BYU made one of the biggest splashes of the season on Tuesday with a 76-68 win at Kansas. That stopped a few win streaks for Kansas, including a 19-game home winning streak, and a 71-game home winning streak when leading at halftime. That win moved the Cougars up to a No. 6 seed, but Kansas remains a No. 2 seed for now.
Nevada hit a half-court shot at the buzzer to win at Colorado State. The win moved the Wolf Pack up to the No. 7-line in Wednesday's updated bracket while the Rams remain a No. 6 seed.
Tuesday was also a big day for one bubble team in particular.
Texas blew out Texas Tech on the road 81-69 to move into the bracket as a No. 10 seed. The Longhorns are far from safe of course, but that is certainly a big step in the right direction.
Wake Forest continued its road woes in a 70-65 loss at Notre Dame. That is the Demon Deacons worst loss of the season so far. They are the team that fell out of the bracket when Texas moved into it.
The bubble slate Wednesday evening is full of important games. I suppose there are no unimportant bubble games this late in the season, but a few teams have chances to make big statements – even bigger than the one Texas made last night.
Check out Palm's latest bracket, full field of 68 and Bubble Watch at the Bracketology hub
Bubble teams in action Wednesday
| at Marquette, 7 p.m. | FS1, fuboTV (Try for free) -- Providence has an odd NCAA Tournament profile. The Friars are 8-9 against the top two quadrants, but have not yet played a Quad 3 game. They are only 4-7 away from home, with their best win being at Seton Hall as part of a road-and-road split of the season series. A win at Marquette would really get the selection committee's attention. | |
| at Maryland, 7 p.m. | Big Ten Network, fuboTV (Try for free) -- The Wildcats are still on the bubble largely because they struggle to win games like this. If they want to feel comfortable with their NCAA Tournament prospects, being able to beat a tournament-quality team away from home will help. That will have to wait, but a win vs. the Terrapins would be the best away from home so far this season. | |
| vs. Cal, 8 p.m. | Pac-12 Network, fuboTV (Try for free) -- Some games are must-win, others are must-not lose. This falls into that latter category. The Buffaloes need some better wins, but that may not happen before the Pac-12 Tournament. | |
| at Boston College, 9 p.m. | ESPNU, fuboTV (Try for free) -- Virginia had gotten hot to play its way into the bracket, but the Cavaliers have lost three of their last four and are in danger of falling out again. They are not in a position to lose to non-contenders, home or away. | |
| vs. Alabama, 9 p.m. | ESPN2, fuboTV (Try for free) -- The Rebels' tournament profile needs some juice and this is their best chance to get some. Their soft schedule is hurting them and while they don't have any truly bad losses, the lack of higher quality wins is a problem. This is the Rebels' last chance at one in the regular season. | |
| at Creighton, 9 p.m. | FS1, fuboTV (Try for free) -- The Pirates, like most bubble teams, have had a hit-and-miss season. They have multiple wins and losses in each of the top three quadrants, including home wins over UConn and Marquette. They lost at home to the Bluejays the first time though, so they are looking to split the season series. This would be their best win away from home of the season, but an even better one awaits as the Pirates are at UConn next. | |
| vs. Oregon State, 11 p.m. | FS1, fuboTV (Try for free) -- Speaking of must-not lose, the Ducks' thin tournament hopes probably hinge on not losing to the Beavers. Not that they need extra motivation for their in-state rival, but this would be their worst loss of the season by far. | |
NCAA Tournament locks
Locks based on resume: 17 | AQ bids secured: 0 | At-large spots remaining: 19
| Conference | Locks | Teams |
|---|---|---|
ACC | 2 | Duke, North Carolina |
Big East | 3 | |
Big Ten | 3 | |
Big 12 | 4 | Houston, Baylor, Iowa State, Kansas |
Pac-12 | 1 | |
SEC | 3 | |
American | 0 | |
Others | 1 |
Near the cut line
| First 4 Out | Team | Record | NET |
|---|---|---|---|
| Seton Hall | 18-9 | 61 | |
| Providence | 18-9 | 54 | |
| Oregon | 18-9 | 62 | |
| Wake Forest | 18-10 | 27 |
| Next 4 Out | Team | Record | NET |
|---|---|---|---|
| Villanova | 16-12 | 34 | |
| Pittsburgh | 18-10 | 49 | |
| Texas A&M | 15-12 | 57 | |
| Kansas State | 17-11 | 73 |
Note – all references to NCAA Tournament selection records and trends based on NET rankings excludes the 2021 tournament. Due to shortened schedules and a relatively small number of non-conference games, those rankings are not reliable enough to be considered.