How weak is the bubble this year?
Teams like Indiana and Georgia are projected as currently in or on the bubble despite being at or near the bottom of their respective leagues. Some projections I’ve seen include a small number of mid-major at-larges despite great games in leagues like the Mountain West, Missouri Valley and Atlantic 10.
I firmly believe there is no way the SEC gets 13 of its 16 teams in the field. That would require a team like Georgia, which is guaranteed to finish under .500 in the SEC with four games left to play and with a 1-7 road record, to get in. That’s insane. And it’s totally unfair to teams like VCU, George Mason, Bradley and San Francisco, which have played good competition in strong mid-majors.
It’s weird that there’s a push to include some bad Power 5 teams as it becomes clearer that the field is going to expand fairly soon. This tournament is one of the best in sports. Let’s not ruin it.
As always, here’s our look at which teams from likely multi-bid leagues stand as of today.
Bubble Watch
ACC
Locks (3): Duke, Louisville, Clemson
Should be in (1): Wake Forest
On the Bubble (2): SMU, North Carolina
A-10
Lock (1): VCU
Should be in (1): George Mason, Dayton
On the Bubble (1): Loyola Chicago
Big 12
Locks (4): Houston, Texas Tech, Arizona, Iowa State
Should be in (2): BYU, Kansas
On the Bubble (2): Baylor, West Virginia, TCU
Big East
Locks (3): St. John’s, Creighton, Marquette
Should be in (2): UCONN, Xavier
On the Bubble (1): Villanova
Big Ten
Locks (5): Michigan State, Michigan, Wisconsin, Maryland, Purdue
Should be in (1): UCLA
On the Bubble (3): Oregon, Illinois, Nebraska
Missouri Valley
Locks (1): Drake
Should be in (0)
On the Bubble (1): Bradley
Mountain West
Locks (2): New Mexico, Utah State
Should be in (1): San Diego State
On the Bubble: Boise State
SEC
Locks (9): Auburn, Alabama, Florida, Tennessee, Missouri, Texas A & M, Ole Miss, Kentucky, Mississippi State
Should be in (1): Vanderbilt
On the Bubble (2): Arkansas, Texas
West Coast
Locks (1): St. Mary’s
Should be in (1): Gonzaga
On the Bubble (1): San Francisco
