2 weeks, 1 day ago

Men’s college basketball bubble watch: Can UNC claw back? Oklahoma-Texas eliminator ahead?

Editor’s note: This article is part of the Bracket Central series, an inside look at the run-up to the men’s & women’s NCAA Tournaments, along with analysis and picks during the tournaments. Ohio State Profile Strengths: Strong quality metrics, multiple elite wins away from Columbus, great nonconference SOS, no bad losses. SEC Locks: Auburn, Alabama, Florida, Kentucky, Mississippi State, Missouri, Ole Miss, Tennessee, Texas A&M, Vanderbilt Should Be In: Georgia In the Mix: Arkansas, Oklahoma, Texas On the Fringe: None Should Be In Georgia What They Need: Georgia saw Vanderbilt rapidly climb the S-curve ladder and thought, “Hey, why don’t we do that, too?” The Bulldogs’ 2-0 week on the road may not have featured wins over NCAA Tournament teams, but adding a Q1 and Q2 win to their ever-improving team sheet has pushed Georgia’s overall profile into strong shape. GO DEEPER NCAA Tournament Bracket Watch 2025: Hey Indiana and Arkansas — beware of bid thieves The Rest Locks: Memphis, New Mexico, Saint Mary’s Should Be In: Gonzaga, Utah State In the Mix: Boise State, Drake, San Diego State, VCU, UC Irvine, UC San Diego On the Fringe: Dayton, George Mason, North Texas, San Francisco Should Be In Gonzaga What They Need: The Zags’ dip into bubble peril was quick. San Diego State Profile Strengths: Elite win vs. Houston, 8-7 vs. top two quadrants, elite nonconference SOS.

Georgia Florida Texas South Carolina Duke San Francisco Missouri Michigan Oklahoma Ohio New Mexico Nebraska Tournament West Virginia State Colorado State Houston Win Sec Utah Ncaa Vanderbilt Big Byu Baylor Smu Indiana Buckeyes San Diego Broncos Sos Wins Tuesday Night Rams Ahead This Team Utah State Drake San Diego State Mississippi State Boise State Ohio State Unc Tcu Uc Irvine Strengths Dayton Bubble Uconn Gonzaga Xavier Metrics Uc San Diego Vcu Weaknesses No Bad Losses Lock Status Looking Ahead Top Two Quadrants Quality Metrics Two Q3 Losses unc watch win state bubble basketball mens metrics big weaknesses strengths college claw ahead tournament oklahomatexas wins eliminator

History of this topic

5 days, 11 hours ago

Men’s college basketball bubble watch: All eyes on Memphis, VCU on Selection Sunday

New York Times

The Athletic has live coverage of the 2025 Men’s March Madness Selection Show Editor’s note: This article is part of the Bracket Central series, an inside look at the run-up to the men’s & women’s NCAA Tournaments, along with analysis and picks during the tournaments. Movement since Friday Up to Lock: None Up to Should Be In: None Up to …

1 week, 1 day ago

Bubble Watch: Ohio State’s loss is North Carolina’s gain, plus a good day for the SEC

Associated Press

The AP Top 25 men’s college basketball poll is back every week throughout the season! A look at the NCAA Tournament bubble picture after Wednesday’s games: O-H. N-O It’s still fairly early in the major conference tournaments, so for bubble teams, Wednesday was more about avoiding bad losses than earning significant wins. For Ohio State, the next few days should …

1 week, 5 days ago

Bubble watch: Georgia is in position to end 10-year NCAA Tournament drought after beating Vanderbilt

Associated Press

ATHENS, Ga. — Asa Newell spoke with confidence after Georgia’s 79-68 win over Vanderbilt on Saturday when he proclaimed, “We’re going to be dancing.” It has been 10 years since a Georgia player could make that boast about the Bulldogs’ NCAA Tournament outlook following their final regular-season game. Led by Newell, the freshman forward who scored 15 points against Vanderbilt, …

1 month ago

NCAA Tournament women’s bubble watch: USF, Ivy League and Atlantic-10 with key matchups this weekend

