4 years, 1 month ago

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

“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 9 Xavier 4 West Virginia 13 Belmont* 5 Florida State 12 Loyola Chicago/Seton Hall 3 Ohio State 14 Siena* 6 Clemson 11 Stanford 2 Alabama* 15 Colgate* 7 Colorado 10 Drake* George McGinnis Region Seed Team 1 Villanova* 16 Grand Canyon* 8 Louisville 9 Rutgers 4 Virginia* 13 Abilene Christian* 5 Minnesota 12 Arkansas/Colorado State 3 Kansas 14 South Dakota State* 6 Purdue 11 LSU 2 Houston* 15 Bryant* 7 Oklahoma State 10 Saint Louis John Wooden Region Seed Team 1 Baylor* 16 Montana St.*/PVAM* 8 Boise State* 9 North Carolina 4 Wisconsin 13 Toledo* 5 Missouri 12 Western Kentucky* 3 Tennessee 14 Cleveland State* 6 UCLA 11 Indiana 2 Iowa 15 UC Irvine* 7 Virginia Tech 10 UConn Oscar Robertson Region Seed Team 1 Michigan* 16 UMBC* 8 Oregon 9 BYU 4 Creighton 13 Liberty* 5 Texas Tech 12 Winthrop* 3 Illinois 14 East Tennessee State* 6 Oklahoma 11 San Diego State 2 Texas 15 Northeastern* 7 USC 10 St. Bonaventure* First 4 out Syracuse Maryland Richmond VCU Next 4 out Pittsburgh Utah State Michigan State Providence Last 4 in Seton Hall Arkansas Colorado State Loyola Chicago Last 4 byes Indiana Stanford San Diego State LSU Seed list 1 Gonzaga* Baylor* Michigan* Villanova* 2 Houston* Iowa Texas Alabama* 3 Ohio State Illinois Kansas Tennessee 4 Virginia Wisconsin West Virginia Creighton 5 Missouri Florida State Texas Tech Minnesota 6 UCLA Oklahoma Purdue Clemson 7 Colorado Oklahoma State Virginia Tech USC 8 Louisville Boise State Oregon Florida 9 Xavier North Carolina Rutgers BYU 10 Saint Louis St. Bona* UConn Drake* 11 Indiana Stanford San Diego State LSU 12 Ark./Colo. State Loyola/SHall Western Ky.* Winthrop* 13 Belmont* Toledo* Liberty* Abilene Christian* 14 S. Dakota State* ETSU* Cleveland State* Siena* 15 Colgate* UC Irvine* Northeastern* Bryant* 16 Grand Canyon* UMBC* Montana State* Appalachian State* Prairie View A&M* Coppin State*

Florida Team Region Teams North Carolina Virginia Michigan Oklahoma Ohio Kansas Virginia Tech Win Tennessee Colorado Ncaa Indiana Stanford Villanova Seed Winthrop San Diego State Lsu Belmont Purdue State Texas Quad 1 Loyola Chicago Selection Sunday Tournament Bubble state texas seed 16 bracket region teams 13 win ncaa watch tournament bubble used team virginia bad

History of this topic

1 week, 3 days ago

March Madness: Bracketology a settled national pastime as the 2025 NCAA Tournament arrives

Associated Press

INDIANAPOLIS — When Bryce Yoder needs a study break this time of year, the college student flips on a TV and attends his favorite March Madness class — bracket science. Indiana State’s Larry Bird, left, lies on his back to toss the ball during a scramble with Earvin “Magic” Johnson, right, during NCAA Championship game in Salt Lake City, Utah, …

1 week, 4 days ago

March Madness 2025 bracket advice: Upsets, predictions and odds for the NCAA tournaments

New York Times

Let the fun begin! Men’s 2025 NCAA Tournament bracket picks: Why CJ Moore has Florida topping Duke for national title Can High Point really beat Purdue? Women’s March Madness 2025 staff picks: Final Four, national champs, shaky top seeds The Athletic’s experts think UConn can end its title drought. NCAA Tournament First Four and first round best bets: 5 bets …

2 weeks, 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 …

2 weeks, 4 days ago

Men’s college basketball bubble watch: Who’s sweating as championship week begins?

