Bracketology 2023: Ranking all 18 teams on the bubble in terms of safety
By Joey Loose
Oklahoma State: 18-15 (8-10 in Big 12) NET: 41
Having 15 losses is not great unless most of them have come against the Big 12, the toughest basketball conference in the nation. What’s keeping the Cowboys afloat on the bubble conversation is their 6 Quad 1 wins, though they certainly had a bevy of opportunities to get those victories. They were swept by Baylor, Kansas, Kansas State, and Texas and have mostly beaten up on the other teams in their league, losing five of their final six regular season game.
Fortunately, they did take care of business against rival Oklahoma in the opening round of the Big 12 Tournament. Even though they were dropped by Texas in the quarterfinals, they got the performance they needed to stay firmly on the bubble; a loss to the Sooners would have been devastating. For now, Oklahoma State has the wins that other bubble teams might not have, but can you forgive their rough performance in late February and their 18-15 record?
Arizona State: 22-11 (11-9 in Pac-12) NET: 65
First and foremost, their NET number is pretty bad, but it will increase tomorrow after an impressive win in the quarterfinals of the Pac-12 Tournament. The Sun Devils secured what is likely their 5th Quad 1 win by taking care of business against USC, becoming the only upset of the night in the conference. With a resume that includes a Quad 4 loss to Texas Southern and a blowout loss to San Francisco, additional wins never hurts.
Arizona State is truly right on the edge and additional success in the Pac-12 Tournament is how they stay in the field. Their buzzer-beating win at Arizona back in late February might be the reason they sneak into the Dance unless they can pull off another upset in the tournament semifinals on Friday. They’ve done what they’ve needed to do in the first two rounds of the conference tournament while other teams have faltered; but is it enough to secure a spot in the field?