Bracketology Bubble Watch: Could WCC get more bids than the ACC?
By Bryan Mauro
American
Locks: Houston Cougars
Houston is a lock for the tournament and right now looks to be the only team from American who will make the tournament. The Cougars are going to be a team that is going to be really under seeded because even though they have a top 10 NET they currently have 0 quad 1 wins. They have also only played two quad 1 games the entire season.
They currently have two quad 1 games remaining on their schedule and it would be a good thing for seeding for Houston to win those games. The Cougars likely won’t make the final four this year as they have some key injuries, but they are still going to make the tournament comfortably and should still win a game.
On the Bubble
None
Work to Do
SMU Mustangs
If not for a terrible weekend at the Jacksonville classic in November, that gave the Mustangs their quad 3 and quad 4 loss they would be on the bubble. The NET ranking needs to be a little better to get full at large consideration, but they do have 1 quad 1 win and have an opportunity coming up against Houston for some more. If SMU can beat Houston, they will have a case for being on the bubble and they may get themselves put into the opening round first four games.
If the selection were today the Mustangs, with their mid-50’s NET would be on the outside looking in. They are going to need to have a strong February and avoid the landmines that sit in the bottom of the American to have a chance.
Cincinnati Bearcats
The path to the tournament is a tricky one for the Bearcats as they do have some questionable losses, but they do also have a great win and a chance for a couple more as the season goes on. Cincinnati was projected to be one of the worst teams in the American this year, given that they are on their second new coach in the last three years and they lost a lot of production from last years team. However, head coach Wes Miller has always been known as a great coach and he is proving it with this team.
To even have them in the conversation as a potential bubble team speaks volumes. The committee always does something crazy on Selection Sunday, and the Bearcats are the team who may be off every radar and make a surprise appearance in the tournament. Right now it looks like a long shot with a low 60’s NET and one 1 quad 1 win, but if they can knock off Houston and SMU to go along with the Illinois blowout they will have wins that no one else in the league can talk about. They also must avoid the losses to Tulane and Memphis and Temple moving forward.