Busting Brackets
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Bracketology Bubble Watch: Seton Hall, Utah State sitting right on the edge

By Lukas Harkins

LONDON, ENGLAND - SEPTEMBER 30: Bubbles are seen prior to the Premier League match between West Ham United and Swansea City at London Stadium on September 30, 2017 in London, England. (Photo by Dan Mullan/Getty Images)
LONDON, ENGLAND - SEPTEMBER 30: Bubbles are seen prior to the Premier League match between West Ham United and Swansea City at London Stadium on September 30, 2017 in London, England. (Photo by Dan Mullan/Getty Images) /
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MIAMI, FL – DECEMBER 01: Coach Hardaway of Memphis reacts. (Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images)
MIAMI, FL – DECEMBER 01: Coach Hardaway of Memphis reacts. (Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images) /

American Athletic Conference

Lead-pipe lock: Houston, Cincinnati

Firmly in the field: None.

Some perspiration: None.

Double the deodorant: Temple, UCF, Memphis.

Temple Owls (20-8, 10-5 AAC)

NET: 56 | KPI: 44 | SOR: 47 | BPI: 67 | KP: 72 | Sag: 71

Q1: 1-6 | Q2: 5-1 | Q3: 7-1 | Q4: 7-0

Temple suffered a really tough loss during this past week when they fell on the road to Memphis. And while this is not exactly a resume-crushing loss by any stretch, every defeat on the bubble matters. Considering the Owls already did not have a great resume, especially with regards to their quality metrics, this one hurts. A road win over the Tigers would have possibly put Temple in a relatively secure position. With a couple of difficult games left on the schedule, the Owls should hope to win each of their last three games. This, though, is easier said than done although Temple has been better in conference play than just about any other bubble team. Current Bracketology Status: No. 12 seed (Last Four In)

UCF Knights (21-6, 11-4 AAC)

NET: 30 | KPI: 31 | SOR: 43 | BPI: 40 | KP: 42 | Sag: 36

Q1: 0-3 | Q2: 6-2 | Q3: 9-1 | Q4: 6-0

UCF secured wins in both of their two games this week to stay firmly on the right side of the bubble. With the mess that is currently below the Knights in most fields, it is safe to say that this team is in pretty good shape for the NCAA Tournament. That, though, says more about the bubble than UCF, who has not recorded a Q1 win to date. Their metrics are all great but their lack of quality wins will certainly hold back their seeding. That could all change in the coming weeks as the Knights will take on three straight difficult opponents: at Houston, vs. Temple, at Cincinnati. Will they still be on the right side of the cutline by the end of the regular season? We will find out. Current Bracketology Status: No. 10 seed.

Memphis Tigers (18-11, 10-6 AAC)

NET: 53 | KPI: 62 | SOR: 81 | BPI: 78 | KP: 70 | Sag: 64

Q1: 1-7 | Q2: 3-3 | Q3: 5-1 | Q4: 9-0

Memphis has ever-so-quietly crept into at-large contention in Penny Hardaway’s first season at the helm. In my opinion, the Tigers still have a fairly long way to go in order to reach the Big Dance but I am not ruling out the potential. Their numbers have risen over the past few weeks and they have won five of their last six games. Anyone in a high-major conference who has won that many games as of late is deserving of some consideration. The Tigers also have the advantage of playing their conference tournament in their home gym, where they have been exceptionally tough to beat throughout this year. Memphis is one of the teams that I would definitely look at as one of the AAC Tournament favorites because of this and they might even sneak into the Big Dance as an at-large if they make the final. Current Bracketology Status: OUT.

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