VOD Not Available
This video is not available.
March Madness Bubble Watch, Week 16: Last Four In, First Four Out
March Madness bubble watch update for Week 16. Here are the projected last four in and first four out.
February 22, 2016
March Madness bubble watch update for Week 16. Here are the projected last four in and first four out.
Getting into the NCAA Tournament isn’t easy.
Not everybody can make the tournament, but a few schools will feel the joy of just squeaking into the Big Dance where their records will disappear and any team can make a run. Some others will only know disappointment at not hearing their name called at all. Which teams fit each category? Let’s find out.
Last Four In
Texas Tech Red Raiders
Tubby Smith has his team playing as well as it can, and the Red Raiders just keep picking up marquee wins. Knocking off Oklahoma was the latest sign that Texas Tech deserves a spot in the tourney. This has the look of a Dance team, and although there still are a lot of potholes and challenges ahead, right now, Texas Tech has everything it needs to put the January swoon behind it.
VCU Rams
The Rams continue to hang by a thread, but they’re still hanging. Wins over Rhode Island and Richmond kept VCU rolling, and they are creeping toward being a lock. They can’t afford a hiccup against George Mason, George Washington or Davison, but if they run the table and head to Dayton for the season finale on a six-game win streak, VCU will solidly be in the tourney regardless of the outcome of that game.
Ohio State Buckeyes
The Buckeyes are building momentum, enough that they are sneaking into the tourney right now. Staying here won’t be easy. Thanks to a quirk in the schedule, OSU will play a home-and-home with Michigan State in two of the last three games of the season, and a home game vs. Iowa will be sandwiched in between. That means two things: Ohio State has some opportunities ahead of it to bolster its resume. Then again, there is a lot of danger there.
Seton Hall Pirates
The Pirates scored a huge win at Georgetown this week, and scoring another win at St. John’s was important because that was a game that Seton Hall simply couldn’t afford to lose. That was the easy part. Here’s where it gets rough. The Pirates face a pair of home games vs. Providence and Xavier, two games that will make or break the season. Win those, and the Pirates can breathe easy on Selection Sunday. Lose one or both, and it’s going to be a nervous time when the tourney is announced.
First Four Out
Michigan Wolverines
Back-to-back losses to Ohio State and Maryland were nightmares for the Wolverines, especially the loss to the Buckeyes. At least the Terps are ranked. Michigan’s resume is lacking quality wins, and even though the Wolverines have knocked off Purdue this year, their record against top competition isn’t good.
Florida Gators
The Gators’ inconsistency is a huge problem. They haven’t won back-to-back games since the start of the month, and the 73-69 overtime loss at South Carolina put Florida at double-digit losses. The Gators can battle their way back into the tourney if they run the table and knock off Kentucky in the process, but it isn’t going to be easy.
LSU Tigers
Yeah, we all want to see Ben Simmons on the big stage, but the resume simply isn’t there. Two straight losses to Alabama and Tennessee were killers. The 16-point loss to the Volunteers all but put a stake into the heart of LSU’s Big Dance hopes, and now the Tigers may need to run the table and go deep into the SEC Tournament to grab a spot.
Syracuse Orange
We’re losing faith in the Orange, who have dropped two straight and looked ugly while doing it. The bottom line on Syracuse is they just don’t have the quality wins to convince people the time without Jim Boeheim was a fluke. The Louisville loss earlier in the week wasn’t the end of the world. The blowout loss at home to Pittsburgh hurts a lot
