Every year we get to this point and we here the same lines about the bubble being soft and 2-3 spots still being open for discussion on the last weekend. This year, though, it's even worse as there are still 5 bubble spots open with 2 days left! I went back to the last couple years and at this point last year we were looking at 3 teams for 1 spot. Last year it was Iona who got that last bid over Drexel and Seton Hall. Looking at this year situation I'm shocked at what fills out spots 64-68. Look at these last 5 in and tell me any of them should feel confident this morning:
64 - Mississippi
65 - Temple
66 - LaSalle
67 - Middle Tennessee State
68 - Southern Miss (who I reluctantly put in)
And look at the First and NextFour Out. Do any of these teams really "deserve" a bid?
69 - Boise State
70 - Virginia
71 - Alabama
72 - Tennessee
73 - Kentucky
74 - Maryland
75 - UMass
76 - Baylor
The good news is that Southern Miss, Alabama, Maryland, and UMass still control their destiny. The rest are left waiting until tomorrow evening.
A second bubble note is that most years there is a surpring team that everybody believes is in but either gets shafted or gets a really low seed. The two teams I think have a chance to be that "surprise" team is either Oklahoma (great computer numbers but average resume), or California (take out their 6 game February win streak and they are a NIT team). I'll be watching those teams closely.
And last but not least is are the number 1 seeds. Most years we have 3 locked in and then usually the last filled by the winner of either the B1G or Big East Tournament. This year we have 2 locked, Indiana and Gonzaga, with 5-6 teams still alive for the last two. Miami can get 1 if they win the ACC tournament and Louisville gets the other if they win tonight. However, if neither of those two win their tourneys it's wide open for Duke, Kansas, or even Michigan State to grab one. There's a lot to be settled in the next 36 hours.
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