We’re now at the midpoint of February, meaning the NCAA Tournament and March Madness is even closer than it seems. The college basketball season has already delivered many memorable moments, but the postseason is when legacies are written. However, we still don’t know who exactly will be in the Tournament field.
This is that part of the season where terms like bracketology get thrown around with abandon as teams jockey for position in the Big Dance. Selection of the NCAA Tournament field is an imperfect science left in the hands of the Selection Committee, but that doesn’t mean we don’t have something of an understanding of who might get those precious at-large bids.
There are no questions around the inclusion of some of the best teams in the nation, but it’s those teams on the bubble that will have the Selection Committee working overtime. Some teams had strong nonconference schedules while others have really shown their mettle in league play. Some play in weaker leagues but have looked more impressive, but who or what exactly stands out when choosing between these teams?
Today’s attention turns towards our new bubble watch, giving a closer look at twenty teams we currently consider on the bubble. This is not an all-inclusive list and there may even be teams currently out of the field with greater cases than these, but there’s a realistic shot at March Madness for all of these teams. We’ll dive deeply into what these teams have accomplished over the last three months and see what opportunities remain before the season ends.
Arkansas (15-9) (NET: 41)
3-7 (Q1), 1-2 (Q2), 4-0 (Q3), 7-0 (Q4)
Year one for John Calipari at Arkansas might not be going exactly as planned, but these Razorbacks find themselves in decent position to snag one of those Tournament bids. The SEC is sensationally strong this season, meaning a boatload of opportunities for this team.
On the positive, Arkansas secured huge Quad 1 road wins at Kentucky and Texas to kickstart February, while their other Quad 1 win came against Michigan. They unfortunately didn’t do a lot of good with a somewhat weak nonconference schedule.
A five-game losing streak to begin SEC play wasn’t great, though there aren’t any really bad losses for the Razorbacks. They certainly would’ve liked to win those Quad 2 games at LSU and against Oklahoma, but neither is bad enough to keep their resume on the outside.
At this point they need even more wins to bolster this resume and they certainly get a shot with five more Quad 1 games on the schedule. Pulling off a stunner at Texas A&M or Auburn in the next week would really turn the needle in their favor.