March Madness Bubble: 34 Teams Ready to Dance, 31 Teams Still Alive for Last 12 Spots
By Jason McIntyre
There are 17 days until Selection Sunday. How does the NCAA Tournament bubble look? There will be 22 one-bid leagues, and we have 34 teams from the power conferences that are either locks or very likely to be in the NCAA tournament. That leaves 12 open spots … but 31 teams still battling for position.
Some of those teams would be considered “rank outsiders,” but we tried to include anyone that can get into a bubble discussion by having a great run in the conference tourneys, short of winning the auto bid. That’s why teams like West Virginia, Indiana and Illinois can at least get in the discussion.
First, the 31 bubble teams, in order of good shape to not-so-good-shape:
George Washington (RPI: 27, SOS: 73, 2-4 v RPI Top 50)
Saint Joseph’s (RPI: 34, SOS: 66, 2-4 vs. RPI Top 50)
Xavier (RPI: 48, SOS: 90, 1-3 vs. RPI Top 50)
Stanford (RPI: 42, SOS: 39, 5-7 vs. RPI Top 50)
Baylor (RPI: 40, SOS: 9, 5-8 vs. RPI Top 50)
Oklahoma State (RPI: 46, SOS: 48, 3-9 vs. RPI Top 50)
Oregon (RPI: 32, SOS: 32, 2-6 vs. RPI Top 50)
BYU (RPI: 35, SOS: 20, 3-5 vs. RPI Top 50)
Minnesota (RPI: 44, SOS: 6, 3-6 vs. RPI Top 50)
Arkansas (RPI: 59, SOS: 75, 4-5 vs. RPI Top 50)
California (RPI: 47, SOS: 40, 3-7 vs. RPI Top 50)
Florida State (RPI: 55, SOS: 36, 3-7 vs. RPI Top 50)
Providence (RPI: 61, SOS: 75, 2-5 vs. RPI Top 50)
Missouri (RPI: 47, SOS: 77, 1-2 vs. RPI Top 50)
Tennessee (RPI: 51, SOS: 14, 2-6 vs. RPI Top 50)
Nebraska (RPI: 51, SOS: 27, 3-7 vs. RPI Top 50)
Richmond (RPI: 53, SOS: 59, 2-6 vs RPI Top 50)
Dayton (RPI: 55, SOS 62, 3-5 vs. RPI Top 50)
St. John’s (RPI: 62, SOS: 30, 1-7 vs. RPI Top 50)
Georgetown (RPI: 65, SOS: 24, 4-5 vs. RPI Top 50)
Marquette (RPI: 73, SOS: 65, 2-9 vs. RPI Top 50)
Clemson (RPI: 72, SOS: 95, 1-5 vs. RPI Top 50)
NC State (RPI: 64, SOS: 36, 0-8 vs. RPI Top 50)
LSU (RPI: 67, SOS: 78, 3-3 vs. RPI Top 50)
St. Mary’s (RPI: 57, SOS: 90, 1-3 vs. RPI Top 50)
Indiana (RPI: 85, SOS: 60, 3-6 vs. RPI Top 50)
West Virginia (RPI: 82, SOS: 43, 4-11 vs. RPI Top 50)
Illinois (RPI: 79, SOS: 51, 2-7 vs. RPI Top 50)
Georgia (RPI: 80, SOS: 71, 2-5 vs. RPI Top 50)
Boise State (RPI: 63, SOS: 52, 1-5 vs. RPI Top 50)
Ole Miss (RPI: 83, SOS: 84, 1-5 vs. RPI Top 50)
10 Power Conferences – 46 Bids (34 in, 12 spots up for grabs among 31 bubble teams)
Big 12 (5)
In: Kansas, Texas, Oklahoma, Iowa State, Kansas State
Bubble: Oklahoma State (RPI: 46, SOS: 48, 3-9 vs. RPI Top 50), Baylor (RPI: 40, SOS: 9, 5-8 vs. RPI Top 50), West Virginia (RPI: 82, SOS: 43, 4-11 vs. RPI Top 50)
