Bracketology Bubble Watch: Where do fringe tournament teams stand?

With another week of college hoops complete, let’s dive into a new edition of the bracketology bubble watch to analyze each team in at-large contention.

There goes another week in NCAA basketball. With each day that passes, Selection Sunday draws closer and therefore the bubble breakdown grows in importance. As teams around the nation continue to jockey for position inside the field, there are still those on the fringe that are fighting for stronger consideration and others that are trying to hold onto the spots that they think deserve. So, with this said, let’s dive right into this edition of the bracketology bubble watch, a piece that analyzes each team in consideration for an at-large bid (excluding locks).

Here is a quick breakdown of what each of the categories in this piece signifies (also, the current seed in our bracketology, updated on the same day as this bubble watch, will be in parenthesis next to each team):

Lead-pipe lock: Barring a massive collapse or huge injury issues, these teams are sure-fire NCAA Tournament teams. They are No. 1-4 seeds in just about everyone’s projected fields and it would be a shock for them to tank out of the field.

Firmly in the field: These teams have the potential to reach the “lead-pipe lock” category in next week’s edition of the bubble watch. Through the first few months of the season, they have put together a great resume and are in just about everyone’s projected bracketology field. They usually hold No. 5-7 seeds.

Some perspiration: Teams in this category might not be on the verge of missing the NCAA Tournament but they cannot afford major slides in the coming weeks. As long as they play as they have been, an at-large bid is in their future. These teams usually currently hold No. 8-10 seeds.

Double the deodorant: These are the squads who would be sweating out Selection Sunday most if the tournament started today. They have work left to do in the coming months to secure a spot in the Big Dance and are usually either in the tournament as a No. 10-12 seed or on the outside looking in.

So, without any further ado, let’s dive into the first edition of the 2019 bubble watch! (Note: This bubble watch was last updated based on games completed through Thursday, Jan. 31. The NET and Quadrant records, though, had been last updated through Jan. 30 at the time of posting. Also, all statistics found in this article were found via Sports-Reference or KenPom unless otherwise noted.)