Associated Press

The AP Top 25 women’s college basketball poll is back every week throughout the season! There’s one month until the NCAA Tournament selection show and there are still many teams battling to get off the bubble and into the field. South Florida has won seven straight games, including a triple-overtime victory over Rice last week, to get into the at-large …

1 month, 1 week ago

Men’s college basketball bubble watch: Kansas State and Indiana suddenly have life

New York Times

Editor’s note: This article is part of the Bracket Central series, an inside look at the run-up to the men’s & women’s NCAA Tournaments, along with analysis and picks during the tournaments. Cincinnati’s profile still lacks true high-end wins, but several big chances remain, starting with Saturday’s trip to Ames to take on Iowa State. Ohio State Profile Strengths: Strong …

1 month, 1 week ago

Women’s college basketball bubble watch: Predictions for crowded Big Ten race to tournament

New York Times

Editor’s note: This article is part of the Bracket Central series, an inside look at the run-up to the men’s and women’s NCAA Tournaments, along with analysis and picks during the tournaments. ACC Locks: Notre Dame Projected in: California, Duke, Florida State, Georgia Tech, Louisville, North Carolina, North Carolina State On the bubble: Virginia Tech Team Record NET SOS Quad …

1 month, 2 weeks ago

Women’s college basketball bubble watch: Stanford at risk of ending tournament streak

New York Times

Editor’s note: This article is part of the Bracket Central series, an inside look at the run-up to the men’s and women’s NCAA Tournaments, along with analysis and picks during the tournaments. Big Ten Locks: UCLA, USC, Ohio State Projected in: Michigan State, Maryland, Illinois, Oregon, Nebraska, Indiana, Michigan On the bubble: Iowa, Washington, Minnesota Team Record NET SOS Quad …

3 months, 2 weeks ago

College Football Playoff Bubble Watch: What will committee do with Alabama and Miami?

New York Times

The College Football Playoff field is mostly set. The bubble isn’t very big, but the central debate heading into the conference championship games seems clear: Will the committee elect to place three-loss Alabama into the field ahead of two-loss Miami — or even SMU if the Mustangs lose the ACC title game against Clemson? They could lose 59-0, like 2014 …

4 months ago

College Football Playoff stock watch: Can BYU and Tennessee escape the bubble?

New York Times

Editor’s note: This article is part of the College Football Stock Watch series, breaking down which teams are rising and falling in the Playoff race. GO DEEPER College Football Playoff 2024 projections: SMU favored over Alabama for final spot Stock up Carson Beck played his best football of the season in throwing for 347 yards and two touchdowns against Tennessee, …

4 months, 2 weeks ago

College Football Playoff Bubble Watch: Could Deion Sanders, Colorado sneak into field?

New York Times

Read The Athletic’s latest edition of College Football Playoff bubble watch. Sign Up BYU is the Big 12’s lone remaining undefeated team, and the Buffaloes are now tied with Iowa State in second place. Big Ten Team Definitely in Oregon Penn State Ohio State Probably in Indiana In the mix Keep an eye on Iowa Ohio State’s win over Penn …

5 months, 1 week ago

College Football Playoff Bubble Watch: Oregon’s win over Ohio State comes with a bonus

New York Times

Read The Athletic’s latest edition of College Football Playoff bubble watch. To miss the Playoff now for teams like Oregon and Texas — and include Penn State after its comeback win Saturday at USC — it’ll take a total collapse. Each week, Bubble Watch will examine who’s in, who’s out and who’s somewhere in the middle leading up to the …

6 months, 3 weeks ago

College Football Playoff Bubble Watch: Will teams like Ole Miss, Kansas State be in or out?

