The final Tuesday of the college basketball regular season lived up to the hype, as Ohio State, North Carolina and Arkansas picked up massive wins to keep their respective hopes of an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament alive. The biggest game with bubble implications happened in Columbus, Ohio, where Ohio State defeated Nebraska 116-114 in double overtime.
Ohio State’s matchup with Nebraska was considered a double-bubble game. Nebraska, North Carolina, Ohio State and Cincinnati entered the day as the “Last Four” teams out in CBS Sports’ latest Bracketology projections by Jerry Palm. Three of those four teams were in action, while Cincinnati was idle. The Bearcats face Kansas State on Wednesday.
The other team on that list in action was North Carolina. The Tar Heels picked up their sixth consecutive win in decisive fashion with a beatdown win on the road at Virginia Tech behind a season-high 15 3-pointers. UNC has a massive showdown and a great opportunity against No. 2 Duke in Chapel Hill this weekend that could make or break its tournament hopes.
With an emphasis on teams currently on the bubble, here are six of the biggest takeaways from Tuesday’s college basketball slate.
Ohio State wins double-bubble thriller vs. Nebraska
If you watched Ohio State vs. Nebraska from start to finish, you witnessed one of the best games of the 2024-25 college basketball season. Add what was on the line, and you have a heartbreaking result for Nebraska and arguably the most significant win of Jake Diebler’s young tenure at Ohio State. With both teams on the outside looking in, the winner of this game is likely to have the inside track of potentially receiving an at-large bid. The Buckeyes had lost five of their last seven games before picking up wins over USC and Nebraska to move to 9-10 in Big Ten play.
Ohio State has one game remaining in conference play against Indiana this weekend. Just like tonight, the winner of that game should feel good about their chances heading into Selection Sunday, while the loser will have to sweat it out heading into the conference tournament.
North Carolina avoids the trap ahead of rivalry game vs. Duke
The Tar Heels didn’t get caught looking ahead to its biggest game of the season and cruised to a 91-59 win over Virginia Tech inside Cassell Coliseum. The Tar Heels ended the first half on a 15-1 run and didn’t look back to keep their hopes of an at-large berth alive. North Carolina has now won its last six games and sits firmly on the bubble ahead of a massive opportunity vs. Duke on Saturday. It’s been an Impressive run for the Tar Heels. Carolina has won five straight ACC games by 10 or more points and Is averaging 90.8 points in the last six games
A win over the Blue Devils would add a signature victory and a much-needed Quad 1 win to UNC’s résumé ahead of the ACC Tournament next week. There is still an outside chance North Carolina can get into the NCAA Tournament without a win over Duke and/or running the table in the ACC Tournament. However, the safer bet would be to add this marquee win to its résumé. North Carolina still controls its destiny to get into the NCAA Tournament. A loss to Virginia Tech would’ve essentially ended UNC’s at-large hopes.
Arkansas bounces back in a big way after its worst loss of the season
What a difference a few days make. Three days ago, Arkansas suffered an ugly loss against South Carolina after recording back-to-back impressive wins over Missouri and Texas. The Razorbacks played one of their best games against Vanderbilt and held on for a 90-77 win behind a team-high 21 points from Johnell Davis. Arkansas was one of the “Last Four In” in the latest Bracketology projections, and this result is certain to help its cause. The Razorbacks have one game remaining against Mississippi State at home.
Texas stays in the hunt … barely
This game wasn’t pretty. In fact, Texas’ 87-82 win over No. 25 Mississippi State was ugly down the stretch. But the Longhorns are still alive (for now) in the NCAA Tournament picture after securing a dramatic victory in overtime on the road. With less than 13 seconds remaining and leading by four in regulation, Texas committed a foul and then turned the ball over on its ensuing possession, which led to Mississippi State getting an easy layup to tie the game. In the overtime period, Mississippi State had a chance to take the lead, but guard Riley Kugel missed both free throws. After all that, Mississippi State still had a chance to tie the game again, but star guard Josh Hubbard missed a 3-pointer with 10 seconds remaining. Texas still has a game against Oklahoma before the SEC Tournament next week. The Longhorns will need to win that game and a few games at the SEC Tournament to be considered for an at-large berth.
Indiana missed golden opportunity for marquee win
With 1:58 remaining in regulation, Indiana forward Trey Galloway knocked down a 3-pointer to help his team take a 64-63 lead. Oregon closed the game on a 10-0 run during the final two minutes of action and held on for a 73-64 win over the Hoosiers. Indiana entered the day on the No. 10 seed line, and although this loss isn’t a backbreaker, it could’ve potentially put Mike Woodson’s squad off the bubble and into the tournament for good. Indiana closes the regular season this weekend against Ohio State, which will end up being another critical double-bubble game before the Big Ten Tournament begins.
Georgia should feel good about reaching the NCAA Tournament
Georgia has looked like a different team since dropping its fourth consecutive game against Auburn last month. Since losing to Auburn, Georgia has fired off three straight wins, which included an upset win over then-No. 3 Florida and a 73-64 victory against South Carolina on the road. The Bulldogs’ win on Tuesday night over the team with the worst record in the SEC wasn’t something to write home about, but Georgia did what it needed to do to stay off the bubble. With a final game against Vanderbilt this weekend and the SEC Tournament on the horizon, the Bulldogs still have more work to do to feel safe on Selection Sunday, but this mini-winning streak should have them comfortably in the field. Georgia is currently on the No. 10 line in Palm’s latest Bracketology.
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