We will have a bracket in less than 40 days. Let that sink in. With Selection Sunday inching closer, several teams across the country are making their final push to impress the Selection Committee and put themselves in the best position possible seeding-wise or just to sneak their way into the field of 68 altogether.
With that being said, take a look at five teams trending down as March Madness nears.
HM: Fellow SEC foes
After a stellar non-conference start to the SEC, the league is beginning to separate itself as March Madness nears. Oklahoma and Georgia have fallen victim to the brutalities of SEC play, going 0-3 combined this week. Oklahoma (losses to Auburn, Tennessee) and Georgia (loss to Mississippi State) are just 7-14 combined in league play. And their schedules don’t get any easier.
HM: Illinois Fighting Illini
Understanding Illinois is like fitting a round peg in a square hole. Matt Norlander, senior writer at CBS Sports, calls them our Jekyll-and-Hyde team this season. After falling to Rutgers on Wednesday, Illinois responded with a resounding 95-74 road win over Minnesota on Saturday. Consistently inconsistent, right? With a daunting finish to the regular season – including a marquee non-conference matchup versus Duke on the horizon – the Illini must find a way to string together victories if it wants to find a rhythm with March rapidly approaching.
Oregon Ducks
A tale of two halves transpired in East Lansing on Saturday. The Oregon Ducks led Michigan State 50-36 at the break behind a monster first half from Jackson Shelstad. But their lead quickly evaporated, getting out-scored 50-24 in the second to fall to the Spartans 86-74.
After a promising start to the season, the Ducks have suddenly lost five straight and are now just 5-8 in the Big Ten. Seven Q1 wins still hold strong on its resume but its margin of error is starting to shrink with each mounting loss as the NCAA Tournament nears. All of a sudden, their upcoming two-game home stretch versus Northwestern and Rutgers feels extremely important to right the ship.
UCF Knights
The UCF Knights couldn’t contain Baylor’s high-octane offense, falling 91-76 in Waco. Surprisingly, the Knight's two biggest weaknesses in Big 12 play – defensive rebounding and field goal percentages inside the arc – were not the culprit on Saturday. But allowing 40 points inside the paint was.
At 13-10 (4-8), UCF remains in the bubble conversation despite its recent struggles. But at some point, you have to win games. The Knights have lost four straight and six of its past seven games. Big-time wins over Texas Tech and Texas A&M will keep UCF on the bubble for now but it's clear the Knights are trending in the wrong direction as March – and the 2025 NCAA Tournament – nears.
Texas Longhorns
Texas looked like it was running away with a victory in Nashville, leading Vanderbilt by 10 before being out-scored by 18 points in less than 14 minutes to fall 86-78. High-scoring stand-out freshman Tre Johnson was held mostly in check with 15 points.
Simply put, the brutal nature of the SEC is starting to catch up for Rodney Terry’s group. A deflating home loss to Arkansas on Wednesday followed by a disastrous second half against Vanderbilt leaves more questions than answers as March rapidly approaches. At 15-9 (4-7) with Alabama and Kentucky looming and a middling NET OOC-SOS (280), a crucial week lies ahead in Austin. And it won’t be easy.
Iowa Hawkeyes
The Iowa Hawkeyes – without Owen Freeman – went toe-to-toe with Wisconsin for the first 32 minutes. But its offense surprisingly sputtered down the stretch, scoring just four points in the final 7:32 of regulation, losing 74-63.
Iowa, losers of six of its past seven games, is now a long shot for an at-large berth. The Hawkeyes have had their fair share of chances but a brutal 0-9 record in Q1 games will end up being its demise. Amidst their depleting stretch, it's becoming increasingly likely that the Hawkeyes are among the three teams left out of the Big Ten Tournament. Remember, the Big Ten will only send its top 15 teams to Indianapolis. The race is on.
Marquette Golden Eagles
Despite 27 points from senior star Kam Jones, Marquette couldn’t get stops when it needed it the most, losing 77-67 to a red-hot Creighton team in Omaha on Saturday. Suddenly, the Golden Eagles are starting at a three-game slide.
In hindsight, losses to UConn, St. John’s and Creighton aren’t losses that hurt one's resume. However, this three-game slide certainly leaves room for concern regarding this team’s March outlook. At 18-6 (9-4), the Golden Eagles NET has fallen from 13th to 24th amidst its three-game losing streak – which will unequivocally end up causing Marquette a seed-line come Selection Sunday.