The bubble has been pared down to eleven teams, and it is conference tournament time. One loss and the season is over. Some teams need to do more than others to get into a good position for an at-large bid, but better to win the tournament and erase all doubt.
One nice thing about these conference tournaments in particular is that all games will be at neutral sites. That means any game against a team in the top 50 is a Quad 1 game. Also, the committee likes to see that teams can win off of their home floors. After all, the NCAA Tournament is not played on home courts.
The conference tournament draw is important for bubble teams. You want games that can help you, but they need to be winnable games. You'd have to have to beat Auburn or Duke, for example, just to get any help at all.
Six bubble teams are in action today. They are all opening round games in their conference tournaments. Only a couple are truly helpful.
Check out Palm's latest bracket, full field of 68 and Bubble Watch at the Bracketology hub
All times ET
Bubble teams in action Wednesday
Arkansas
vs. South Carolina, 1 p.m. | SEC Network, fubo (Try for free)
Arkansas is not far above the last four teams in the bracket as we enter the day. The Razorbacks have won four out of five to end the regular season, but that one loss was to the last-place Gamecocks. Another one of those losses and Selection Sunday will be a nervous one for the Razorbacks.
North Carolina
vs. Notre Dame, 2:30 p.m. | ESPN, fubo (Try for free)
Speaking of needing a good draw, North Carolina did not get one. The Tar Heels need quality wins, and the first chance at one would be in the ACC Tournament semifinal against Duke. It would have been far better to be on the other half of the bracket to play Clemson or Louisville. Of course, UNC lost to both of those teams already.
West Virginia
vs. Colorado, 3 p.m. | ESPN+
The Mountaineers are the highest-ranked team still on the bubble and should be OK if they can avoid a bad loss ... but this game provides an opportunity for a bad loss. A win gives them a date with top seed Houston.
Ohio State
vs Iowa, 6 p.m. | Peacock
At 17-14 overall and 11-14 vs. the top three quadrants, Ohio State needs multiple wins in the Big Ten Tournament to have a realistic shot at the Big Dance. The Buckeyes' draw has them facing Illinois if they beat Iowa, then Maryland after that. It is hard to be optimistic for Ohio State if it doesn't get a shot at the Terrapins.
Baylor
vs. Kansas State, 7 p.m. | ESPN+
The Bears are 17-13 entering Big 12 Tournament action and need at least one win to give themselves a chance. The next game would be against Texas Tech, and a victory over the Red Raiders would do it for sure.
Oklahoma
vs. Georgia, 9:30 p.m. | SEC Network, fubo (Try for free)
Georgia has just recently played itself off the bubble, but the Sooners may still have a little work to do. The wins over Missouri and Texas to end the regular season were a big boost, and a win over the Bulldogs should be enough to hear their name called on Sunday. The Sooners would face Kentucky in the next round and should be able to survive a loss to the Wildcats.
Teams near the cut line
| Last 4 In | Team | Record | NET |
|---|---|---|---|
| Baylor | 18-13 | 31 |
 | San Diego State | 21-8 | 51 |
 | Xavier | 21-10 | 44 |
 | Boise State | 22-9 | 47 |
| First 4 Out | Team | Record | NET |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ohio State | 17-14 | 36 |
| North Carolina | 20-12 | 40 |
 | Wake Forest | 21-10 | 69 |
 | Dayton | 22-9 | 67 |
| Next 4 Out | Team | Record | NET |
|---|---|---|---|
 | Colorado State | 22-9 | 54 |
 | Texas | 17-14 | 42 |
 | Cincinnati | 18-14 | 50 |
 | SMU | 22-9 | 49 |
NCAA Tournament locks
Locks based on résumé: 32 | At-large bids in play: 5 | Automatic bids secured: 11 of 31
| ACC (3) | Duke, Clemson, Louisville |
| Big East (4) | Creighton, Marquette, St. John's, UConn |
| Big 12 (6) | Arizona, BYU, Houston, Iowa State, Kansas, Texas Tech |
| Big Ten (8) | Maryland, Michigan, Michigan State, Oregon, Purdue, UCLA, Wisconsin, Illinois |
| SEC (9) | Alabama, Auburn, Florida, Kentucky, Ole Miss, Mississippi State, Missouri, Tennessee, Texas A&M |
| WCC (2) | Gonzaga, Saint Mary's |
Note – all references to NCAA Tournament selection records and trends based on NET rankings excludes the 2021 tournament. Due to shortened schedules and a relatively small number of nonconference games, those rankings are not reliable enough to be considered.