Big 10 (5)
In: Wisconsin, Michigan, Michigan State, Ohio State, Iowa
Bubble: Minnesota (RPI: 44, SOS: 6, 3-6 vs. RPI Top 50), Nebraska (RPI: 51, SOS: 27, 3-7 vs. RPI Top 50), Indiana (RPI: 85, SOS: 60, 3-6 vs. RPI Top 50), Illinois (RPI: 79, SOS: 51, 2-7 vs. RPI Top 50)
In: Arizona, UCLA, Arizona State, Colorado
Bubble: Stanford (RPI: 42, SOS: 39, 5-7 vs. RPI Top 50), California (RPI: 47, SOS: 40, 3-7 vs. RPI Top 50), Oregon (RPI: 32, SOS: 32, 2-6 vs. RPI Top 50)
ACC (5)
In: Syracuse, Virginia, Duke, North Carolina, Pittsburgh
Bubble: Florida State (RPI: 55, SOS: 36, 3-7 vs. RPI Top 50), Clemson (RPI: 72, SOS: 95, 1-5 vs. RPI Top 50), NC State (RPI: 64, SOS: 36, 0-8 vs. RPI Top 50)
In: Cincinnati, Louisville, Connecticut, SMU, Memphis
Bubble: None
SEC (2)
In: Florida, Kentucky
Bubble: Arkansas (RPI: 59, SOS: 75, 4-5 vs. RPI Top 50) Missouri (RPI: 47, SOS: 77, 1-2 vs. RPI Top 50), Tennessee (RPI: 51, SOS: 14, 2-6 vs. RPI Top 50), Georgia (RPI: 80, SOS: 71, 2-5 vs. RPI Top 50), LSU (RPI: 67, SOS: 78, 3-3 vs. RPI Top 50), Ole Miss (RPI: 83, SOS: 84, 1-5 vs. RPI Top 50)
In Villanova, Creighton
Bubble: Xavier (RPI: 48, SOS: 90, 1-3 vs. RPI Top 50), St. John’s (RPI: 62, SOS: 30, 1-7 vs. RPI Top 50), Providence (RPI: 61, SOS: 75, 2-5 vs. RPI Top 50), Georgetown (RPI: 65, SOS: 24, 4-5 vs. RPI Top 50), Marquette (RPI: 73, SOS: 65, 2-9 vs. RPI Top 50)
Atlantic 10 (3)
In: Saint Louis, Massachusetts, Virginia Commonwealth
Bubble: George Washington (RPI: 27, SOS: 73, 2-4 v RPI Top 50), Saint Joseph’s (RPI: 34, SOS: 66, 2-4 vs. RPI Top 50), Richmond (RPI: 53, SOS: 59, 2-6 vs RPI Top 50), Dayton (RPI: 55, SOS 62, 3-5 vs. RPI Top 50)
Mountain West (2)
In: San Diego State, New Mexico
Bubble: Boise State (RPI: 63, SOS: 52, 1-5 vs. RPI Top 50)
West Coast (1)
In: Gonzaga
Bubble: BYU (RPI: 35, SOS: 20, 3-5 vs. RPI Top 50), St. Mary’s (RPI: 57, SOS: 90, 1-3 vs. RPI Top 50)
Auto Bids (22 teams from 22 leagues)
America East – Vermont
Atlantic Sun – Mercer
Big Sky – Weber State
Big South – High Point
Big West – UC Irvine
Colonial – Delaware
Conference USA – Southern Miss
Horizon – Green Bay
Ivy- Harvard
MAAC – Iona
Mid-American – Buffalo
MEAC – North Carolina Central
Missouri Valley – Wichita State
Northeast – Robert Morris
Ohio Valley – Belmont
Patriot League – Boston University
Southern – Davidson
Southland – Stephen F. Austin
SWAC – Southern University
Summit League – North Dakota State
Sun Belt – Georgia State
WAC – Utah Valley