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. Big East Locks: Creighton, Marquette, St. John’s, UConn Should Be In: None In the Mix: Xavier On the Fringe: None In The Mix Xavier Profile Strengths: Zero bad …

2 weeks, 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, …

3 weeks, 1 day ago

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

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. 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, …

1 month, 1 week 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, 2 weeks 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, 2 weeks 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, 3 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 …

1 month, 3 weeks ago

NCAA Tournament women’s bubble watch: Iowa, Illinois grab quality wins; Arizona, Colorado in need

Associated Press

The AP Top 25 women’s college basketball poll is back every week throughout the season! With six weeks until the NCAA Tournament, some teams are starting to need to get quality wins to potentially get off the bubble ahead of Selection Sunday on March 16. Arizona and Colorado both need another quality win or two to help get themselves into …

3 months, 3 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 …

5 months, 2 weeks 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 …

11 months, 3 weeks ago

NCAA investment in a second women’s basketball tournament emerges as a big hit in Indy

Associated Press

INDIANAPOLIS — As the eagerly anticipated LSU-Iowa women’s rematch was about to tip off, Washington State coach Kamie Ethridge took a seat in Indianapolis, lamented her team’s season-ending loss and celebrated another milestone moment for the sport. Inside one of the sport’s venerable venues, Butler’s Hinkle Fieldhouse, Ethridge was one of many players and coaches gushing about the opportunities this …

1 year ago

March Madness is here. UConn, Purdue, Houston and North Carolina get top seeding in NCAA Tournament

Associated Press

Even before the brackets came out Sunday, March Madness was a muddled mess. Unexpected titles placed teams like Oregon, North Carolina State and even Duquesne, none of whom were projected to make the tournament, into the field of 68 via the automatic bid that goes to conference champions. “And I talked to some of the staff that’s been in that …

1 year ago

Bad news for the bubble: NC State and Oregon swipe bids as wild tournament results continue

Associated Press

WASHINGTON — Conference tournament season took an even more chaotic turn — and that’s bad news for at least a couple teams on the bubble. North Carolina State’s thrilling five-wins-in-five-days march through the Atlantic Coast Conferece Tournament pushed one borderline team out of the NCAA Tournament. Now North Carolina — N.C. State’s opponent in its 84-76 victory Saturday night — …

1 year ago

NCAA Tournament Bracket Watch: Kansas, Marquette injuries complicate seeding

New York Times

The full NCAA Tournament bracket has been released with UConn leading the way as No. Both teams’ losses down the stretch — the Jayhawks lost by 30 at Houston in the regular-season finale and have dropped four of their past five, while the Golden Eagles have lost two of their last three without Kolek — can be attributed partially if …

1 year ago

Women’s basketball Bubble Watch: What makes Middle Tennessee’s a worthy mid-major

New York Times

The full women’s NCAA Tournament bracket has been set with South Carolina as the No. Get your women’s March Madness printable bracket ACC Locks: Virginia Tech, Syracuse, Louisville, North Carolina State, Notre Dame, Duke, Florida State Projected in: North Carolina On the bubble: Miami Team Record NET SOS North Carolina 19-12 32 21 Miami 19-11 50 74 Georgia Tech 17-15 …

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, 1 month 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: What the bracket reveal tells us about the bubble

New York Times

The full NCAA Tournament bracket has been released with UConn leading the way as No. There’s more ahead: Washington State at Arizona on Thursday and Wake vs. Duke, Ole Miss vs. South Carolina, Texas at Kansas, Cincinnati at TCU, Villanova at UConn and A&M at Tennessee this weekend. Team NET/KenPom SOS/SOR Quad 1 Butler 57/55 7/43 4-9 Providence 59/56 57/47 …

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, 1 month ago

NCAA women’s tournament bubble watch: Is there a more puzzling team than Oregon this season?

New York Times

I don’t envy the NCAA Tournament selection committee’s job. With a 13-0 start, including a win over Creighton, St. John’s had its best regular season in two years and a fourth-place finish in the Big East. If the Red Storm get past Marquette and make a little conference tournament run, they’ll punch their ticket. Either way, Nebraska’s only shot of …

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 ago

68 teams punch their ticket. Now comes the hard part

The Independent

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Welcome to Bubble Ball — the NCAA Tournament is …

6 years, 1 month ago

Bracket Watch: A humble request for the selection committee

New York Times

Dear selection committee members, First off, thank you for your service. It’s awful every year, sure, but this time, in particular, we have a bunch of power conference teams who have some good wins but a whole lot more lousy losses. You can’t possibly view Indiana, at 13-13 and losers of 11 of its last 12, as a tournament team …

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 …

Discover Related

2 days, 20 hours ago