Bracketology predictions: Last 4 in, first 4 out and No. 1 seeds heading into the weekend
By Drew Koch
Bracketology prediction: First four out (Vanderbilt, Clemson, NC State, Mississippi State)
This is always the worst the place to be on Selection Sunday – the dreaded last four out. While bubble teams aren’t often involved in the Final Four, the hope of making it to the NCAA Tournament alone is the dream of every college basketball player. These four teams, however, haven’t done enough to make it to the Big Dance.
Vanderbilt will have a chance into today’s game against the Texas A&M Aggies to add to their resume. The Commodores have defeated Kentucky twice in the last week-plus, but a NET ranking of 79 and a combined record of 10-3 versus Quad 3 and 4 opponents does not look good.
Clemson swung and missed after getting crushed by Virginia on Friday night. Had the Tigers knocked off the Cavaliers, they’d be in the conversation for one of the last four in. But with that loss, Clemson is now one of the first four out.
NC State has not done enough to warrant inclusion in the NCAA Tournament. The Wolf Pack doesn’t have a bad loss on the season, but with only one Quad 1 win, they don’t have an impressive victory either.
The Mississippi State Bulldogs were on the cusp, but after taking one on the chin versus the Alabama Crimson Tide on Friday, they’ve now dropped to No. 49 in the NET rankings.