Bracketology: The fun of college hoops and the Bubble Watch

Now a few weeks into conference play, how is your team factoring into the Bubble Watch?

In back-to-back weeks, we have now seen the top-ranked team in the country fall on the road. First, it was the Villanova Wildcats falling to the Butler Bulldogs, then the Baylor Bears took a loss against West Virginia. And, in short, these losses show one thing about college basketball as it stands: This is going to be a very fun year.

There are no true powerhouse teams that are ready to go undefeated (okay, maybe Gonzaga, but go do your thing Saint Mary’s) and march their way through the bracket at the end of the year. There are flaws in every team and there are so many storylines along the bubble that are going to be incredibly fun to follow.

Some might think that the bubble has no real impact on who comes out on top in the National Championship, but those teams sitting on the bubble know exactly how big of a deal making the tournament is.

Teams like Kentucky and Duke might not understand, but some mid-majors and even some typical bottom-feeders in major conferences are eager to get their first chance in the Big Dance. Obviously, winning the end-of-year conference tournament is the only sure-fire way to make the tournament, but for those sitting firmly on the bubble, every game matters, even these early conference match-ups.

Now, let’s take a look at the rules to this Bubble Watch and our bubble as it stands.

This bubble watch includes results through January 10th.

Categories for the Bubble Watch:

Lead-Pipe Lock: These are teams that are guaranteed to make the tournament and there is no way that they are left out. For the following Bubble Watch, it is too early in the season to list anyone as a “lead-pipe lock.” There are too many factors, such as injuries, suspensions, etc. that could potentially cause a team to fall from grace. Because of that, teams will only be found in the lower two categories for the time being.

Some Perspiration: These are teams that should make the tournament. They are likely already in the Bracketology prior to this Bubble Watch and are usually in with room to spare.

Better double up on the deodorant: These teams are very much on the fence. They could be in the tournament at the time, but there is very little room between them being in and them being out. Most of these teams are out of the tournament for now and are looking for wins to play their way in.

Also, if there is a team not mentioned in this edition of the Bubble Watch that should be, don’t worry. There is plenty of time left for teams to work their way up onto the bubble and potentially into the tournament.

For any questions or comments on this Bubble Watch, tweet your thoughts at @BustingBrackets or @hardwiredsports (that’s me!).