Bracketology 2020 Bubble Watch: Breaking down at-large contenders

Selection Sunday is under a month away and bracketology is heating up across the country. This bubble watch looks at each at-large contender.

There are only a few weeks remaining until Selection Sunday. Considering this, teams across the country are either putting the finishing touches on their resumes or last-minute cramming for the selection process. While many squads have essentially already made it clear that they will hear their names called with strong resumes to date, many others are still looking to add that last piece or two to solidify their positioning or move up seed lines.

This has certainly been a crazy season with regard to bracketology with mid-majors such as San Diego State and Dayton rising to the forefront while bluebloods such as North Carolina have struggled. The current bubble of teams hovering around the projected cutline for the NCAA Tournament summarizes this craziness as it is impossible to decipher which 68 are in the best positioning at the moment.

This bubble watch will hopefully provide a solid overview of where each “bubble” team stands and what they need to do to dance. For those that haven’t been following my bubble watch for the last few weeks, here is an overview of the four categories that a team can be labeled under:

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 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 fourth edition of the 2020 bracketology bubble watch! This version of the bubble watch takes into account games played through Feb. 18th and the “Current Bracketology Placement” is based on my updated field from the same date.