Busting Brackets
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Bracketology Bubble Watch: Who is shooting for an at-large bid?

By Lukas Harkins

BLOOMINGTON, IN - JANUARY 14: Romeo Langford #0 of the Indiana Hoosiers prepares to shoot a free throw against the Nebraska Cornhuskers at Assembly Hall on January 14, 2019 in Bloomington, Indiana. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images)
BLOOMINGTON, IN - JANUARY 14: Romeo Langford #0 of the Indiana Hoosiers prepares to shoot a free throw against the Nebraska Cornhuskers at Assembly Hall on January 14, 2019 in Bloomington, Indiana. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images) /
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LAS VEGAS, NEVADA – DECEMBER 01: Head coach Mick Cronin of the Cincinnati Bearcats talks. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images)
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA – DECEMBER 01: Head coach Mick Cronin of the Cincinnati Bearcats talks. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images) /

American Athletic Conference

Lead-pipe lock: Houston

Firmly in the field: Cincinnati

Some perspiration: None.

Double the deodorant: Temple, UCF

Cincinnati Bearcats (20-4, 9-2 AAC)

NET: 22 | KPI: 24 | SOR: 28 | BPI: 25 | KP: 29 | Sag: 25

Q1: 3-2 | Q2: 3-1 | Q3: 8-0 | Q4: 6-1

Cincinnati only competed in one contest during this past week and it was a tough road defeat at the hands of Houston. On the whole, this is far from a bad loss and the Bearcats still belong safely in everyone’s projected NCAA Tournament fields. With Jarron Cumberland leading the way, Cincinnati has put together a strong offensive season. They might be defensively-oriented as per usual but this team can put up points efficiently in slow-moving games. Current seed projection: No. 7.

Temple Owls (18-7, 8-4 AAC)

NET: 55 | KPI: 43 | SOR: 48 | BPI: 68 | KP: 75 | Sag: 71

Q1: 1-5 | Q2: 5-1 | Q3: 5-1 | Q4: 7-0

Temple’s play during this past week (split matchups with Tulsa and SMU) kept them exactly where they have been all season long and that is “glued to the bubble.” Seemingly no matter how Temple plays, win or lose, they find a way to be right near the cutline during each of my bracketology updates as their resume is quite pedestrian. The quadrant records and resume metrics are decent but the team really drops off in quality rankings. Could that change down the stretch? We will find out but for now they are definitely sweating. Current seed projection: No. 12 (Last Four In).

UCF Knights (18-5, 8-3 AAC)

NET: 40 | KPI: 37 | SOR: 49 | BPI: 46 | KP: 49 | Sag: 41

Q1: 0-2 | Q2: 5-2 | Q3: 7-0 | Q4: 6-1

Another AAC team firmly on the bubble, UCF is in slightly better shape than Temple. And considering Selection Sunday is just a month away and the Knights are without a Q1 win, that is saying something. UCF did, though, make some movement up the S-curve this week thanks to victories over SMU (away) and South Florida (home). Their resume is still quite underwhelming on the whole but their rankings are all pretty solid. With both matchups against Cincinnati and a road game with Houston still left, the Knights can either solidify their spot or fall off completely. Current seed projection: No. 12 (Last Four In).

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