A few days ago, I was reading the ESPN bubble watch – when the writer basically went on his yearly complaints about how the bubble is so weak. Well, lets see how weak the bubble is – according to their own expert. Here are the teams that will likely be left out.
- Virginia (21-10, RPI=64) – has beaten Wisconsin, UNC, NC State and Duke this year – but style of play has also allowed them to lose games to team they shouldn’t. Still – 4th in the ACC can’t be that bad.
- Kentucky (21-10, RPI=48) – beat Florida and Missouri – but has lost to some teams they shouldn’t have without Noel. Still finished in 2nd in the SEC at 12-6.
- Alabama (19-11, RPI=61) – beat Villanova and Kentucky (when Noel was still playing). Finished tied for 2nd in SEC at 12-6.
- Maryland (21-11, RPI=77) – beat Duke twice as well as NC State. Finish in ACC standings holding them back – but shown they are capable of winning against a tourney type team.
- Tennessee (20-11, RPI=53) – beat Wichita St, Kentucky, Florida and Missouri. Came on strong at end of season but had disappointing loss to Alabama in tournament.
- Southern Miss (25-8, RPI=35) – no top 50 wins but kept it close against Arizona and Wichita St. – finished 2nd in Conf USA – and is playing tomorrow in the championship game against top seed Memphis.
- Massachusetts (20-10, RPI=57) – beat LaSalle and Temple. Winning record in tough Atlantic 10.
- Iowa (21-11, RPI=72) – beat Iowa St, Wisconsin, Minnesota and Illinois. Had better record in Big 10 than Illinois and Minnesota – two teams believed to be in. Strength of schedule holding Hawkeyes back.
And this leaves out some of the top teams from smaller conferences – such as Akron – who are looking to still win their way into the Dance. All these teams have flaws and lost games they shouldn’t. But I wouldn’t say teams that are beating the likes of Duke, Florida and Wisconsin as weak. Inconsistent – but then again, isn’t that the reason they are a bubble team…..
Hope tomorrow’s games are good – lot of championship games and bids to be won……