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Bracketology: Bubble teams will be sweating these 5 conference tourneys

By Mike Phillips

SPOKANE, WA - FEBRUARY 23: Gonzaga forward Brandon Clarke (15) works against BYU forward Yoeli Childs (23) before scoring during the game between the BYU Cougars and the Gonzaga Bulldogs played on February 23, 2019 in Spokane, Washington at the McCarthey Athletic Center. (Photo by Robert Johnson/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
SPOKANE, WA - FEBRUARY 23: Gonzaga forward Brandon Clarke (15) works against BYU forward Yoeli Childs (23) before scoring during the game between the BYU Cougars and the Gonzaga Bulldogs played on February 23, 2019 in Spokane, Washington at the McCarthey Athletic Center. (Photo by Robert Johnson/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) /
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SPARTANBURG, SC – FEBRUARY 16: Storm Murphy (5) guard of Wofford during a college basketball game between the UNCG Spartans and the Wofford Terriers on February 16, 2019, at Jerry Richardson Indoor Stadium in Spartanburg, SC. (Photo by John Byrum/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
SPARTANBURG, SC – FEBRUARY 16: Storm Murphy (5) guard of Wofford during a college basketball game between the UNCG Spartans and the Wofford Terriers on February 16, 2019, at Jerry Richardson Indoor Stadium in Spartanburg, SC. (Photo by John Byrum/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) /

4. Southern Conference

Dates: March 8-11

Location: Asheville, NC

Favorite: Wofford

It may seem strange, but the Southern Conference is one of the strongest leagues in America this season. As recently as February 28, the SoCon had as many teams inside the top 75 of the NET ratings as the Pac-12.

Those four teams are Wofford, Furman (which won at Villanova in non-conference play), UNC Greensboro, and East Tennessee State. Each team put up at least 22 regular season wins, including 11 in the conference, making this league one of the best in the country.

The class of the SoCon is Wofford, which entered the AP Top 25 poll in the last week of February on the strength of a 15-game winning streak. The Terriers have only lost four games all season, and those games were against North Carolina, Oklahoma, Kansas, and Mississippi State.

There’s a strong possibility all four of those teams make the tournament, meaning Wofford has enough on its resume to guarantee an at-large bid. The problem is that the SoCon tournament is a minefield, with the other three top teams looming as potential bid thieves, if not at-large threats on their own.

The SoCon tournament will feature a ton of top-notch hoops, and it will also require bubble teams to have plenty of Tums by their side as they root for Wofford to win.