Bracketology 2023: 10 storylines to watch on Selection Sunday
By Joey Loose
3. Who is still on the bubble?
At this point, you can probably argue that six or seven teams are fighting for 10 or 11 spots in the Tournament field. Teams like Penn State and Utah State have secured their position in the field this past week, while others like Pittsburgh, NC State, and Clemson look much less safe than a week or two ago. Has Arizona State done enough in the Pac-12 Tournament to secure their place?
With their losses in their respective conference tournaments, do Nevada, Oklahoma State, or Vanderbilt still have a chance to dance? It’s possible that those could be the first three teams left out of the dance, alongside one of those aforementioned ACC teams. It’s also possible that the Selection Committee goes in an entirely different direction. The bottom line is that bubble watch is one of the most exciting parts of the Selection Show, though the horror of missing out will haunt some of these players and coaches for years to come.
4. Where to place Florida Atlantic?
An NCAA Tournament team only once before (way back in 2002), Florida Atlantic burst onto the scene this season, earning their first-ever Top 25 rankings and blitzing through conference play in Conference USA. Their three losses this season came to Ole Miss, UAB, and Middle Tennessee all on the road and they did get a handful of nice wins, including at Florida way back at the beginning of the season. The Owls won the CUSA Tournament to lock in their place in the bracket, though they would have earned an at-large with an impressive resume.
Florida Atlantic’s NET sits at 13, which is almost mind-boggling for a CUSA school, even with a 31-3 record and impressive regular season. With just 2 Quad 1 wins, the Owls are not going to get one of those Top 16 seeds, but it’ll be really interesting to see how the Committee rewards their season. It’s very possible that they could get a 6 or 7-seed, but the Committee could also punish their lack of major wins and push them into an 8/9 game in the opening round.