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Bracketology Bubble Watch: Xavier, Tulsa surging into consideration

By Lukas Harkins

LONDON, ENGLAND - JANUARY 25: The reflection of the stadium can be seen in a bubble ahead of the FA Cup Fourth Round match between West Ham United and West Bromwich Albion at The London Stadium on January 25, 2020 in London, England. (Photo by Catherine Ivill/Getty Images)
LONDON, ENGLAND - JANUARY 25: The reflection of the stadium can be seen in a bubble ahead of the FA Cup Fourth Round match between West Ham United and West Bromwich Albion at The London Stadium on January 25, 2020 in London, England. (Photo by Catherine Ivill/Getty Images) /
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NEWARK, NJ – FEBRUARY 01: Jones #4 of the Musketeers dunks. (Photo by Rich Schultz/Getty Images)
NEWARK, NJ – FEBRUARY 01: Jones #4 of the Musketeers dunks. (Photo by Rich Schultz/Getty Images) /

The bracketology bubble watch continues to shrink but is becoming more and more difficult to gauge. Xavier and Tulsa are among those rising as of late.

Selection Sunday is rapidly approaching and teams across the country are hurrying to put together their final pitches to the committee. This is the time when resumes become the center of attention for analysts and teams everywhere now that the NCAA Tournament is only a month and a half away. While several teams have already staked their claims as “locks” to hear their name called on Selection Sunday, the vast majority of squads reside in the vast expanse of mediocrity known as “the bubble.”

Analysts argue every year that the bubble is “extremely weak” and that is likely to be the case again this season. After all, there are a few teams that are only one or two games above-.500 at this moment fighting along the cutline for most bracketologists. With the ACC suffering a down season in which it might only receive 3-4 bids to the Big Dance, the bubble is nearly impossible to sort out.

This third edition of my bubble watch hopefully helps summarize the current bracketology landscape. The piece will separate each at-large contender in one of four categories and then provide a breakdown of all non-locked teams. Here is a quick reminder of the bracketology tiers:

Bubble Watch Categories:

Lead-pipe lock: Barring a massive collapse, these teams are sure-fire NCAA Tournament teams.

Firmly in the field: Through the first few months of the season, these teams have put together strong resumes and would not be sweating whatsoever if Selection Sunday was this weekend. They cannot, though, lose a bunch of games in a row and still remain safe.

Some perspiration: Teams in this category are in dangerous territory but would more than likely be in the NCAA Tournament right now. As long as they stay the course, an at-large bid is in their future. Slip-ups could increase the potential sweat level, though.

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 to either remain in the projected field or work their way in.

Now, without any further ado, let’s dive into the third edition of the 2020 bracketology bubble watch! This version of the bubble watch takes into account games played through Feb. 4th and the “Current Bracketology Placement” is based on my updated field from the same date. All rankings/quadrants are through Feb. 3rd.

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