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Bracketology Bubble Watch: Providence rising, Rutgers in trouble

By Lukas Harkins

LONDON, ENGLAND - JANUARY 25: A reflection of the stadium can be seen in the bubble as it bursts ahead 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: A reflection of the stadium can be seen in the bubble as it bursts ahead 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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FAYETTEVILLE, AR – FEBRUARY 22: Joe of the Razorbacks directs. (Photo by Wesley Hitt/Getty Images)
FAYETTEVILLE, AR – FEBRUARY 22: Joe of the Razorbacks directs. (Photo by Wesley Hitt/Getty Images) /

Lead-Pipe Locks: Auburn, Kentucky

Safely in the field: LSU, Florida

Some perspiration: None.

Double the deodorant: Arkansas, Mississippi State, Alabama

LSU Tigers (18-8, NET: 29)

LSU still has a strong resume but has been trending in the wrong direction recently. The Tigers have lost four of their last six games to fall to my No. 8 seed line. Like many others currently on the 8/9 lines, LSU is safely in the field and likely only needs 1-2 more wins to lock up a bid. Tough road matchups with Florida and Arkansas are still left on the schedule but so are home meetings with Texas A&M and Georgia. Current Bracketology Placement: No. 8 seed.

Florida Gators (17-9, NET: 33)

Florida, even with a road loss to Kentucky in its last game, has been slowly but surely rising over the past few weeks. The Gators have won five of their past seven and are close to leaping into the NET Top 30 (which would have an impact on the entire field due to quadrant records). All of Florida’s metrics are within the Top 45 and this team should safely dance next month. The closing schedule for head coach Mike White’s team consists of meetings with LSU (home), Tennessee (away), Georgia (away), and Kentucky (home). Not easy by any stretch, but all four are winnable games for a team playing good basketball right now. Current Bracketology Placement: No. 9 seed.

Arkansas Razorbacks (17-10, NET: 45)

Arkansas finds itself on the outside-looking-in at the moment and that is a direct byproduct of the team’s recent five-game losing streak. With that said, though, it is not time to completely give up on the Razorbacks. The team was able to end its losing streak during its last game with a home win over Missouri and that should be a step in the right direction. Additionally, it is hard to ignore the “Isaiah Joe Factor.” Joe is one of Arkansas’ top players and he missed every game during the losing streak due to injury before returning and putting up 21 points against Mizzou. Arkansas is 16-5 with him in the lineup and the committee should take that into account. Current Bracketology Placement: OUT.

Mississippi State Bulldogs (18-10, NET: 55)

Mississippi State suffered a disappointing road loss to Texas A&M during this past week as it continues to narrowly miss out on inclusion in the projected field. While the Bulldogs boast a solid record for a bubble team at 18-10, their metric rankings are relatively pedestrian and they are just 2-6 in Q1 games. Mississippi State belongs hovering around the cutline and needs to finish the season strong in order to dance. Closing schedule: at Missouri, at South Carolina, vs. Ole Miss. It is very reasonable to go 3-0 during this stretch but 1-2 also wouldn’t be a complete shock. Current Bracketology Placement: OUT.

Alabama Crimson Tide (15-13, NET: 40)

Alabama needs to go 3-0 to finish the regular season in order to garner serious consideration again. This, though, is a legitimate possibility considering the Crimson Tide finish with games against South Carolina (home), Vanderbilt (home), Missouri (away). Those are all very winnable contests for Alabama. If the Tide are able to enter the SEC Tournament at 18-13, then people will start taking this team a lot more seriously than they are now. With that said, though, Alabama has won just three of its last nine games. Current Bracketology Placement: OUT.

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