Let’s hope smiles are this big two weeks from today when the Gophers find out their NCAA Tournament fate.
PALMS A SWEATIN’, MINN. — The bubble just got really tight for the Gophers after another failed opportunity in Ann Arbor. At this writing (Sunday morning), I have 52 of the 68 NCAA bids (32 auto bids, 20 locks) accounted for, with another 11 teams sitting “on the threshold”, in excellent shape to get a bid. Essentially, I believe those teams become locks simply by winning one or maybe two more games.
That leaves 5 at-large bids available. I have 17 teams competing for those 5 spots (a couple might surprise you, hint, one of ’em wears orange & blue), however, of those 17 there are 9 squarely on the bubble. In RTSS’ estimation, those 9 are the truest of the true “bubblers”. They are the Gophers, Cal, Dayton, Missouri, Nebraska, Oregon, Providence, Stanford, and Tennessee. Obviously, some of those teams won’t make the NCAA Tournament, not to mention that the bubble is sure to shrink further with a few bid-stealers during a Championship Week that kicks off Monday with the first round of the Patriot League Tournament (#9 Lafayette @ #8 Loyola-Maryland, #10 Navy @ #7 Colgate).
So without further babble, here’s how RTSS views the NCAA tourney field on the advent of Championship Week. Tournament candidates are separated into 5 categories: (1) conference leaders/highest remaining seed in conference tourney; (2) locks; (3) on the threshold; (4) truest of the true bubblers; and (5) still in the mix. Teams RPI’s are noted in parentheses.
Conference Leaders/Highest Remaining Seeds (32)
America East: Vermont (98)
American: Cincinnati (16)
ACC: Virginia (10)
Atlantic Sun: Florida Gulf Coast (148)
Atlantic 10: Saint Louis (17)
Big East: Villanova (4)
Big Sky: Weber State (181)
Big South: High Point (170)
Big Ten: Michigan (12)
Big XII: Kansas (2)
Big West: UC-Irvine (107)
Colonial: Delaware (74)
Conference USA: Southern Miss (37)
Horizon: Green Bay (51)
Ivy: Harvard (53)
MAAC: Iona (68)
MAC: Toledo (39)
MEAC: North Carolina Central (117)
Missouri Valley: Wichita State (6)
Mountain West: San Diego State (22)
Northeast: Robert Morris (113)
Ohio Valley: Belmont (59)
Pac 12: Arizona (1)
Patriot: Boston U (79)
SEC: Florida (3)
Southern: Davidson (130)
Southland: Stephen F. Austin (69)
SWAC: Alabama State (266)
Summit: North Dakota State (42)
Sun Belt: Georgia State (86)
West Coast: Gonzaga (26)
WAC: Utah Valley (140)
Locks (20)
American: Connecticut (27), Louisville (31), Memphis (32)
ACC: Syracuse (7), Duke (9), North Carolina (19)
Atlantic 10: Massachusetts (13), VCU (15)
Big East: Creighton (8)
Big Ten: Wisconsin (5), Ohio State (23), Michigan State (24)
Big XII: Iowa State (11), Oklahoma (21), Texas (25), Kansas State (36)
Mountain West: New Mexico (14)
Pac 12: UCLA (20), Arizona State (28)
SEC: Kentucky (18)
On the Threshold (11)
American: SMU (41)
ACC: Pitt (44)
Atlantic 10: George Washington (29), Saint Joseph’s (35)
Big East: Xavier (38)
Big Ten: Iowa (40)
Big XII: Oklahoma State (45), Baylor (46)
Pac 12: Colorado (30)
SEC: Arkansas (58)
West Coast: BYU (34)
Truest of the True Bubblers (9)
Atlantic 10: Dayton (49)
Big East: Providence (56)
Big Ten: GOPHERS (47), Nebraska (54)
Pac 12: Oregon (33), Stanford (43), Cal (50)
SEC: Tennessee (48), Missouri (52)
In the Mix (8)
ACC: Florida State (57), Clemson (76)
Big East: Saint John’s (60), Georgetown (61), Marquette (70)
Big Ten: Illinois (71)
Mountain West: Boise State (55)
SEC: LSU (64)
RTSS wishes you a happy Championship Week(s), and while we’re at it, let’s hope we see a lot of bubble teams lose this week leading up to the Gophers’ Senior Night and season finale Sunday vs. Penn State. I have a feeling there’s going to be lots of “bottom line scroll watching” this week.