Bracketology Bubble Watch: Arizona State, Stanford trending oppositely

TEMPE, ARIZONA - DECEMBER 14: Remy Martin #1 of the Arizona State Sun Devils reacts against the Georgia Bulldogs during the second half of the NCAAB game at Desert Financial Arena on December 14, 2019 in Tempe, Arizona. The Sun Devils defeated the Bulldogs 79-59. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images) /

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DAYTON, OH – FEBRUARY 11: Coach Cox of the Rams reacts. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images) /

Lead-Pipe Locks: Dayton.

Safely in the field: None.

Some perspiration: Rhode Island.

Double the deodorant: VCU, Richmond

Rhode Island Rams (18-6, 10-2 A10)

NET: 36 | KPI: 21 | SOR: 27 | BPI: 46 | KP: 42 | Sag: 40

Q1: 1-4 | Q2: 5-1 | Q3: 7-1 | Q4: 5-0

Rhode Island suffered a road loss to Dayton during this past week to end its 10-game winning streak. That, though, is far from a resume-crushing blow and the Rams actually moved up in a couple of efficiency metrics as a result. Rhode Island is safely in my current projected field but it is in more danger of falling towards the cutline than the rest of my No. 8 seeds. This is due to the potential for a bad loss in Atlantic 10 play as the team still has to face Saint Joseph’s (H), Fordham (A), and UMass (A) as sub-200 KenPom teams. All of those games would classify as resume-killers but the Rams should be able to navigate those easily. Rhody really hasn’t shown any signs of struggle since early-January. There’s no reason to think that changes. Current Bracketology Placement: No. 8 seed

VCU Rams (17-6, 7-3 A10)

NET: 35 | KPI: 48 | SOR: 44 | BPI: 35 | KP: 41 | Sag: 45

Q1: 1-4 | Q2: 2-2 | Q3: 8-0 | Q4: 6-0

VCU only played one game during this past week and it handled its business with an 11-point victory over Davidson at home. While that might not seem like a big win, winning those types of games is exactly what bubble teams need to do at this point in the season. The Rams are sitting right on the projected cutline for most bracketologists at this moment so it is their job to prove that they belong in the field. While VCU is yet to suffer a bad loss and ranks in the Top 50 in every metric, the team’s lack of quality wins (just 3-6 in Q1+2) is definitely hurting. With high-major teams like Minnesota and Indiana around this area as well, VCU has to keep adding wins and showcase an excellent record to battle their higher number of quality victories. Current Bracketology Placement: No. 12 seed

Richmond Spiders (17-6, 7-3 A10)

NET: 55 | KPI: 54 | SOR: 50 | BPI: 58 | KP: 64 | Sag: 75

Q1: 2-4 | Q2: 1-1 | Q3: 6-1 | Q4: 8-0

Richmond took down Fordham on the road during its only game of the past week to remain in the bubble conversation. The Spiders are a few teams away from the cutline at this moment but they will have opportunities to rise. While this team has already squandered its one shot at a win over Dayton, matchups with VCU and Duquesne are not to be overlooked. Richmond has a lot of work to do in order to reach the NCAA Tournament, but it should be able to roll through its closing schedule relatively well. The Spiders can probably only afford 2-3 more losses for the entire season and make the Big Dance. Current Bracketology Placement: OUT.

Lots of work to do: None.

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