Duke, Indiana stumble on bubble
The NCAA Tournament bubble fluctuates at a rapid rate in the final weeks leading up to Selection Sunday.
Such is the case for Connecticut, which started the day as the very last team out on the first four out list of USA TODAY Sports’ most recent bracketology. The Huskies simply took care of business by beating a middling Marquette team in Big East action. That same Marquette team just beat North Carolina, another team drifting near the bubble, earlier in the week.
With Virginia Commonwealth, one of the last four in, losing to Davidson on Saturday, Uconn (12-6, 9-6 Big East) likely will vault into the projected field with just two weeks before the 68 teams are unveiled.
Here are the biggest winners and losers on the bubble from Saturday’s action.
Winners
Uconn: Coach Dan Hurley clearly has himself an NCAA Tournament team when leading scorer James Bouknight is on the court. How the NCAA selection committee assesses the team’s losses when Bouknight was out will be interesting. Uconn’s NET score in the 40s should suffice but it could use another Quadrant 1 victory to add to the two on its profile. That cold come next week in a road clash vs. Seton Hall.
North Carolina: The Tar Heels (15-8, 9-5 ACC) erased a 16-point deficit to come back and beat No. 9 Florida State, 78-70. It’s a win that likely will keep UNC in the projected field and helps offset a loss to Marquette earlier this week. North Carolina was missing marquee wins on its profile, and that problem was solved Saturday.
Xavier: The Musketeers (12-5, 5-5 Big East) upset Creighton 77-69, in Big East play to help build their case for the selection committee. Adding a Quadrant 1 win is exactly what bubble teams need right now, and Xavier got one. This shifts them closer to a No. 10 seed over a less safe No. 11 seed.
Georgia Tech: The Yellow Jackets (13-8, 9-6 ACC) were one of the last four in entering Saturday and then got the best of Syracuse, 84-77, behind 31 points from Moses Wright. Beating another bubble team doesn’t always bolster the portfolio but it was a quality win that serves as a reminder to the committee for which team is better in a head-to-head clash.
Colorado State: The Rams (15-4, 12-3 Mountain West) avoided a profile blemish by hammering Air Force, 72-49. As a projected No. 11 seed, CSU is safe for now but has to keep on winning. A 45 NET score is ideal, but another Quadrant 1 victory would help inch CSU to safety.
Losers
Duke: The Blue Devils (11-9, 9-7 ACC) got 37 points from Matthew Hurt but it wasn’t enough to take down Louisville in an 80-73 loss that likely pushes Duke out of the projected field. The Blue Devils’ top 50 NET score is decent but there just aren’t enough wins on this profile. The final two weeks will be crucial for Mike Krzyzewski and Co., who face Georgia Tech and North Carolina on the road to close the regular season.
Indiana: Coach Archie Miller’s hot seat just got hotter. Granted it was wishful thinking to expect the Hoosiers (12-12, 7-10 Big Ten) to knock off first-place Michigan but now Indiana’s pathway to the NCAA Tournament just got tougher with the opportunity for a major profileenhancing win gone. There just aren’t enough wins on this team’s portfolio to contend with others.
Minnesota: The Gophers (13-12, 6-12) suffered a resume-staining loss to Big Ten bottom-feeder Nebraska, 78-74.
Syracuse: The Orange (13-8, 7-7 ACC) have now lost to two fellow ACC bubble teams — Duke earlier this week and
Georgia Tech on Saturday. Syracuse draws yet another bubble team in North Carolina on Monday. A NET score in the 50s and zero Quadrant 1 victories is a problem for this team.
VCU: The Rams (17-6, 11-4 Atlantic 10) fell out of first place in the Atlantic 10 with a 65-57 loss to Davidson. They also dipped out of the projected field.