Bracketology: Last four teams in, first four teams out of NCAA Tournament
The American Athletic Conference has three of the last four teams on the latest bracket projection. Here's a breakdown of the last four in and the first four out.
By
Jerry Palm
•
2 min read
>> More Bracketology: Bubble Watch | Compare any two teams
The American Athletic Conference tournament, which starts Thursday in Orlando, could be known as the "Bubble Bracket."
Five teams currently on the bubble are from the AAC, including three of the last four teams in the bracket.
The big game as far as the bubble is concerned is when UConn and Cincinnati face each other on Friday at 2 p.m.
Here's a quick look at the Last Four In and First Four out heading into Wednesday's action:
LAST FOUR IN
CINCINNATI: The Bearcats picked up a huge win over SMU in the season finale. The Bearcats had been the only team in the league without a win the Mustangs, and because SMU is ineligible for the American tournament, it was their last chance. They aren't out of the woods yet, but that win filled a hole in their resume. Cincinnati faces UConn in the first round of the conference tournament.
UCONN: The Huskies got hammered at SMU, which dropped them to 6-10 vs the top 100 teams in the RPI. All but two of those losses have come to teams UConn could be competing with for a spot in the field. Non-conference wins over Texas and Michigan help. They will face Cincinnati in the American conference tournament opener. UConn was swept by the Bearcats in the regular season.
VANDERBILT: Vanderbilt lost at Texas A&M to end the regular season after having won four of the previous five. The Commodores are only 2-7 against the top 50 with both wins coming at home. They have not been good away from home this season. The first game of the SEC tournament will only provide an opportunity for another bad loss.
TULSA: The Golden Hurricane have some nice wins, including one at SMU and a few home games against other bubblers, most recently Temple. Tulsa will face Memphis in the American conference tournament opener. The Tigers won the only regular season meeting.
FIRST FOUR OUT
MICHIGAN: The Wolverines finished the regular season losing at home to Iowa. That dropped them to 3-9 vs the top 50, 3-11 vs the top 100 and 10-11 vs the top 200. Those are bad numbers. The three wins are pretty good, but they will need more to find their way into the field. Michigan is the 8-seed in the Big Ten tournament.
GEORGE WASHINGTON: The Colonials have a few nice wins, including Virginia and Seton Hall, but also a few bad losses. Despite those wins, they didn't play a great non-conference schedule and struggled against the better teams in the league, so they only have four top 100 wins total. They probably need a deep A-10 tournament run to get an at-large. They are the 5-seed.
WICHITA STATE: Wichita State has a win over Utah and that's pretty much it. The complaints about how some of their losses came without Fred Van Vleet ring hollow when you consider that he played in their three worst losses, including the most recent one in the MVC tournament to Northern Iowa. There just isn't much here to merit selection.
MONMOUTH: Monmouth will be an interesting case for the committee if the Hawks need an at-large bid. Their collection of wins is better than any of the other non-majors, maybe even all of them combined. However, they already have three 200+ RPI losses, and that is definitely in the danger zone for getting a bid. Losing two out of three to Iona doesn't help either.
