Bubble Talk: Attrition in the Big Ten

From the outset, the depth of the Big Ten was going to be both a blessing and a curse.  It’s a scenario playing out before our eyes.  As we head into the closing stretch, eight bids now seems more realistic than a once-projected ten.  Indiana, Minnesota and Maryland all have work to do before Selection Sunday.  And while the climb ahead is formidable, Michigan State has ample chances to re-enter the conversation, too – at someone’s expense.

Bubble Talk

Elsewhere, the SEC bid race has solidified.  The Atlantic 10 is up for grabs and the Big East is Villanova, Creighton and …, well, you get the picture.  Then there’s the ACC, where Duke is showing a glimmer of life, too.  With March on the horizon should we expect anything less?  It’s a race to the finish with a nice balance of power teams and non-majors.  In the midst of a pandemic, let’s all be grateful.

Bubble Bits: Georgetown takes down Butler

Georgetown went into Hinkle Fieldhouse on Saturday and exited with a road victory over Butler.  It was arguably the day’s biggest victory amongst teams positioned along the cutline – i.e. the Bubble.

For resume purposes, it marked the Hoyas’ first victory in what the NCAA Team Sheets designate as the upper tier of Quadrant 1.  Games within Quadrants 1 and 2 are broken into two tiers as delineation. That it came on the road is even better.  Although Georgetown now sits at 15-10, the Hoyas own nine Quad 1/2 wins combined. The only caveat to that: Butler and Creighton would be the two tournament-worthy wins within that grouping.

Looking ahead, there’s no let-up on Georgetown’s schedule.  Next up: Providence. Remaining games include Marquette, Xavier, Creighton and Villanova.

Bracket Bits: Mid-week bubble games worth tracking

It will be a decisive week for several teams along the bubble.  For starters, we have a variety of power conference teams trying to maneuver their way through league tournaments.  We also have some quality mid-major programs with viable profiles who are waiting and watching as events unfold.

With that in mind, here’s a quick peek at some mid-week bubble games that could have significant bracket ramifications come Sunday night …

WEDNESDAY
Clemson vs. NC State (ACC) … Whether both of these ACC bubble teams can make the final bracket remains to be seen.  But this has the look and feel of a potential elimination game.  It likely depends on how the Selection Committee uses its newly minted NET ratings for selection and whether or not the Committee’s prior emphasizes on a team’s non-conference strength of schedule remains part of the current equation.  For what it’s worth, each team’s SOS and NC-SOS are still noted on the NCAA’s official team sheets.

Bracket Bits: An early look at the Bubble

We’re fanatics about college basketball, which means we get way too excited, at times, about things we probably shouldn’t – like talking about Bubble teams in early January.  Then again, we are who we are, right?

With that backdrop, let’s take an early – a way too early look  – at how Bubble Talk might appear if we opened up the curtain a smidgen this morning.  It’s a quick peek, nothing more. The real Bubble Talk resumes in early February.

Bubble Talk: A lot at stake in conference tourneys

As another Championship Week arrives, we wrap up Bubble Talk with this nugget: some 30 teams have work to do before Selection Sunday.  The amount of work for those teams, varies, obviously, but the sheer volume indicates there’s a lot at stake this weekend and at conference tournaments across the country.

Bubble Talk

It’s also that time of year when we start keeping tabs on potential bid thieves – teams that can snatch an unexpected bid and shrink the available at-large pool.  It’s go-time, folks.  Madness has arrived.