Bracketology: 5 biggest questions for rest of 2019-20 season

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NEW YORK, NY – MARCH 8: The NCAA Basketball Tournament Selection Committee (Photo by Drew Angerer/Getty Images) /

1. Will this be considered a “strong” or “weak” bubble this season?

Stearman

The instability at the top of the rankings will lead to some really strong teams near the bubble. There isn’t a clear distinction between the top teams in the nation and the next tier right now, and I believe that you will see some teams on the bubble that could end up being dangerous to a higher seed if they make it in the tournament. Couple this with some high profile teams being near the bubble (ahem… North Carolina), and the perception will be that the bubble is very strong this season.

Harkins

It’s wayyyyy too early to tell, but I will lean towards the former. This is partially due to the fact that I don’t think anyone is “elite” this season at the top of the rankings. Bubble teams should be able to rack up more high-quality wins compared to some seasons in the past and double-digit seeds will have the potential to make deep runs as a result. Nobody is unbeatable this season at the top and fringe tournament teams should be able to each snag a top-tier win or two if given the opportunity. Feels like there will be a lot of fluidity at the back-end of the at-large field.

Dieckhoff

Because this is the season of “no great teams”, it seems only natural that the bubble would be filled with a lot of underperforming high-major teams and overachieving mid-majors. This could be a very difficult year for bracketologists. But that’s what makes this gig so fun.

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