March Madness 2024 Bubble Watch: First Four In, Last Four Out, more on Feb. 13
March Madness Bubble Watch: Next Four Out
Team | Conference | Record | NET | Last Game | Next Game |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
St. John's | Big East | 14-10 (6-7) | 46 | L 86-75 At No. 7 Marquette | At Providence 2/13 |
James Madison | Sun Belt | 22-3 (9-3) | 54 | W 73-59 Vs. Akron | Vs. Georgia State 2/15 |
Memphis | American | 18-6 (7-4) | 75 | W 90-78 Vs. Tulane | At North Texas 2/15 |
Cincinnati | Big 12 | 15-8 (4-6) | 35 | L 67-62 Vs. No. 5 Houston | Vs. No. 10 Iowa State 2/13 |
The Red Storm may have a decent NET ranking but the Red Storm are running out of runway to make a meaningful statement to the Selection Committee about their inclusion in the NCAA Tournament. Three of St. John's final seven games are against Georgetown and DePaul, which won't move the needle at all, so finding a way to split the remaining four (At Providence, Seton Hall, No. 17 Creighton, At Butler) is essential to closer to the cut line.
James Madison swept another week to bring their NET ranking into the mid-50s, which should only improve if they sweep their last six regular season games. The final four of those come on the road, however, so the Dukes have a very tough path to an at-large should they fall in the Sun Belt Tournament.
Memphis won its third straight with a 90-78 triumph over Tulane to ease fears over how they will look without point guard Caleb Mills. There's still plenty of runway for the Tigers to impress the committee as they still have two shots at Florida Atlantic and a game against a quality SMU team in the near future.
Cincinnati gained a big win against Texas Tech but failed to capitalize on an opportunity to knock off a Top 5 Houston squad at home. The Big 12 is the land of opportunity but the Bearcats don't have many quality win opportunities left after Tuesday's home date against Iowa State, making that game as close to a must-win for Cincinnati as any on the schedule.