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Bracketology Bubble Watch: UCLA, Texas trending upward

By Lukas Harkins

ROME, ITALY - FEBRUARY 6: Soap bubbles are seen in front of St. Peter's Basilica at sunset on February 6, 2019 in Rome, Italy. (Photo by Antonio Masiello/Getty Images)
ROME, ITALY - FEBRUARY 6: Soap bubbles are seen in front of St. Peter's Basilica at sunset on February 6, 2019 in Rome, Italy. (Photo by Antonio Masiello/Getty Images) /
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AUSTIN, TEXAS – FEBRUARY 24: Jones of Texas handles. (Photo by Chris Covatta/Getty Images)
AUSTIN, TEXAS – FEBRUARY 24: Jones of Texas handles. (Photo by Chris Covatta/Getty Images) /

Lead-Pipe Locks: Baylor, Kansas, West Virginia.

Safely in the field: None.

Some perspiration: Oklahoma, Texas Tech

Double the deodorant: Texas.

Oklahoma Sooners (18-12, NET: 46)

Bracketology Average: IN  (135/136 brackets) – 9.33 seed.

Oklahoma suffered a tough home loss to Texas in its last game but that followed strong wins over Texas Tech and West Virginia. The Sooners have held the nation’s most underrated resume throughout the majority of the season and that still rings true. The bracketology average above indicates where OU was prior to its loss to Texas but the team is still in pretty good shape moving forward. The Sooners finish with a road game against TCU before the Big 12 Tournament. A win wouldn’t necessarily look all that impressive but would likely solidify their inclusion in the Big Dance.

Texas Tech Red Raiders (18-12, NET: 22)

Bracketology Average: IN (134/136 brackets) – 9.22 seed

Texas Tech has now lost three games in a row and is trending towards the cutline. While the Red Raiders are still safely in the vast majority of bracketology fields, I am quite a bit lower on them. This team has played exceptionally well against top-tier competition this season but has just been unable to close down the stretch. This, coupled with Texas Tech’s destruction of eight Q4 opponents, has led to the team holding very high rankings in the NET and efficiency metrics. Will those numbers be enough to keep a team that is just 3-9 in Q1 and 7-12 in Q1+2 in the field? Probably, but Texas Tech will definitely be sweating if it falls at home to Kansas and in its first game of the B12 Tournament.

Texas Longhorns (19-11, NET: 55)

Bracketology Average: OUT (31/136 brackets) – 11.61 seed

Texas is now in the midst of a five-game winning streak with the last three coming over West Virginia (home), Texas Tech (away), and Oklahoma (away). It certainly appears as though the Longhorns are trending towards the right side of the cutline as one of the hottest bubble teams in the country. Texas’ bracketology average above is not updated following its road win over OU so its current status is better than it might appear. Texas finishes its regular-season schedule with a home game against Oklahoma State. That is pretty much a must-win even with this recent stretch of great play.

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