March Madness Bubble Watch for March 9, 2018
Happy Friday of Championship Week! Over the next few days, I’ll be releasing a bubble watch based on ESPN’s Joe Lunardi’s 16 bubble teams from the previous day. This will help serve as a guide for important games to watch as conference tournaments continue to roll, and to help determine what teams need to do in order to participate in the big dance on Selection Sunday.
LAST FOUR BYES:
Providence: The Friars will take on Xavier at 6:30pm this evening, but this game shouldn’t matter too much. After defeating Creighton in the quarterfinals of the Big East tournament, the Friars are essentially lock into the Madness.
USC: The Trojan’s victory over Oregon State in the Pac-12 quarterfinals allows them to sit relatively comfortably for the time being. A win in the semifinals today would officially lock them in.
Baylor: After losing to West Virginia in the quarterfinals of the Big 12 tournament yesterday, Baylor no longer controls their own destiny. They’ll be hoping for minimal bid stealers in the other conferences in order to get a spot.
Texas: After losing to Texas Tech in the quarterfinals of the Big 12 tournament yesterday, Texas no longer controls their own destiny. They’ll be hoping for minimal bid stealers in the other conferences in order to get a spot.
LAST FOUR IN:
Oklahoma: After losing to Oklahoma State in the first round of the Big 12 tournament on Wednesday, Oklahoma no longer controls their own destiny. They’ll be hoping for minimal bid stealers in the other conferences in order to get a spot. This team may very well be in serious trouble.
UCLA: The Bruins got a big win over Stanford in the Pac-12 quarterfinals yesterday. They’ll take on Arizona in the semifinals at 9:00pm in hopes of essentially locking themselves into a bid.
Alabama: The Crimson Tide may have found their way into the madness on a buzzer beating layup by Collin Sexton in one of the craziest games of the day yesterday. They’ll face top seeded SEC team Auburn in the quarterfinals at 1:00pm, in a game that would undoubtedly put them into the Madness if they aren’t already.
Louisville: After losing to Virginia in the quarterfinals of the ACC tournament yesterday, Louisville no longer controls their own destiny. They’ll be hoping for minimal bid stealers in the other conferences in order to get a spot.
FIRST FOUR OUT:
Oklahoma State: After losing to Kansas in the quarterfinals of the Big 12 tournament yesterday, Oklahoma State no longer controls their own destiny. They’ll be hoping for some losses from the teams ahead of them in order to get a spot.
Notre Dame: After losing to Duke in the quarterfinals of the ACC tournament yesterday, Notre Dame no longer controls their own destiny. They’ll be hoping for some losses from the teams ahead of them in order to get a spot.
Arizona State: After losing to Colorado in the first round of the Pac-12 tournament on Wednesday, Arizona State no longer controls their own destiny. They’ll be hoping for some losses from the teams ahead of them in order to get a spot.
Marquette: After losing to Villanova in the quarterfinals of the Big East tournament yesterday, Marquette no longer controls their own destiny. They’ll be hoping for some losses from the teams ahead of them in order to get a spot.
NEXT FOUR OUT:
Syracuse: After losing to UNC in the second round of the ACC tournament on Wednesday, Syracuse no longer controls their own destiny. They’ll be hoping for nothing short of a small miracle to go dancing.
Penn State: With the Big 10 tournament already long gone, Penn State no longer controls their own destiny. They’ll be hoping for nothing short of a small miracle to go dancing.
Boise State: After losing to Utah State in the quarterfinals of the MWC tournament yesterday, Boise State no longer controls their own destiny. They can essentially count themselves out of March. Even a miracle couldn’t send them at this point.
Nebraska: With the Big 10 tournament already long gone, Nebraska no longer controls their own destiny. They’ll be hoping for nothing short of a small miracle to go dancing.
