March Madness 2024 Bubble Watch: First Four Out, Last Four In, more on March 5

Bubble Watch Awards

Biggest Bubble Win: No. 23 Gonzaga At No. 17 Saint Mary's

The Bulldogs had a massive week, sweeping San Francisco and Saint Mary's to get themselves right on the brink of lock status for the NCAA Tournament. The emphatic win at Saint Mary's on Saturday, which had been the WCC's best team all year long, showed that Gonzaga is peaking at the right time.

Worst Bubble Loss: Wake Forest At Notre Dame

When you beat Duke for your first Quad 1 win, you can't give up ground by losing to a bad team on the road in league play. While Wake Forest's loss at Notre Dame only falls in the Quad 2 category now, it is an ugly defeat that undid a lot of the goodwill from the Duke win when combined with the Demon Deacons' loss at Virginia Tech on Saturday.

Biggest Bubble Opportunity: Villanova

The Wildcats have put themselves on the right side of the cutline and have two shots to solidify their status with a win over fellow bubbler Seton Hall or completing a season sweep of Creighton at home on Saturday. Getting one would make Villanova feel good but a sweep would all but lock them in ahead of the Big East Tournament.

Bubble Team In Danger: Florida Atlantic

The Owls have been ranked for most of the year but the overall metrics don't look great for the Owls, who have just one Quad 1 win and two Quad 4 losses entering the final week of the regular season. A trip to North Texas isn't easy and Memphis already beat them once this year, leading to a risk of needing the American's auto-bid if they can't sweep the pair to end the regular season.