5 March Madness bid thieves that could hurt UNC, Michigan on the bubble

2. Potential March Madness Bid Thieves – North Texas Mean Green

The worst nightmare for a bubble team in championship week is seeing a mid-major league that is presumed to be a one-bid league become a two-bid conference on the backs of a bid thief. Conference USA falls into this category as the traditional one-bid league has a lock in Florida Atlantic, which went 28-3 on the season and has outstanding metrics.

Most mock brackets have the Owls as a 9-seed, meaning they are well above the cut line at the moment. There are several potential pitfalls in the C-USA Tournament, however, including the presence of a very dangerous North Texas team.

The Mean Green have some NCAA Tournament experience under their belts after getting to the dance in 2021 and upsetting Purdue before falling to Villanova in the Round of 32. This year’s edition of North Texas has also done very well, going 25-6 on the season and losing by just four points to Florida Atlantic on the road back in January.

The presence of UAB on their side of the bracket is a challenge but North Texas’ stingy defense allows just 55.4 points per game, meaning they should be right in the mix for every game they play. If the Mean Green find a way to pick off the Owls C-USA will become a two-bid league, dashing the dreams of a March Madness hopeful in the process.