Vanderbilt- The Commodores needed a prayer, and they made one at the end of the 1st half that helped them roll to a great road win at Florida. Vandy is now moving closer but still lack quality wins. Kentucky comes to town giving them a crucial opportunity.
Texas Tech- The Red Raiders survived a scare at home against TCU giving them their first ever 5 game winning streak against the Big 12. Texas Tech is suddenly very close to the safe zone. 1 more win will put them there. A trip to Kansas is up next.
Tulsa- The Golden Hurricane continued their hot streak by blitzing Temple. Tulsa is right on the cut line and is arguably playing the best ball of anyone in the American. A trip to a slumping Memphis team is up next. They can't afford to lose that one.
Wisconsin- The Badgers continued their hot streak by coming out of Iowa with another big road road, which is huge for Wisconsin. The probably is with so many bad losses the margin of error is small. A desperate Michigan team comes to town next. The Badgers should not take any chances with this one.
Colorado- The Buffaloes defeated Arizona at home and now will very likely be dancing. Win against the Sun Devils on Saturday, and they should be secure.
Oregon State- The Beavers won on a prayer Stephen Thompson hit a three pointer at the buzzer. He may have walked, but it counted. Oregon State probably needs two of three to likely move into the safe zone. Up next is a visit from the basement, Washington State. A win is a must in that one.
Other Winners: Each of these avoided bad losses: Michigan, George Washington, St. Bonaventure, St. Joseph's, South Carolina, San Diego State, Wichita State
Bubble Losers
Ohio State- The Buckeyes finally started to move into the discussion and then got rolled at home. They have a lack of Top 100 wins and have bad losses. There is a lot of work to do for this 10 win Big Ten team. Iowa comes to town next. It is a win or the B1G Conference tourney is their only hope kind of game.
Alabama- The Crimson Tide got dismantled at Kentucky and now after their current 2 game winning streak, it might not be as clear as before. Arch nemesis Auburn comes to town next. The Tigers would love to ruin Bama's chances. Will the Tide come to play?
LSU- The Tigers got destroyed at Arkansas and it is clear that Ben Simmons and company will have to win the SEC Conference Tournament to get into the dance.
Florida- The Gators lost at home to fellow bubble dweller Vanderbilt and are now starting to move into icy waters. A trip to LSU is next. A loss there and suddenly, their tourney hopes will begin to become dicey.
Temple- The Owls got handled at Tulsa for their first loss against the other Top 5 teams in the American. Temple does not much outside of these wins against the Top 200. Good thing they are still in 1st because relying on an at-large probably is not recommended for the Owls. Nothing but no win situations remain in the regular season. Up next is a visit from UCF.
Pittsburgh- The Panthers lost at home to Louisville and have really struggled lately, Their lone Top 50 win is at Notre Dame, which is low compared to other contenders. Duke comes to town on Saturday. A win needed since a loss would put the Panthers in an interesting spot.
Georgia- The Bulldogs lost a Auburn, which is a bad loss. UGA needed good wins as they were hanging on by a thread. Previously, they lacked bad losses, which is not the case anymore. It appears UGA will have to win the SEC Conference Tourney to get in.
VCU- The Rams picked up their 2nd bad loss of the season by falling at UMass. VCU did not need that as they no longer lead the A-10 standings and their resume was probably the 5th strongest in the conference to begin with. Good thing they have a chance to erase this with a trip up I-95 to George Washington next. Bad thing is that this is likely a must win for their hopes.
Creighton- The Bluejays finally were starting to creep onto the bubble but then they lost at home to one of the most hot and cold teams in the country in Marquette. Creighton's at-large hopes are gone for now, but if they can win out (vs St. John's, @Providence, @Xavier), we will take another look at them.
Washington- The Huskies had the game won and let it slip away as they lost a heartbreaker at the buzzer in Corvalis. Washington has lost 5 of 6 and is really reeling now. A trip Eugene is up next where the Huskies need to hunt the Ducks in this one. That move them in the right direction of the bubble, but for now, they need to regroup and finish strong.
Safety Zone
ACC: Virginia, UNC, Miami (FL), Notre Dame, Duke
A-10: Dayton
Big East: Villanova, Xavier
Big 12: Kansas, Oklahoma, West Virginia, Texas, Iowa State, Baylor
Big Ten: Iowa, Michigan State, Maryland, Indiana
PAC-12: Oregon, Utah, Arizona, California
SEC: Kentucky, Texas A&M
Danger Zone(Safest Teams are listed 1st)- Current At-Large Contenders
Purdue, USC, Texas Tech, Colorado, South Carolina,Providence, Oregon State, Syracuse, Connecticut, St. Joseph's, Wisconsin, Seton Hall, Michigan, Florida, Pittsburgh, Alabama, Butler, St. Bonaventure, Tulsa, George Washington, Cincinnati, Monmouth, Wichita State, Ark-Little Rock, Temple, Vanderbilt, Washington, Florida State, Princeton, UCLA, VCU, St. Mary's, Gonzaga, San Diego State, Valparaiso, Stanford, Ohio State
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