Bubble watch, part 1
Well here we go with total information immersion:
Big East
5 are assured, but what a mess behind them. It's like a lottery. Someone will get hot and make this task easier. The top 4 are streaking for #1 or #2 seeds, which does bode well for the league. Someone's bound to knock them off and earn a quality win. I think 7 is the ending number for this conference, but it'll be adventure en route to getting there
Lockbox
Syracuse (23-1) (10-1) RPI 2 SoS 13
Vitals: Non-con RPI/SoS 2/41, R/N 9-0, Last 12 11-1, 5-1 vs. RPI Top 50, 13-1 vs. RPI Top 100
The profile screams #1 seed right now. Not much to say here
West Virginia (19-3) (8-2) RPI 4 SoS 12
Vitals: Non-con RPI/SoS 5/32, R/N 10-2, Last 12 9-3, 6-2 vs. RPI Top 50, 12-3 vs. RPI Top 100
They may be the odd team out in the jumbled Big East top, but a top 2 seed seems easily within reach
Villanova (20-2) (9-1) RPI 5 SoS 50
Vitals: Non-con RPI/SoS 26/165, R/N 10-2, Last 12 11-1, 5-2 vs. RPI Top 50, 11-2 vs. RPI Top 100
This is the team among the top 3 that need the Big East title for validation for a 1 seed a bit more than the 2 above
Georgetown (17-5) (7-4) RPI 8 SoS 1
Vitals: Non-con RPI/SoS 1/15, R/N 6-3, Last 12 8-4, 5-4 vs. RPI Top 50, 10-5 vs. RPI Top 100
SoS will help undo some losses, but the roadblock to #1 seed here is the 3 teams above them in the Big East standings. Hold trump card over Duke
Should be in
Pittsburgh (17-6) (7-4) RPI 23 SoS 17
Vitals: Non-con RPI/SoS 18/69, R/N 5-5, Last 12 8-4, 3-4 vs. RPI Top 50, 9-5 vs. RPI Top 100
No longer a "lock" profile, but still a pretty good shot at a protected seed. Would take a total collapse to miss the field entirely
On the bubble
Louisville (15-8 ) (6-4) RPI 42 SoS 4
Vitals: Non-con RPI/SoS 19/19, R/N 2-5, Last 12 7-5, 1-6 vs. RPI Top 50, 4-8 vs. RPI Top 100
Well, time to sort the mess. Good SoS offset by miserable R/N and RPI Top 50 and 100 records. Playing the toughest doesn't mean much when you can't beat them. Compared to the schools below them, they've done just slightly more and have the better power numbers, but it won't take much to be overtaken in this zone
South Florida (15-8 ) (5-6) RPI 49 SoS 37
Vitals: Non-con RPI/SoS 51/211, R/N 7-5, Last 12 6-6, 2-3 vs. RPI Top 50, 5-7 vs. RPI Top 100
The team-du-jour isn't as strong as people think. Terrible non-con numbers means you have to make hay in conference, and 5-6 is not hay. And they're still only 6-6 over their last 12. They need more quality wins on top of what they've done. The good news is their R/N is better than most in this range
Cincinnati (14-9) (5-6) RPI 56 SoS 18
Vitals: Non-con RPI/SoS 31/64, R/N 3-7, Last 12 6-6, 3-6 vs. RPI Top 50, 5-9 vs. RPI Top 100
Not feeling Cincy's chances. Everything on their resume screams mediocre, and more than the other teams here, they need conference standings to work in their favor. And besides that, I don't think they're actually good enough to do it
Connecticut (14-9) (4-6) RPI 57 SoS 8
Vitals: Non-con RPI/SoS 9/10, R/N 1-7, Last 12 5-7, 1-5 vs. RPI Top 50, 7-7 vs. RPI Top 100
Some of the power numbers are saving their bacon right now. In serious trouble, and need results in a hurry. Like, now
Notre Dame (17-7) (6-5) RPI 59 SoS 62
Vitals: Non-con RPI/SoS 53/223, R/N 2-5, Last 12 7-5, 3-2 vs. RPI Top 50, 4-5 vs. RPI Top 100
I guess we have to keep them around if they're 6-5 while the others are floundering, but those SoS numbers stick out like a sore thumb compared to the rest. Like UConn, need to make hay, and soon
Marquette (15-8 ) (6-5) RPI 60 SoS 56
Vitals: Non-con RPI/SoS 76/219, R/N 4-6, Last 12 7-5, 2-6 vs. RPI Top 50, 3-6 vs. RPI Top 100
Similar situation to UND and UConn. Again, the good news is 6-5 in conference play. For all these bubble teams, they are currently 6th through 11th in the conference. 6 v 11, 7 v 10, and 8 v 9 in MSG, by the way. I have a feeling they'll sort themselves out for us
Bubble trouble
Seton Hall (12-9) (3-7) RPI 63 SoS 7
Vitals: Non-con RPI/SoS 39/171, R/N 2-6, Last 12 4-8, 3-7 vs. RPI Top 50, 4-9 vs. RPI Top 100
Really only here because of the SoS. That and a shot at 2 marquee wins at MSG and I won't kill them - yet
On the phone with CIT coordinators
St John's (12-10) (2-8 ) RPI 91 SoS 45
Providence (12-11) (4-7) RPI 104 SoS 70
Remember when the St John's bandwagon was motoring along?
