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March Madness 2024: 5 bid thieves capable of stealing an NCAA Tournament spot

Bubble teams desperately want to avoid seeing bid thieves ruin their chances of claiming an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament. These five teams could burst someone's bubble on Selection Sunday.

By Mike Phillips

NC State v Pittsburgh
NC State v Pittsburgh / Justin K. Aller/GettyImages
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Loyola Chicago Ramblers

Much like the American, the A-10 has one sure-fire lock to make the field in Dayton, which has excellent metrics and a significant portion of the back half of the season in the AP Top 25 poll. The Flyers are the No. 3 seed headed to Brooklyn, however, and there is a realistic possibility that Dayton doesn't even make the A-10 Tournament final on Sunday.

Richmond is the top seed but the bid thief to watch is Loyola Chicago, which won 17 of its final 20 games to snag the No. 2 seed in the A-10 Tournament. That run included a five-point win over the Flyers and a two-point defeat to Richmond, showing that the Ramblers can play with anyone in the conference, making them the biggest bid thief threat in the A-10.

Pittsburgh Panthers

The Panthers have started to pop up towards the next four out section in bracket projections but their metrics don't quite help them feel safe enough to get in the field. A 2-6 record in Quad 1 games along with two Quad 3 losses leave Pittsburgh needing the auto-bid to get through the ACC and into the field, which could happen if they get hot in Washington, D.C.

Landing the No. 4 seed means Pitt likely gets a shot at Wake Forest in the quarterfinals, a win that could propel them to a semifinal showdown with North Carolina. Winning there would likely put the Panthers up against a Duke team they split with during the regular season. With Jeff Capel's team playing its best basketball, a surprise run through D.C. could get the Panthers a bid at the expense of another bubble squad like fellow ACC rival Virginia.

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