USA TODAY International Edition
ACC blue bloods boost shot
The NCAA Tournament bubble has never been a zen place for college men’s basketball, spurring serious anxiety for teams and their coaches in the last several weeks of the regular season on an annual basis.
That’s where Indiana coach Archie Miller finds himself once again after several years of coaching the Hoosiers on and off the bubble since his tenure began in Bloomington in 2017. Indiana will likely be one of the “last four in” or “first four out” following Saturday’s 7871loss to Michigan State.
Playing in the Big Ten Conference can work in Indiana’s favor in the sense that there are ample opportunities for marquee victories. But the Hooisers must capitalize.
That’s what bubble team Wichita State did in winning a huge Quadrant 1 game ( top- 25 home, top- 75 road) over top- 10 team Houston. All it takes is one victory like that and now the Shockers are in the projected field.
It’s make- or- break time for bubble teams. A look at how some of them fared Saturday in boosting their profile.
Duke: The Blue Devils ( 12- 8, 8- 6) jumped back into the bubble discussion by picking up a Quadrant 1 victory over Virginia in a narrow 66- 65 decision to make a case for the selection committee. This win will put Duke back in contention, but there’s still work to be done. With a down Atlantic Coast Conference, this might’ve been the team’s last chance to bolster the profile, and it capitalized big time.
North Carolina: The Tar Heels ( 14- 7, 8- 5 ACC) got the signature victory their profile is needing more of by cruising past Louisville 99- 54. North Carolina’s profile is looking better and it likely will be in the No. 10- seed range following Saturday’s result. No bad losses help offset a poor non- conference strength of schedule and NET score in the 50s.
Georgia Tech: For a team that started the day as one of the “next four out,” its comfortable 27- point win over Miami ( Florida) keeps the Yellow Jackets ( 11- 8, 7- 6 ACC) in contention for an at- large bid. A NET score in the 60s is too high and a non- conference strength of schedule of 294 will stand out to the selection committee. Georgia Tech needs to keep winning to make its case.
Syracuse: The Orange ( 13- 6, 7- 5) started Saturday as one of the “next four out” and likely used a 75- 67 win over Notre Dame in ACC play to inch closer to the right side of the bubble. Syracuse’s NET score of 50 is decent but the biggest downfall on the portfolio is zero Quadrant 1 wins. Two of the final three ACC games will provide that for coach Jim Boeheim’s team.