LAST BUBBLE ARTICLES BEFORE CONTEST, STARTS SUNDAY

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01- PirateDave
Administrator, Expert-10 Years

Posts: 693

LAST BUBBLE ARTICLES BEFORE CONTEST, STARTS SUNDAY Feb 19, 2015 18:44:55 GMT -6

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Post by 01- PirateDave on Feb 19, 2015 18:44:55 GMT -6

Bubble Tracker: Ranking signature victories of every bubble team
Shelby Mast and Scott Gleeson, USA TODAY Sports 1:06 p.m. EST February 19, 2015

For bubble teams, victories against marquee opponents can be the deciding factor in whether the NCAA tournament selection committee puts them in the field of 68.

Of all the numbers considered — RPI, strength of schedule — signature wins jump out, just as résumé-staining losses can have the opposite effect on the committee.

North Carolina State, for example, has big wins against Duke and Louisville. Other bubble teams, such as Iowa or UCLA, have marquee victories (the Hawkeyes beat UNC and the Bruins beat Utah) that narrowly push them in the field right now.

With close to three weeks until Selection Sunday, here's a look at every major bubble teams' best victory, ranked in order of impact on NCAA tournament credentials.

1. North Carolina State: Win vs. Duke.
2. Miami: Win vs. Duke.
3. Pittsburgh: Win vs. Notre Dame.
4. Iowa: Win vs. North Carolina.
5. UCLA: Win vs. Utah.
6. Illinois: Win vs. Maryland.
7. LSU: Win vs. West Virginia.
8. Purdue: Win vs. Ohio State.
9. Michigan State: Win vs. Ohio State.
10. Texas: Win vs. West Virginia.
11. Ole Miss: Win vs. Arkansas.
12. Colorado State: Win vs. San Diego State.
13. Xavier: Wins vs. Georgetown (twice).
14. Stanford: Win vs. Texas.
15. UMass: Win vs. Dayton.
16. Davidson: Win vs. Dayton.
17. UConn: Win vs. Dayton.
18. Tulsa: Win vs. Temple.
19. Alabama: Win vs. UCLA.
20. Oregon: Win vs. UCLA.
21. St. John's: Win vs. Xavier.
22. Texas A&M: Wins vs. LSU (twice).
23. Georgia: Win vs. Ole Miss.
24. Boise State: Win vs. Colorado State.
25. Rhode Island: Win vs. UMass.

Note: Bubble teams from mid-major leagues were not considered.

Bubble Tracker conference-by-conference breakdowns of the strength and weaknesses of borderline teams. Data as of Feb. 19. (Results/records shown are against Division I opponents only).

Removed from consideration: Clemson, Michigan, Wyoming, George Washington, Minnesota

source: imgur.com
In: SMU

Probable: Cincinnati, Temple

Bubble team résumés

(OUT) Tulsa: 18-6 (11-2), 48 RPI, 110 SoS

The Good: Win vs. Temple

The Bad: Loss vs. Oral Roberts

(OUT) UConn: 14-10 (7-5), 83 RPI, 74 SoS

The Good: Wins vs. Dayton, Florida, Cincinnati and Tulsa

The Bad: Losses vs. Yale and Houston

source: imgur.com
In: Virginia, Duke, North Carolina, Louisville, Notre Dame

Probable: None

Bubble team résumés

(IN) North Carolina State:15-11 (6-7), 48 RPI, 4 SoS

The Good: Wins vs. Duke, Richmond, Boise State, Tennessee, Pittsburgh and Louisville

The Bad: Losses vs. Wofford, Clemson and Wake Forest

(OUT) Miami: 17-9 (7-6), 64 RPI, 66 SoS

The Good: Wins vs. Florida, Illinois, Duke, N.C. State and Syracuse

The Bad: Losses vs. Eastern Kentucky Florida State and Georgia Tech

(OUT) Pittsburgh: 16-10 (6-7), 50 RPI, 33 SoS

The Good: Wins vs. Notre Dame and North Carolina

The Bad: Losses vs. Hawaii, Clemson, Virginia Tech and Wake Forest

source: imgur.com
In: VCU

Probable: Dayton

Bubble team résumés

(OUT) Davidson: 17-6 (9-4), 44 RPI, 124 SoS

The Good: Wins vs. UMass and Dayton

The Bad: Losses vs. St. Joseph's and St. Bonaventure

(OUT) UMass: 16-10 (9-4), 40 RPI, 36 SoS

The Good: Wins vs. Iona and Dayton

The Bad: Losses vs. Harvard, Florida Gulf Coast, St. Bonaventure and St. Joseph's

(OUT) Rhode Island: 17-6 (10-3), 63 RPI, 127 SoS

The Good: Win vs. George Washington and UMass

The Bad: Losses vs. Georgia Tech and St. Joseph's

source: imgur.com
In: Villanova, Butler

Probable: Providence, Georgetown

Bubble team résumés

(IN) Xavier: 17-10 (7-7), 33 RPI, 20 SoS

The Good: Wins vs. Alabama, Georgetown (twice), Seton Hall, Providence and Cincinnati

