Bracketology Bubble Watch: Arizona State, Stanford trending oppositely
Lead-Pipe Locks: Auburn, Kentucky, LSU
Safely in the field: None.
Some perspiration: None.
Double the deodorant: Arkansas, Florida, Mississippi State, Alabama, Tennessee
Arkansas Razorbacks (16-8, 4-7 SEC)
NET: 38 | KPI: 28 | SOR: 49 | BPI: 38 | KP: 35 | Sag: 47
Q1: 2-5 | Q2: 2-2 | Q3: 9-1 | Q4: 3-0
Arkansas has dropped three straight games, two on the road, and is tumbling down the seed lines. The Razorbacks simply do not have a good enough resume to keep losing games and hang onto a spot in the projected field. They are only 4-7 in Q1+2 games and their committee-used metrics are not elite. With three of their next four games coming at home, the Razorbacks need to once again prove that they belong. Arkansas has a relatively favorable closing schedule and it needs to take advantage. Current Bracketology Placement: No. 10 seed.
Florida Gators (14-9, 6-4 SEC)
NET: 45 | KPI: 36 | SOR: 54 | BPI: 32 | KP: 46 | Sag: 50
Q1: 2-6 | Q2: 3-3 | Q3: 5-0 | Q4: 4-0
Florida picked up a much-needed come-from-behind victory at home over Georgia right after the release of last week’s bubble watch but then responded by getting blown out by Ole Miss on the road. The Gators continue to be nearly impossible to figure out as they remain firmly in the bubble conversation. Florida is currently on the right side of the bubble but it’s hard to ever be optimistic about this team considering its inconsistency and the fact that it has massively underachieved compared to preseason expectations. Matchups with Texas A&M and Vanderbilt are next on the schedule and Florida should be able to sweep this week. Key word: should. Current Bracketology Placement: No. 11 seed.
Mississippi State Bulldogs (15-9, 6-5 SEC)
NET: 41 | KPI: 51 | SOR: 61 | BPI: 33 | KP: 38 | Sag: 34
Q1: 1-6 | Q2: 3-1 | Q3: 6-2 | Q4: 5-0
Mississippi State absolutely needs to pick up some quality wins in order to work its way into the projected field. The Bulldogs boast just one Q1 win at this point in time and have also suffered a pair of Q3 defeats. While their efficiency metrics are all great for a bubble team, the rest of the resume is rather thin. There aren’t many top-tier opportunities left on the schedule for Mississippi State, though, so it will need to impress with a strong overall record. Gotta keep winning and losing by 25 at Ole Miss wasn’t a great start. Current Bracketology Placement: OUT.
Alabama Crimson Tide (13-10, 5-5 SEC)
NET: 42 | KPI: 50 | SOR: 69 | BPI: 60 | KP: 49 | Sag: 46
Q1: 1-5 | Q2: 4-4 | Q3: 5-1 | Q4: 3-0
Alabama got back on track with a road win over Georgia during this past week after losing three in a row. The Crimson Tide have a lot of work to do to get onto the right side of the bubble but a couple of huge opportunities are coming up. Alabama will face Auburn (away) and LSU (home) during this coming week. Winning both would boost Alabama’s at-large odds by a huge margin. Current Bracketology Placement: OUT.
Tennessee Volunteers (14-10, 6-5 SEC)
NET: 69 | KPI: 61 | SOR: 74 | BPI: 57 | KP: 67 | Sag: 61
Q1: 2-6 | Q2: 3-3 | Q3: 4-1 | Q4: 5-0
Tennessee has won two of three with its lone loss coming at home to Kentucky. While I still feel as though the Volunteers are way off the pace for reaching the NCAA Tournament, Santiago Vescovi is coming into his own as a player to watch in this conference. The Volunteers are a better team now that he is on the court and they might be able to make a run as a result. Tennessee has a back-loaded conference schedule in that its last five games all come against teams either in my projected field or on the bubble. Time to make a move. Current Bracketology Placement: OUT.
Lots of work to do: South Carolina.