BUBBLE WATCH 2023: LET THE MADNESS BEGIN!

This magic of the madness has begun across the landscape of college basketball. We are two weeks away from Selection Sunday and there are bubbles all over the place. Aside from the conference champions that earn the automatic qualifying bid, the rest of the field is in the hands of the selection committee. They are reviewing team profiles like it’s a dating app. The decision to swipe right or left is based on Quad 1 victories, strength of schedule and any bad losses among other factors. The Big 12 and Big Ten will be well represented in the Field of 68, but they each have teams clinging to any ounce of hope. The PAC 12 has 4 locks, but the banner is really being held by Arizona and UCLA, with the rest of the programs resemble desperate translucent spheres floating in the breeze. The SEC, Big East, AAC and ACC bubble squads are holding onto lucid dreams.

I have the Big 7 Conferences in terms of college basketball listed below with their bubble teams as of February 24th.

BIG TEN: LOCKS (7). BUBBLE TEAMS (4)

WISCONSIN: 16-11 (8-9). 3 Games Left In The Regular Season

• Quality Victories: Maryland, Marquette, USC, Dayton
• Bad Losses: Nebraska
• Need at least 4 wins between the remaining regular season games and conference tournament

MICHIGAN: 16-12 (10-7). 3 Games Left In The Regular Season

• Quality Victories: PITT, Arizona State, Maryland, Northwestern (twice), Michigan State, Rutgers
• Bad Losses: Central Michigan,
• Need at least 3 wins between the remaining regular season games and conference tournament.

IOWA: 17-11 (9-8). 3 Games Left In The Regular Season

• Quality Victories: Clemson, Iowa State, Indiana, Rutgers (twice), Maryland, Illinois,
• Bad Losses: Eastern Illinois, Nebraska, Ohio State,
• Need at least 3 wins between the remaining regular season games and conference tournament.

PENN STATE: 17-11 (8-9). 3 Games Left In The Regular Season

• Quality Victories: Illinois (twice), Indiana,
• Bad Losses: Nebraska
• Need at least 4 wins between the remaining regular season games and conference tournament.

ACC: LOCKS (6). BUBBLE TEAMS (2)

NORTH CAROLINA: 17-11 (9-8). 3 Games Left In The Regular Season

• Quality Victories: NC State, Clemson,
• Bad Losses: Virginia Tech
• Need at least 4 wins between the remaining regular season games and conference tournament

WAKE FOREST: 17-11 (9-8) 3 Games Left In The Regular Season

• Quality Victories: Duke, Clemson,
• Bad Losses: Loyola Marymount, LSU,
• Need at least 5 wins between the remaining regular season games and conference tournament.

BIG 12: LOCKS (6). BUBBLE TEAMS (1)

OKLAHOMA STATE: 16-12 (7-8). 3 Games Left In The Regular Season

• Quality Victories: Iowa State (twice), TCU
• Bad Losses: Southern Illinois, UCF, Virginia Tech, West Virginia
• Need at least 3 wins between the remaining regular season games and conference tournament

SEC. LOCKS (6). BUBBLE TEAMS (3)

VANDERBILT. 15-13. (8-7). 3 Games Left In The Regular Season

• Quality Victories: Tennessee, Auburn, PITT, Arkansas
• Bad Losses: LSU, Grambling State,
• Need at least 4 wins between the remaining regular season games and conference tournament

FLORIDA. 14-14 (7-8). 3 Games Left In The Regular Season

• Quality Victories: Missouri, Tennessee
• Bad Losses: Oklahoma
• Need at least 5 wins between the remaining regular season games and conference tournament

ARKANSAS. 19-9 (8-7). 3 Games Left In The Regular Season

• Quality Victories: San Diego State, Missouri, Kentucky,
• Bad Losses: LSU, Mississippi State,
• Need at least 2 wins the rest of the year, more importantly a quality win over Alabama, Tennessee and/or Kentucky to wrap the regular season

BIG EAST: LOCKS (5). BUBBLE TEAMS (3)

SETON HALL. 16-12. (9-8). 3 Games Left In The Regular Season

• Quality Victories: Rutgers, UConn,
• Bad Losses: Siena,
• Need at least 4 wins between the remaining regular season games and conference tournament

ST. JOHN’S. 17-12. (7-11). 2 Games Left In The Regular Season

• Quality Victories: Syracuse, UConn, Providence
• Bad Losses. Butler
• Need at least 4 wins between the remaining regular season games and conference tournament

VILLANOVA. 14-14. (8-9). 3 Games Left In The Regular Season

• Quality Victories Xavier
• Bad Losses. Portland, DePaul, Butler,
• The lack of quality victories will require Villanova to win at least 5 games the rest of the season / conference tournament

AMERICAN ATHLETIC CONFERENCE (AAC). LOCKS (4). BUBBLE TEAM (1)

TEMPLE. 15-14. (9-7). 2 Games Left In The Regular Season

• Quality Victories Rutgers, VCU, Cincinnati, Houston
• Bad Losses. Richmond, Ole Miss, MD-Eastern, PENN, SMU,
• Need at least 4 wins between the remaining regular season games and conference tournament

PAC 12 LOCKS (4). BUBBLE TEAMS (2)

UTAH. 17-12 (10-8). 2 Games Left In The Regular Season

• Quality Victories Arizona,
• Bad Losses. Mississippi State, Stanford,
• Need at least 3 wins the rest of the regular season and conference tournament

OREGON. 15-13. (9-8) 3 Games Left In The Regular Season

• Quality Victories: Arizona, Arizona State, USC
• Bad Losses. Utah Valley, Colorado, Stanford, Washington, Washington State
• Need to win the 3 remaining regular season games and advance to the PAC 12 Tournament Championship Game.

Which of these bubble teams will rise to the challenge and make the Big Dance? The scariest part of being on the bubble is seeing a ranked Mid-Major team from a traditionally 1 bid league lose in their conference tournament. That usually means a bid has been stolen. In the end, you’re on the bubble for a reason and the only solution is to win.

Make sure you subscribe to The Irrational Confidence Podcast (@IRConfidencePod on Twitter) and join us for March Madness. We’re dropping episodes covering our Hostile Takeover Bracket Pool as well as reviewing the Field of 68 as a whole. We are available on every podcast platform as well as the Spinnable Sports YouTube Channel.

BRING ON THE MADNESS!!!