Editor’s note: This article is part of the Bracket Central series, an inside look at the run-up to the men’s and women’s NCAA Tournaments, along with analysis and picks during the tournaments.
Nonconference slates and stretches build the foundation of NCAA Tournament resumes, but February runs make and break how a program gets seeded in March. Midway through conference play, the only thing clear about how the bracket will shake out is that every door seems slightly open.
The first year of power conferences in realignment has sent Mercury into retrograde, the Big 12 into the shadow realm, and midmajors in a position to possibly surprise and benefit from all this.
In our first iteration of this season’s bubble watch, let’s check who’s on the outside looking in, who needs a positive stretch run, and who’s shoring up their case as a tournament lock.
ACC
Locks: Notre Dame
Projected in: North Carolina State, Florida State, Duke, North Carolina, California, Georgia Tech
On the bubble: Louisville, Virginia Tech, Stanford
| Team | Record | NET | SOS | Quad 1 | Quad 2 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Louisville |
15-7 |
42 |
14 |
1-6 |
3-1 |
|
Stanford |
11-10 |
46 |
16 |
1-7 |
0-2 |
|
Virginia Tech |
15-7 |
48 |
39 |
1-6 |
1-0 |
Spotlight on: Stanford
Since losing in the Bay Area Classic, an 84-59 drubbing to Ohio State, the Cardinal have gone 3-6….