New York Times

Read The Athletic’s latest College Football Playoff bubble watch. Percent to make Playoff: 46 percent Kansas State In the new Big 12 without Texas or Oklahoma, reaching the four-team Playoff would be a tall ask in most seasons. Percent to make Playoff: 23 percent Liberty joined the FBS in 2018, and last year, went 13-0 before Oregon crushed the Flames …

11 months, 3 weeks ago

Ohio State seeking March Madness momentum in opener against Maine. Richmond gets rematch with Duke

Associated Press

COLUMBUS, Ohio — Ohio State enters the women’s NCAA Tournament in familiar territory — literally and figuratively. Ohio State won the Big Ten regular season title, but the accomplishment was overshadowed by the intense attention focused on Iowa’s generational superstar Caitlin Clark, the all-time leading scorer in NCAA history. They know the things that make us good.” Guard Jacy Sheldon …

1 year ago

2024 NCAA Tournament Bubble Watch: Who’s playing waiting game on Selection Sunday?

New York Times

The full NCAA Tournament bracket has been released with UConn leading the way as No. I have 14 teams playing the waiting game for five at-large spots: Virginia, Pitt, Wake Forest, Michigan State, Oklahoma, Kansas State, Seton Hall, St. John’s, Providence, Villanova, Colorado, Texas A&M, Florida Atlantic and Indiana State. Big Ten Automatic qualifier: Illinois Locks: Purdue, Wisconsin, Northwestern, Nebraska …

1 year ago

College basketball viewers’ guide: Kansas-Houston, North Carolina-Duke and more

New York Times

We made it — the final viewers’ guide of the college basketball season. Your guide to the early conference tournaments One last time, let’s power-rank the top-10 matchups between over the final five days of the regular season, starting with a few honorable mentions and counting down. The Aztecs, who made it all the way to the national title game …

1 year ago

2024 NCAA Tournament Bubble Watch: The cut line is coming into focus

New York Times

The full NCAA Tournament bracket has been released with UConn leading the way as No. Team NET/KenPom SOS/SOR Quad 1 Michigan State 22/20 12/47 4-8 Northwestern 53/46 50/29 5-5 Nebraska 43/43 71/31 4-7 Iowa 57/49 16/43 3-8 That sound you hear is Nebraska and Keisei Tominaga approaching lock status. Spotlight On: Nebraska For what it’s worth, Nebraska is probably the …

1 year ago

2024 NCAA Tournament Bracket Watch: Iowa State climbs to No. 2 line, Zags get in

New York Times

The full NCAA Tournament bracket has been released with UConn leading the way as No. Get your March Madness printable bracket In a recent interview with ESPN, NCAA president Charlie Baker indicated that he’s open to the idea of expanding the tournament if it’s “done with care and consideration.” Baker added that there could be updates on tournament expansion by …

1 year ago

2024 NCAA Tournament Bubble Watch: Texas and Texas A&M are making it interesting

New York Times

The full NCAA Tournament bracket has been released with UConn leading the way as No. Team NET/KenPom SOS/SOR Quad 1 Providence 55/53 51/37 5-6 Villanova 38/33 15/61 3-8 Seton Hall 61/56 53/35 5-5 Butler 62/58 3/48 3-11 St. John's 44/39 13/53 2-9 Spotlight on: St. John’s The Red Storm jumped five spots in the NET with Sunday’s 14-point home win …

1 year, 1 month ago

2024 NCAA Tournament Bubble Watch: Searching for ‘bubble sleepers’ and more locks

New York Times

The full NCAA Tournament bracket has been released with UConn leading the way as No. Big East Team NET/KenPom SOS/SOR Quad 1 Butler 50/49 7/35 4-8 Providence 58/54 38/46 4-6 Villanova 39/33 15/68 3-6 St. John's 48/41 9/60 2-9 Seton Hall 75/70 45/54 4-5 Spotlight On: Providence Huge win on Tuesday, 75-72 over St. John’s, in a game the Friars …

1 year, 1 month ago

2024 NCAA Tournament Bubble Watch: Did the Big 12 game the system?

New York Times

The full NCAA Tournament bracket has been released with UConn leading the way as No. As we approach March, it’s worth keeping an eye on Big 12 bubble teams like Cincinnati, Oklahoma, Texas Tech and TCU — all with sub-275 NC SOS — and how they fair on Selection Sunday compared to other bubble teams with better NC SOS, like …

2 years ago

NCAA Tournament Bracket Watch: Bid thieves who might steal a bubble team’s dream

New York Times

Last month marked the 20th anniversary of the biggest and most brazen robbery of the century: the Antwerp diamond heist. Schools hoping to steal a 2023 NCAA Tournament bid don’t have to go to the same exaggerated lengths as The School of Turin; they just have to win their conference tournaments. Though the Aggies are 1-4 against the league’s three …