ACC
Now here's a wild conference. You tell me who goes where. This could go anywhere from 5 to 7 bids, and nothing would surprise me anymore. Strangely, the two teams behind Duke piling up conference wins are Maryland and Virginia Tech, but they don't have the profiles that the likes of GT, FSU, and Clemson has. This leads to a very fluid bubble situation where informatio contradicts itself and I get angry and cuss out Gary Williams.
Lockbox
Duke (19-4) (7-2) RPI 3 SoS 5
Vitals: Non-con RPI/SoS 10/40, R/N 6-4, Last 12 9-3, 7-3 vs. RPI Top 50, 10-3 vs. RPI Top 100
The good news for them is the regular season title in the ACC should lock up a 2 seed, which is all Duke needs as of now
Should be in
Wake Forest (16-5) (6-3) RPI 16 SoS 23
Vitals: Non-con RPI/SoS 37/146, R/N 6-4, Last 12 9-3, 4-3 vs. RPI Top 50, 8-5 vs. RPI Top 100
Of all the teams in this mess, Wake is best equipped to rise from it
Georgia Tech (16-6) (5-4) RPI 25 SoS 14
Vitals: Non-con RPI/SoS 23/102, R/N 5-5, Last 12 8-4, 5-4 vs. RPI Top 50, 7-6 vs. RPI Top 100
The computer numbers suggest this team should be more safe, but just 5-4 in the ACC. They don't want to get caught in the middle here. They still have safe numbers for an ACC team, though
Florida St (17-6) (5-4) RPI 43 SoS 55
Vitals: Non-con RPI/SoS 50/225, R/N 6-4, Last 12 8-4, 2-4 vs. RPI Top 50, 6-5 vs. RPI Top 100
It's borderline between them dropping a level, but I think they're still #4 in the ACC pecking order, and that has solid value always. Get to 9-7 in ACC play to make sure, boys
On the bubble
Clemson (16-7) (4-5) RPI 40 SoS 33
Vitals: Non-con RPI/SoS 27/131, R/N 6-5, Last 12 7-5, 2-4 vs. RPI Top 50, 6-6 vs. RPI Top 100
I told you they'd torpedo themselves. They're in freefall and are undoing all the good they did to their profile early on. The matter of fact is that if teams like UVA and Maryland stay well ahead of them in the standings, they can't leapfrog them, and all of a sudden Clemson is out period. Danger zone
Maryland (15-6) (6-2) RPI 44 SoS 31
Vitals: Non-con RPI/SoS 61/130, R/N 4-5, Last 12 9-3, 2-4 vs. RPI Top 50, 4-6 vs. RPI Top 100
We can no longer ignore a 6-2 ACC team. Maryland hasn't really done much outside of that mark, though, so 9-7 isn't going to work for them. Their profile isn't really that great outside of being artificially pumped up by 6-2. This team will collaspe to the joy of everyone
Virginia Tech (18-4) (5-3) RPI 64 SoS 237
Vitals: Non-con RPI/SoS 131/346, R/N 6-4, Last 12 9-3, 1-2 vs. RPI Top 50, 6-4 vs. RPI Top 100
Look at that SoS. 237 for an ACC team in February. That's just bad basketball. 9-7 won't work for them either. They need quality wins and in a hurry. The good news is that there's no bad losses here for them, so posting a gaudy record with, say, 7 losses, should work. They're probably out for me as of today, but there's time
Bubble trouble
North Carolina (13-10) (2-6) RPI 79 SoS 19
Vitals: Non-con RPI/SoS 43/96, R/N 2-7, Last 12 5-7, 2-7 vs. RPI Top 50, 5-10 vs. RPI Top 100
Dead in the water Really only here because of the name UNC, and a couple wins to lean on if they make a run. They get Duke twice, you know
Miami (15-7) (2-7) RPI 82 SoS 160
Vitals: Non-con RPI/SoS 82/343, R/N 6-6, Last 12 6-6, 1-3 vs. RPI Top 50, 4-5 vs. RPI Top 100
Virginia Tech lite, except they keep losing. You can ignore them, I'll wake you up if something happens here
Virginia (14-7) (5-3) RPI 94 SoS 118
Vitals: Non-con RPI/SoS 144/303, R/N 3-4, Last 12 9-3, 2-3 vs. RPI Top 50, 4-4 vs. RPI Top 100
5-3 is the only reason they're still in this category
On the phone with CIT coordinators
Boston College (12-11) (3-6) RPI 103 SoS 25
North Carolina St (14-10) (2-7) RPI 109 SoS 114
Just about every ACC game is a bubble game at this point, so expect this situation to be very fluid. This will be the most maddening conference to figure out, unless the ACCT offers clarity. And it usually doesn't.