN IOWA (NET: 36, NBC: 12): The Panthers got some revenge on Illinois State on Wednesday night, picking off the Redbirds in Cedar Rapids. Their strong NET and wins at Colorado (16) and over South Carolina (75) on a neutral keep the Panthers in the conversation, but losses at Southern Illinois (146) and Illinois State (203) are killers. UNI cannot lose another game unless it is against Loyola-Chicago (100) in the MVC tournament if they really want a chance at an at-large.

... AND LOSERS

VCU (NET: 34, NBC: First four out): The Rams are in serious trouble after losing at home to a George Mason (178) team that entered the game sitting at 2-8 in the league with four straight losses. VCU now has as many Quad 4 losses as they do Quad 1 wins; they beat LSU (27) at home on Nov. 13th. They are now just 3-5 overall against the top two Quads. They are in a bad, bad spot, but the good news is that their next three games are all Quad 1 games -- that includes a home date with Dayton (5). They have some chances to get back onto the right side of the bubble, but it’s going to take some serious work.

ALABAMA (NET: 40, NBC: Next four out): The Tide lost for the fourth time in the last five games on Wednesday, falling at Auburn (15) in an overtime game they had a real chance of winning. Alabama is now 13-11 on the season with just a single Quad 1 win and a Quad 3 loss to Penn (152). With a 4-10 mark against the top two Quads and just a single Quad 1 win -- Auburn at home -- Alabama is in trouble.

XAVIER (NET: 42, NBC: 10): The Musketeers had their three-game winning streak snapped at Butler (13), which is hardly the worst loss in the world. After this loss, they are 7-9 against the top two quads with the two Quad 1 wins I mentioned above. They also have just one sub-Quad 1 loss, and it’s a Quad 2 loss at Wake Forest (104). They suddenly have the resume of a team that might have some room to spare. With two games left against Butler (13) and a visit from Villanova (21) left on their schedule, the Musketeers still have a couple of more chances, too.

PROVIDENCE (NET: 56, NBC: Off the bubble): The Friars have lost their last two games, dropping them to 13-12 with four losses outside the top two Quads. They had a chance after they beat Butler (13) and Creighton (24) in back-to-back games, but the dream is dead now. This is the last time they’ll be in this space.