The Bad: Losses vs. UTEP, Long Beach State, Auburn, DePaul and Creighton

(IN) St. Johns: 16-9 (6-7), 41 RPI, 25 SoS

The Good: Wins vs. Syracuse, St. Mary's, Providence (twice) and Xavier

The Bad: Losses vs. DePaul and Creighton

(OUT) Seton Hall: 15-11 (5-9), 69 RPI, 48 SoS

The Good: Wins vs. George Washington, Villanova, St. John's and Xavier

The Bad: Losses vs. DePaul (twice) and Marquette

source: imgur.com
In: Wisconsin, Maryland

Probable: Ohio State, Indiana

Bubble team résumés

(IN) Michigan State: 18-8 (9-4), 32 RPI, 38 SoS

The Good: Wins vs. Indiana, Iowa and Ohio State

The Bad: Losses vs. Texas Southern and Nebraska

(IN) Iowa: 15-10 (6-6), 60 RPI, 21 SoS

The Good: Wins vs. Ohio St. (twice), Maryland and North Carolina

The Bad: Losses vs. Syracuse, Purdue and Northwestern

(IN) Illinois: 17-9 (7-6), 42 RPI, 52 SoS

The Good: Wins vs. Baylor, Maryland and Michigan State

The Bad: Losses vs. Michigan, Nebraska and Minnesota.

(IN) Purdue: 17-9 (9-4), 72 RPI, 79 SoS

The Good: Wins vs. BYU, N.C. State, Michigan, Iowa, Indiana and Ohio State

The Bad: Losses vs. Kansas State, North Florida, Vanderbilt, Gardner-Webb and Minnesota

In: Kansas, Iowa State, West Virginia, Baylor, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State

Probable: None

Bubble team résumés

(IN) Texas: 17-9 (6-7), 34 RPI, 22 SoS

The Good: Wins vs. Iowa and West Virginia

The Bad: No bad losses

source: imgur.com
In: None

Probable: San Diego State

Bubble team résumés

(IN) Colorado State: 21-5 (9-5), 26 RPI, 95 SoS

The Good: Wins vs. Boise State and San Diego State

The Bad: Losses vs. New Mexico and Wyoming (twice)

(OUT) Boise State: 17-7 (9-4), 36 RPI, 96 SoS

The Good: Wins vs. Colorado State and St. Mary's

The Bad: Losses vs. Loyola-Chicago, Utah State, Wyoming and Fresno State

source: imgur.com
In: Arizona, Utah

Probable: None

Bubble team résumés

(IN) UCLA: 16-11 (8-6), 44 RPI, 18 SoS

The Good: Wins vs. Stanford (twice), Utah and Oregon

The Bad: Losses vs. Oregon, Oregon State, Colorado and Arizona State

(IN) Stanford: 16-9 (7-6), 51 RPI, 62 SoS

The Good: Wins vs. Wofford and Texas

The Bad: Losses vs. DePaul, Washington State and Colorado

(OUT) Oregon: 18-8 (9-5), 58 RPI, 75 SoS

The Good: Wins vs. Illinois and UCLA

The Bad: Losses vs. Michigan and Washington State

source: imgur.com
In: Kentucky, Arkansas

Probable: None

Bubble team résumés

(IN) Ole Miss: 17-8 (8-4), 38 RPI, 42 SoS

The Good: Wins vs. Cincinnati, Oregon, Arkansas, Florida (twice) and Texas A&M

The Bad: Losses vs. TCU and Charleston Southern

(IN) LSU: 18-8 (7-6), 54 RPI, 87 SoS

The Good: Wins vs. UMass, West Virginia, Georgia, Ole Miss and Tennessee

The Bad: Losses vs. Missouri, Mississippi State and Auburn

(IN) Georgia: 16-9 (7-6), 43 RPI, 35 SoS

The Good: Wins vs. Ole Miss and Texas A&M

The Bad: Losses vs. Georgia Tech, South Carolina (twice) and Auburn

(IN) Texas A&M: 18-7 (9-4), 35 RPI, 73 SoS

The Good: Wins vs. LSU (twice), Tennessee and Florida

The Bad: Loss vs. Kansas State

(OUT) Alabama: 15-10 (6-7), 67 RPI, 51 SoS

The Good: Wins vs. UCLA, Texas A&M and Tennessee

The Bad: Loss vs. South Carolina and Vanderbilt

source: imgur.com
Others — assuming these teams do not win their conference tourney and secure an auto-bid.

In: Gonzaga, Wichita State, Northern Iowa

Probable: None

Bubble: Old Dominion (out), Western Kentucky (out), Wofford (out), Green Bay (out), Murray State (out), Iona (out), Stephen F. Austin (out), Eastern Washington (out), Bowling Green (out), BYU (out), Saint Mary's (out), Louisiana Tech (out)

***

Last Edit: Feb 19, 2015 23:37:17 GMT -6 by 01- PirateDave

Shiver me timbers.

