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College Basketball Bubble Watch: Week 16

By Nathaniel Reeves

Feb 22, 2017; Syracuse, NY, USA; Syracuse Orange fans celebrate on the court following the game against the Duke Blue Devils at the Carrier Dome. The Orange won 78-75. Mandatory Credit: Rich Barnes-USA TODAY Sports
Feb 22, 2017; Syracuse, NY, USA; Syracuse Orange fans celebrate on the court following the game against the Duke Blue Devils at the Carrier Dome. The Orange won 78-75. Mandatory Credit: Rich Barnes-USA TODAY Sports /
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Feb 22, 2017; Knoxville, TN, USA; Vanderbilt Commodores head coach Bryce Drew looks on during the first half against the Tennessee Volunteers at Thompson-Boling Arena. Mandatory Credit: Randy Sartin-USA TODAY Sports
Feb 22, 2017; Knoxville, TN, USA; Vanderbilt Commodores head coach Bryce Drew looks on during the first half against the Tennessee Volunteers at Thompson-Boling Arena. Mandatory Credit: Randy Sartin-USA TODAY Sports /

Vanderbilt Commodores

While Vanderbilt has a long ways to go, its quietly entered the fringes of bubble discussion behind a three-game winning streak.

The Commodores picked up a big home win against South Carolina over the weekend, which helps their profile even with the Gamecocks sliding. On Wednesday night, Vanderbilt put together a strong performance in a 67-56 road win over rival Tennessee, which might have acted as a bubble elimination game.

An overall mark of 15-13 and 8-7 isn’t great, but it’s a lot better than the Commodores expected after losing four straight games to open SEC play. Vanderbilt’s tournament fate will be determined by how much the committee values big wins, as the Commodores have a marquee victory in Gainesville in addition to triumphs over likely tournament teams in Iowa State and Arkansas.

Even better news for the Commodores is that the RPI has them in a solid 48th despite some bad non-conference losses. Vanderbilt takes a ton of threes and shoots at a decent clip of 38 percent from beyond the arc, helping fuel the nation’s No. 43 adjusted offense per KenPom.

The Commodores can’t afford a loss to Mississippi State on Saturday at home. Getting a split out of next week’s games with Kentucky and Florida would at least make Vanderbilt a team worth watching in the SEC Tournament.