From now until Selection Sunday, we’ll be taking a weekly look at the NCAA Tournament Bubble Losers to determine who is falling out of contention for a spot in the field of 68.
- Seton Hall: The Pirates need to do everything they can these final weeks, because dropping one at home to Butler is looking like it could be the difference (if the tournament started right now) between a spot in the field and staying home. Four straight wins had gotten them back in the conversation, but dropping home games is a recipe for exclusion.
- LSU: Not winning on the road is normal in college hoops, but for a team like LSU that’s trying to dig out of their RPI hole, beating South Carolina would have been huge. They’re at No. 76 in the RPI and have three games left against teams in the RPI top 50. If they swept those games they’d have five wins against the top 50…not exactly something that screams inclusion–especially considering their four sub-100 losses.
- Washington: The Huskies missed a chance to steal one in Salt Lake City against Utah on Wednesday, confirming the season sweep at the hands of the Utes. Those are two opportunities to make up for losses to Oakland and UC-Santa Barbara missed out on. Of their final six games, all but one are against RPI top 100 teams, so there are plenty of opportunities for wins.
- George Washington: Here’s the thing about their resume…it’s neither terrible nor amazing. It’s very, bubble-ish. They’ve got seven top 100 wins, but losses against RPI numbers 206 and 167. Come Selection Sunday, this is always the kind of resume that gets left out in favor of a major conference team who played the majority of their season against the RPI top 75.
- SDSU: Uncharacteristically, the Aztecs have three bad losses on their resume right now, including the stinker of all stinkers, to San Diego. They currently have one win against the RPI top 50. If they don’t win the conference tournament, it’s hard to believe that they’ll get in, unless name recognition wins out.
