Bracketology: 10 key storylines for Championship Week in 2019

CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA - FEBRUARY 27: Mamadi Diakite #25 and the Virginia Cavaliers bench cheers in the second half during a game against the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets at John Paul Jones Arena on February 27, 2019 in Charlottesville, Virginia. (Photo by Ryan M. Kelly/Getty Images) /

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AUSTIN, TEXAS – JANUARY 19: Rashard Odomes #1 of the Oklahoma Sooners drives to the basket around Matt Coleman III #2 of the Texas Longhorns during first half action at The Frank Erwin Center on January 19, 2019 in Austin, Texas. (Photo by Chris Covatta/Getty Images) /

9. How teams under .500 in conference play will be viewed

The supporters of mid-majors have been coming up with possible solutions for evening up the playing field. One that has gotten traction in the college basketball world is the exclusion of any team that’s under .500 in conference play from making the NCAA Tournament.

It’s understandable why those teams would be frowned upon but their automatic exclusion is excessive, especially considering how unbalanced the schedules are in league play. Nonetheless, those teams are under extra scrutiny this week.

TCU, St. John’s, Minnesota, Alabama Indiana, Ohio State, Oklahoma, and Texas are all under .500 in conference play, with the loser of Clemson and NC State also falling into that category. The Florida Gators are currently 9-9 in the SEC as we speak. Some of these teams are in better position than others but all could use at least one win in their respective tournaments to solidify their resumes.

Due to their struggles in conference play, most of those teams will a fellow bubble team before one of the top seeds. For those who can get the massive win, their conference record won’t matter as much. We’ll see which teams get themselves off the bubble by playing well this week, or which ends up in the NIT.

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