A-rod hits half court shot at Bucknell vs Army college basketball game
Former MLB All-star Alex Rodriguez makes a half-court shot at halftime of college game Bucknell vs Army.
With only a week and change left in the college basketball regular season, it’s firmly crunch time for teams on the NCAA Tournament bubble.
The conference tournament remains, of course, as a last chance for teams to improve their resume ahead of the big dance.
Three SEC teams remain on the edge of the bubble, as Oklahoma and Texas are listed as the last four in on ESPN’s Bracketology, with Georgia as the first team out. Indiana and Ohio State also appear to be holding on by a thread, and blue-blood North Carolina hopes to play itself into a berth down the stretch.
There isn’t much room for error left in the 2024-25 season for numerous bubble teams, not all of which will be able to make the 68-team field.
Here’s an updated look at the NCAA Tournament bubble, with which teams are locks and likely in the field as the calendar flipped to March:
March Madness bracket bubble watch tracker
Tracker based on games through Saturday, March 1
NCAA Tournament locks
- ACC: Duke, Clemson, Louisville
- Big Ten: Michigan State, Michigan, Purdue, Wisconsin, Maryland, Oregon, UCLA
- Big 12: Houston, Iowa State, Texas Tech, Arizona, Kansas, BYU
- Big East: St. John’s, Marquette, Creighton, UConn
- SEC: Auburn, Florida, Alabama, Tennessee, Texas A&M, Mississippi State, Missouri, Kentucky, Ole Miss
- Other: Memphis, Saint Mary’s, Utah State
Not much has changed on the locks front, with each of the teams listed being definite NCAA Tournament teams in 2025. The SEC and Big Ten lead with nine and six teams each, respectively.
NCAA Tournament likely ins
- ACC: None
- Big Ten: Illinois
- Big 12: Baylor, West Virginia
- Big East: None
- SEC: Vanderbilt
- Other: New Mexico, Gonzaga, VCU, Drake
At this point in the regular season, most teams have either locked up a spot or are firmly on the bubble.
The teams listed here should be in, although mid-major programs such as New Mexico, VCU and Drake can’t feel comfortable without winning their respective conference tournaments. Baylor, West Virginia and Vanderbilt are hoping to avoid complete collapses down the stretch, but otherwise should be in the NCAA Tournament.
NCAA Tournament bubble teams
- ACC: SMU, North Carolina, Wake Forest
- Big Ten: Ohio State, Indiana, Nebraska
- Big 12: Cincinnati
- Big East: Xavier, Villanova
- SEC: Arkansas, Oklahoma, Texas, Georgia
- Other: UC San Diego, San Diego State, Liberty, Boise State, UC Irvine, North Texas, George Mason, Bradley
Without winning their respective conference tournaments, a few non-power conference teams might be sweating come Selection Sunday, regardless of their impressive seasons.
The final stretch of the SEC regular season might just be a photo finish, especially as Oklahoma and Texas both end their regular seasons against each other. The winner of that game could potentially put the other out of NCAA Tournament consideration, as the Sooners nearly added wins against Kentucky and Ole Miss on the road this week but came up short with one- and three-point losses.
Arkansas’ chances took a hit on Saturday, as the Razorbacks suffered an unfortunate 19-point loss to South Carolina, who entered the game with only one SEC win this season.
The final week will be a good one for Big Ten bubble teams, as well, as Ohio State faces fellow bubble teams Nebraska and Indiana, who is somehow still sticking around, despite Mike Woodson announcing his retirement after the season.
SMU is hoping to hold on to a bid, despite not having a ranked win this season. North Carolina and Wake Forest are on the outside looking in, although the Demon Deacons have a shot at Duke to end the regular season.
This post was originally published on this site be sure to check out more of their content.
