Many of the bubble games happened while I was at work – so I didn’t get to see them, but some comments from looking at the scores:

• Normally when two bubble teams meet in the Conference Tournaments, it helps give a ranking.  I was looking to see which team was for real – North Carolina State or Clemson.  Both have great NET rankings and very little top victories to show for it.  And both went 9-9 in the ACC (so they both won the games they were supposed to win).  You have to give NC State a lot of credit to come back to win the game by 1 at the end.  But they also won the game on a controversial foul call – from the replays, I am not sure he is even touched – tough to call that with 2.6 seconds left in a 1 point game.  So, NC State probably feels a little safer – but I can’t tell from this outcome if both teams deserve to be in, or if both teams should be on the bubble cut line – what I can say is there is very little difference between these teams (which is what I would have said before the game).
• That being said, the Big East showed exactly what not to do in a conference tournament game between two bubble teams.  Butler entered the game at 16-15 with a net ranking of 63 – because 3rd through last in the Big East is all between 9-9 and 7-11, almost the entire Big East shows up in the bubble discussion.  Butler looked like they might still have a chance with a good performance.  But they still were on the weak side of the bubble, so you have to do well.  Losing by 23 to fellow bubble team Providence (net ranking 75) was not the way to separate yourself from the other bubble teams.  If you are on the bubble, you might survive a loss – but you are not surviving a 23 point loss to finish at 16-16.
• Looks like the rest of the bubble is doing what they need – many of them are playing in their conference play-in games (very dangerous games since you don’t get lots of credit for winning these games but you can see your chances severely damaged if you lose) – and while a few teams have struggled (Colorado by 5, TCU by 3 – all the late night games featuring Syracuse and St. John’s are close), they all have managed to pull out the win.  Those are critical victories – you need to win the games you are supposed to win so you can get a free-roll opportunity (well – assuming you don’t get blown out of the water) to upset a team that is highly ranked to improve your profile.
• I have no clue of what to make of the Big 12 – Oklahoma was one of those teams with really good stats from a ranking perspective, but a 7-11 conference record.  I thought that with some of the teams on the bubble, they might be safe.  Then they lost 72-71 to last place West Virginia (13-19) when their last second three-pointer to tie the game was ruled that the player was on the line and it was only a two point basket (that’s a tough way to lose – hit an emotional shot to tie the game just to have replay overrule the call).  The Big 12 is tough – but is it so tough that a team that goes 7-12 in conference should get in the tournament.  I know that they say conference records don’t matter – but something about this doesn’t feel right – it is going to be a nervous next few days for Sooners’ fans.