Bracketology 2024: Bubble Watch Updates of key teams in early March
By Joey Loose
Butler (16-13) (NET: 67)
4-11 (Q1), 3-2 (Q2), 2-0 (Q3), 7-0 (Q4)
It’s all slipping away for the Bulldogs, whose only win in the last three weeks was at DePaul this past weekend. That total includes a debilitating 23-point home loss to St. John’s earlier in the week; not their only loss to a bubble team in this recent stretch.
They are up to four Quad 1 wins now, with wins over Boise State and Villanova both sitting in that category right now. The Bulldogs actually beat Texas Tech as well back in November and do have two incredible road wins at Creighton and Marquette.
What’s hurting their resume is just a lack of success. Eleven Quad 1 road losses means a lot of missed opportunities, though that recent loss to the Red Storm was actually Quad 2. At the very least, there aren’t any terrible losses weighing them down.
The only remaining chance for Butler before the conference tournaments is a home date with Xavier where they’ll look to avenge a January road loss. They might need to win a game or two in the Big East Tournament to have a chance to dance.
Colorado (20-9) (NET: 30)
1-5 (Q1), 7-4 (Q2), 3-0 (Q3), 7-0 (Q4)
The Buffaloes have won four games in a row, including easy double-digit home wins over California and Stanford last week. The Pac-12 schedule isn’t exactly the most challenging, though it hasn’t really provided opportunity either.
That lone Quad 1 win for Colorado came at Washington near the end of January. They played a few more Quad 1 games in league play but couldn’t take advantage of those opportunities. Earlier wins over Richmond and Washington State aged beautifully, as well as a recent 24-point win against fellow bubble team Utah.
On the flipside, four Quad 2 losses isn’t the best thing, though it’s certainly not a disaster at all. The Buffaloes certainly could have won those games, including a recent performance at UCLA, but at least they avoided a resume anchor.
One more major opportunity awaits in the regular season: Colorado heads to Oregon on Thursday in a Quad 1 matchup. They’ll finish the regular season at Oregon State two days later, and a good trip northwest could secure their spot in the field before the Pac-12 Tournament begins.