Note: all rankings are per NET unless otherwise noted

Impact Games of the Weekend

The at-large race continued to narrow after another big time weekend across the nation. Three teams took the big leap up into lock status, headlined by Saint Mary’s picking up the 11-point victory over #6 Gonzaga in the last ever regular season matchup between the WCC rivals before the Bulldogs move into the Pac 12. Kentucky delivered a thorough demolition of #18 Vandy in Rupp Arena to secure its spot and Miami Florida was able to easily navigate past its Q4 landmine vs. #163 Boston College to protect its resume safely into lock zone. Teams at the top made big waves in further separating from the Bubble cut-line as SEC squads Georgia, Texas, and Mizzou all took home significant victories that put each on very strong ground into the final week of the season. At the bottom of the race things turned ugly with three clear eliminations and several borderline programs taking damaging losses. LSU fell on its face at home in a “loser leaves town” match vs. Oklahoma; Syracuse fell to 1-10 in Q1 opportunities with the loss at Wake Forest to end its slim hopes; Washington’s loss accumulation became too heavy with nothing of value remaining on the schedule. Much of the debate down the stretch will be around whether floundering high majors will be granted bids rather than multiple bids granted to the Mountain West, A-10, and MAC if the favorites lose in conference tournaments.

As the Bubble shrinks, so too does the number of critical games, at least until the first wave of mid-major conference tournament finals hit later this week. However there is plenty of room for upheaval before the weekend’s season finales. The week features many upset opportunities, both for at-large teams to boost a resume with a marquee win over an elite squad or for eliminated teams to sneak up and cause an ugly loss on an at-large resume. The spotlight showdowns around the Bubble are Tuesday night with OU looking to stay alive in the race against a surging Mizzou squad, followed into the late night with a Mountain West slugfest between Boise & SDSU where the loser will be on the brink of elimination.

Bubble Battles 🫧🆚🫧

Bubble vs. Locks 🫧🆚🔒

Bubble vs. Spoiler 🫧🆚❌