March Madness 2024 Bubble Watch: First Four In, Last Four Out, more on Feb. 6
March Madness Bubble Watch: Last Four In
Team | Conference | Record | NET | Last Game | Next Game |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Florida | SEC | 15-7 (5-4) | 41 | L 67-66 At Texas A&M | Vs. No. 12 Auburn 2/10 |
Virginia | ACC | 18-5 (9-3) | 32 | W 60-38 Vs. Miami | At Florida State 2/10 |
Butler | Big East | 15-7 (6-5) | 48 | W 99-98 At No. 13 Creighton | At No. 1 UConn 2/6 |
Washington State | Pac-12 | 16-6 (7-4) | 40 | W 90-87 At Washington | At Oregon State 2/8 |
If you judge things purely on the eye test, Florida should be a tournament team and they showed how dangerous they can be with a win at Rupp Arena last week. Following it up by dropping a game at fellow bubbler Texas A&M is proof that the Gators are wildly inconsistent, but avoiding bad losses and scooping up another big win or two should keep them on the right side of the cut line.
The ACC is down once again but Virginia has largely taken care of business, stacking up 18 wins along with a 9-3 mark in league play. A bad loss to Notre Dame is a problem and the ACC is loaded with potentially devastating Quad 3 landmines, leaving the Cavaliers in need of a lot more wins and preferably a win against North Carolina or Duke to feel better about their situation.
Butler is surging at the right time and outlasted Creighton in a wild game over the weekend to get onto the right side of the bubble. Going to UCONN isn't going to be easy but a strong showing against the Huskies could bolster Butler's case even if they can't steal the game.
The last team in the field right now is Washington State, which has beaten Arizona and a good non-conference win over Boise State to accompany a run of six wins in their past seven games. Two ugly losses to Santa Clara and Cal are dragging down the Cougars, however, so avoiding bad losses is necessary to stay in the field.