01- PirateDave
Administrator, Expert-10 Years

Posts: 693

LAST BUBBLE ARTICLES BEFORE CONTEST, STARTS SUNDAY Feb 19, 2015 23:08:48 GMT -6

Quote

Post by 01- PirateDave on Feb 19, 2015 23:08:48 GMT -6

More Bubble News From 2/19/2015

Bubble Banter: How close is Purdue to a bid, and is SMU a lock yet?
Rob Dauster, NBC Feb 19, 2015, 10:24 PM EST

WINNERS

Purdue: The Boilermakers are the hottest team in the Big Ten not named Wisconsin, as they have now won seven of their last eight after knocking off the Hoosiers in Assembly Hall. But Purdue still has a ton of ground to make up to do a horrid non-conference season that included losses to North Florida and Gardner-Webb at home and (currently) sub-100 teams Kansas State and Vanderbilt. Last week’s loss at Minnesota certainly didn't help, either. They’ll have chances, however. If they get past Rutgers, Purdue’s last three games look like this: at Ohio State, at Michigan State, Illinois. All three at top 50 opponents. They probably want to win two of those three to feel safe.
SMU: The Mustang win over Temple on Thursday night should just about lock them into an NCAA tournament berth. They are currently 22-5 overall and tied for first place in the American, and while they only have three top 50 wins on the season, they have eight top 100 wins and exactly zero losses outside the top 50. Those numbers could change by the end of the season — Cincinnati swept SMU and are No. 49 in the RPI, and SMU beat Tulsa, who is No. 48 — but the bottom line is this: even if the Mustangs were to lose out and lose in the first round of the American tournament, they would finish the season with a 22-9 record and, at most, one loss to a sub-100 opponent with eight top 100 wins. That’s damn good for a bubble team this year.
Dayton: Like SMU, Dayton is approaching lock status due to the fact that they simply do not have many sore spots on their resume. Unlike SMU, the Flyers still have some potential potholes remaining, as their next two opponents are of the sub-200 variety. Handle Duquesne and George Mason the way the Flyers did St. Joe’s on Thursday, and they should feel pretty good about their chances. I’d still recommend winning one of their last three, however: at VCU, Rhode Island, at La Salle.
Iowa: The good news for Iowa is that there is a lot to like about their profile. A win at North Carolina. A sweep of Ohio State. A win over Maryland. Prior to last week, they didn’t have a bad loss, either, but that changed when they not only dropped a game to Minnesota but they lost at Northwestern as well. Now, after beating Rutgers, the Hawkeyes are 16-10 overall and 7-6 in the Big Ten. Can the Hawkeyes avoid another collapse this season?
Ole Miss: The Rebels are in that ‘should get in category’, as they have three top 50 wins and seven top 100 wins. But losses to TCU, Western Kentucky and Charleston Southern are tough to overlook, which is why the Rebels needed this win over Mississippi State. Four of their last five games are against top 100 competition, and while Ole Miss is one of the hottest teams in the country — they've won seven of their last eight — they still have some work left to do.
LOSERS

Temple: “Loser” may be a bit harsh here, as the Owls fell at SMU, who currently ranks in the RPI top 25 and is the leader in the American. The Owls were already a No. 9 seed in our latest bracket, and the only thing they lost on Thursday was a chance to solidify their resume.

Shiver me timbers.

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Feb 11, 2019 12:12:15 GMT -6

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13- Justin: I'm not sure how I came out on top this year. I guess it was just meant to be! Apr 6, 2015 21:58:36 GMT -6

20- Lola: Wow!!! Dave that was awesome. Thanks so very much!!! The Wildcats gave me a good birthday present against Notre Dame!! Mar 30, 2015 10:36:17 GMT -6

01- PirateDave: If they get past West Virginia, then YES. Mar 19, 2015 18:36:08 GMT -6

16- James: Hey group do y'all think Kentucky is going to run the table Mar 17, 2015 20:09:40 GMT -6

16- James: Good luck to everybody to Mar 17, 2015 20:05:24 GMT -6

Rey:

good luck to all! Mar 17, 2015 14:36:59 GMT -6

16- James: It's basketball time Mar 16, 2015 11:28:28 GMT -6

06- Greg W.: Ready to win this year. Ha! Ha! Mar 8, 2015 11:22:22 GMT -6

Ralph from LA: Hey pirate dave, dude you have a cool set up here. How can I join? Feb 26, 2015 0:29:58 GMT -6

01- PirateDave: Sonny, Money came today, marked you paid. Feb 21, 2015 15:27:42 GMT -6

01- PirateDave: Sonny, Don't worry about it....some folks in West Va. haven't had mail delivery for 4 days. Feb 20, 2015 11:36:06 GMT -6 *

08- Sonny: Dave, I really did put the check in the mail. But guess with all the snow etc. mail is slow. Good job on the sites. Feb 20, 2015 9:40:26 GMT -6

Mary: Best message board I've ever seen. Love all the features and so colorful! Sets a very positive tone. Feb 19, 2015 20:45:29 GMT -6