The Bubble
Last four in
The four teams headed to Dayton for the First Four include a matchup between San Diego State and Oklahoma, with the surviving No. 11 seed headed to Denver for a tilt with No. 6 St. John’s. Both teams are trending upwards but will be tested in December. The Aztecs have won over Houston and Creighton, but their losses came from Gonzaga and Oregon. Their non-conference schedule should have them ready for Mountain West play. Oklahoma, despite being picked to finish 15th in the SEC, came home from the Bahamas with the Battle 4 Atlantis title after wins over Providence, Arizona, and Louisville.
The other Matchup sees LSU facing Clemson, with the winner facing No. 6 Arizona. The Tigers had a nice two-game stretch with wins over San Francisco and Penn State, but Clemson faces Kentucky, Miami, Memphis, South Carolina, and Wake Forest before Christmas. The Bayou Bengals have a pair of wins over Big 12 teams in Kansas State and UCF, and their only loss is to Pittsburgh.
First four out
The first four teams just out of the field are Pat Kelsey’s Louisville Cardinals and the Rutgers Scarlet Knights and their star freshmen Ace Bailey and Dylan Harper who are averaging 42 of the team’s 81 points. Utah State is the only undefeated team in the Mountain West, but as of now their best win is over Iowa and Arizona State’s only loss is to Gonzaga and have tight wins over New Mexico and Saint Mary’s.
Next four out
The next four teams with work to do but have had good starts to the year are Vanderbilt, West Virginia, Nevada, and Penn State. The 7-1 Commodores hold a win over Nevada, which could be key down the road, and another over Seton Hall. West Virginia has won over Arizona and Gonzaga on a neutral floor, and even their losses to Louisville and Pittsburgh should age well. The 6-1 Nevada Wolf Pack’s best wins are over VCU and Washington, but wins over Santa Clara and Oklahoma State should improve as the year progresses.
The Nittany Lions are 7-1 with an offense averaging 92 points per game with five players averaging double figures. The 67 points they scored in their loss to Clemson is the lowest output of the season by 18 points for a team shooting over 51% from the field and in the top 40 in both three and two-point shooting.