Bracketology 2023: Ranking all 18 teams on the bubble in terms of safety

By Joey Loose | Mar 10, 2023

Feb 26, 2023; University Park, Pennsylvania, USA; Rutgers Scarlet Knights guard Paul Mulcahy (4) defends as Penn State Nittany Lions guard Jalen Pickett (22) dribbles the ball during the second half at Bryce Jordan Center. Rutgers defeated Penn State 59-56. Mandatory Credit: Matthew OHaren-USA TODAY Sports /

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Bracketology Pittsburgh Panthers guard Jamarius Burton (11) dribbles the ball against Clemson Tigers forward Hunter Tyson Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports /

Pittsburgh: 22-11 (14-6 in ACC) NET: 56

It’s hard to find a bubble team that had a rougher end to their regular season than the Panthers, who had a chance to share the ACC regular season title but instead fell to the 5-seed with a close finale loss against Miami. That 14-6 mark in conference play looks impressive, but this isn’t the ACC of yesteryear as the conference as a whole has been struggling this season.

What makes things even rougher for the Panthers was their draw in the conference tournament. They did what they needed to do against Georgia Tech in the second round but were blasted by Duke in the quarterfinals. Picking up 27-point losses three days before Selection Sunday is not the best look for a program looking to break a nearly-decade-long NCAA Tournament drought. Still, the Panthers have 4 Quad 1 wins, but some bad losses early in the season remain an anchor and they’ll truly be on bubble watch until Sunday afternoon.

Clemson: 23-9 (14-6 in ACC) NET: 62

Their metrics (the NET will rise overnight) are getting into better position and we might see Clemson in the Big Dance after all. Things were looking rough for a Tigers team that has had some abysmal performances this season, with two Quad 3 losses and Quad 4 losses against Loyola-Chicago and Louisville weighing them down. However, they’ve performed well to this point in the ACC Tournament and are ending the season trending in the right direction.

Including their performance in the ACC Tournament quarterfinals, the Tigers have now blown out NC State twice in the last two weeks. They’ve also beaten fellow bubble teams Pittsburgh and Penn State and have a sweet Duke win as one of 3 Quad 1 victories. If they keep winning, Clemson will clearly be in the NCAA Tournament, though they’ll get a tough test against Virginia in the semifinals, facing off with the team that beat them by 7 points less than two weeks ago. The Tigers are still playing while other bubble teams are finished: they need to take advantage of the opportunity.

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