Bracketology 2023: Ranking all 18 teams on the bubble in terms of safety
By Joey Loose
Auburn: 20-12 (10-8 in SEC) NET: 32
Things have not gone Auburn’s way at the end of the season, as this team was in great shape at 16-3 just a month and a half ago. One positive for Auburn is that they defeated Tennessee in the regular season finale, giving them a third Quad 1 win to bolster their resume. The negative is that they are done playing after falling to Arkansas in the SEC Tournament.
The Tigers are significantly less at ease than they would’ve been had they beaten the Razorbacks, but this still trends as an NCAA Tournament team. What’s unfortunate is that they have to sit back and watch the madness unfold around them, perhaps rooting against conference foe Vanderbilt who are eager to steal their spot in the field. Losing nine of your final 13 games is a good way to miss the Big Dance, but this team should still get their invite in three days.
West Virginia: 19-14 (7-11 in Big 12) NET: 19
The record isn’t great, especially in conference play, but you have to remember that West Virginia plays in the Big 12, which is easily the most competitive and toughest conference in the nation. When you factor in that NET figure, which will likely fall a few spots before Selection Sunday, the Mountaineers look like a safe team in the field despite their shortcomings.
What’s important is that they have 6 Quad 1 wins, including a blowout against Pittsburgh and a sweep against Iowa State. They had a boatload of opportunities for big wins and the Mountaineers won enough to put themselves in this good position. After a solid win over Texas Tech to kick off the Big 12 Tournament, they did see their hopes dashed in a tough loss to top-seed Kansas on Thursday, meaning there’s nothing more they can do to improve this resume; a resume that also lacks any bad losses.