Bracketology Bubble Watch: West Virginia, last team in the tournament, has big game; UNC out for now
The Mountaineers face Oklahoma State in a game vital to their NCAA Tournament hopes
By
Jerry Palm
•
2 min read
It was another tough day for North Carolina. The Tar Heels lost to NC State on Sunday 77-69 to fall to 10-11 against the top three quadrants. They are still 0-8 vs. Quad 1, although the home loss to Miami floats back and forth between Quads 1 and 2. Currently, it's in Quad 2. UNC has two Quad 1 games left in the regular season. Those are at home to Virginia and Duke. Those are looking like must-win games at this point.
Memphis put up a good effort at Houston, but lost 72-64. The rematch is in Memphis on Mar. 5. The Tigers may need that one to feel good about their at-large chances.
Only Boise State came away a winner among Sunday's bubble teams in action. The Broncos took care of UNLV at home 73-69. They still have three games left against other Mountain West contenders to make the field of 68, including a home game against league leader San Diego State.
There is only one bubble game Monday, but it involves the last team in the current bracket.
NCAA Tournament locks
Locks based on résumé: 16 | Bids secured: 0 | At-large spots remaining: 31
| Conference | Locks | Teams |
|---|---|---|
ACC | 0 | |
Big East | 3 | Marquette, UConn, Xavier |
Big Ten | 2 | Indiana, Purdue |
Big 12 | 4 | |
Pac-12 | 2 | |
SEC | 2 | |
American | 1 | |
Others | 2 | Gonzaga, Saint Mary's |
On the cut line
| Last Four In | Record | NET |
|---|---|---|
| Mississippi State | 18-9 | 43 |
| USC | 19-8 | 56 |
| New Mexico | 20-7 | 47 |
| West Virginia | 15-12 | 32 |
| First Four Out | Record | NET |
| Wisconsin | 15-11 | 7 |
| Penn State | 16-11 | 59 |
| Wake Forest | 17-10 | 77 |
| North Carolina | 16-11 | 48 |
| Next Four Out | Record | NET |
| Utah State | 21-7 | 33 |
| Arizona State | 19-9 | 70 |
| Oregon | 15-13 | 49 |
| Seton Hall | 16-12 | 71 |
Check out all the teams on Palm's Bubble Watch, the field of the 68 and the entire bracket on the Bracketology hub
Bubble team in action Monday
 | |
| vs. Oklahoma State, 7 p.m. | ESPN2, fuboTV (Try for free) – West Virginia is the last team in the current bracket and a big reason why is that the Mountaineers are just 9-12 against the top three quadrants. That would set a new standard for the worst record against that group of teams for an at-large team. Frankly, if West Virginia only plays .500 ball the rest of the way, it probably will not get into the tournament. Unfortunately, this is the easiest game left on the schedule. It's vital that the Mountaineers win it.. | |
All references to NCAA tournament selection records and trends refer only to tournaments going back to 1994 with the exception of 2021. Due to shortened schedules and a relatively small number of nonconference games in 2021, those rankings were not reliable enough to be considered.