2 years ago

NCAA Tournament Bubble Watch: Duke, Arkansas and Missouri join the list of locks

New York Times

Ahem: We might have been a little premature in locking Illinois. The difference is that Oklahoma State’s metrics are worse — from the NET on down, but also the noncon SOS — and the Cowboys lost to Virginia Tech, UCF and at home to Southern Illinois. Pac-12 Were you so inclined, you could go back and grind tape of UCLA’s …

2 years ago

NCAA Tournament Bubble Watch: Illinois is up, UNC is down and Michigan is (maybe) back

New York Times

Every win is its own win. Locks: Virginia, Miami Should be in: Duke, NC State Work to do: North Carolina, Pittsburgh Duke : The Blue Devils haven’t played since Monday night’s win over Louisville, so the read here remains the same: This team sheet remains pretty average, but Duke has been trending in a positive direction for much of the …

2 years ago

NCAA Tournament Bracket Watch: Texas A&M and Kentucky rise up the seed line

New York Times

The soundtrack at Bracket Watch world headquarters hasn’t changed for several months. Anyway, it doesn’t take an expert in supplying the field of 68 this week; last Saturday, the selection committee gave us its top 16 seeds and four other teams under consideration. “I’m coming in hot / Then freezing completely.” Two teams that appeared in the top 16 reveal …

3 years ago

Bubble Watch Live: Virginia Tech is in, and Memphis, Indiana, Texas A&M are all right there

New York Times

Say it with us, say it all together, say it loud and proud, and most of all say it in your best Martin Tyler vocal approximation: And it’s live! But because 1) Virginia Tech was a good team with a bad team sheet, one good enough to play in the NCAA Tournament but without the wins to show for it, …

3 years ago

BUBBLE WATCH: Michigan-Indiana game critical for both teams

Associated Press

A look at Thursday for bubble teams chasing NCAA Tournament bids: GAME OF THE DAY Michigan coach Juwan Howard returns from a five-game suspension as the Wolverines face Indiana at Indianapolis in a Big Ten Tournament game with major ramifications for both teams. That marked assistant coach Phil Martelli’s last game filling in for Howard, who was suspended after his …

4 years, 1 month ago

The NCAA Tournament bubble is not as bad as it used to be: Bracket Watch

New York Times

“Thin line between heaven and here.” – Bubbles, Season 1 of “The Wire.” The gap between just making the NCAA Tournament and just missing out has forever been slight. • Still no word on region names, so we’ll continue with our whimsical Hoosier State monikers another week. Larry Bird Region Seed Team 1 Gonzaga* 16 Appalachian State*/Coppin State* 8 Florida …

6 years ago

Bubble Watch: Is Murray State for real?

New York Times

Here’s a peek behind the curtain: On the morning of Feb. 12, The Athletic’s college basketball executive editor, Hugh Kellenberger, had just finished editing the latest edition of the Watch. N.C. State : On Tuesday, the Watch wrote that “What Kevin Keatts’ team has done — even if it has fallen short in most of its top-end opportunities — is …

7 years ago

The Fieldhouse Bracket Watch: Time for bubble teams to stake their claim

New York Times

Editor’s Note: Updated to reflect Tuesday night’s results. • Arizona State : The Sun Devils notched huge early wins over Xavier and at Kansas but finished 8-10 in the Pac-12, losing four of their last five. * — Denotes projected conference champion, automatic berth; bold indicates conference champion, automatic berth Seed Team Location 1 Virginia* 16 LIU-Brooklyn/Texas So. * Charlotte …

7 years ago

The Fieldhouse Bracket Watch: Could the UNC-Duke winner move up to the top line?

New York Times

There are no shortage of stakes whenever rivals Duke and North Carolina meet, as they will for the second time this season on Saturday at Cameron Indoor Stadium. But the Blue Devils and Tar Heels aren’t far behind, and in fact they’re bunched so closely together in my eyes that Saturday night’s result could play a deciding factor – especially …

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3 hours, 41 minutes ago