Betting College Basketball Bubble Teams
Betting College Basketball Bubble Teams
When it comes to betting on college basketball, you need to know which teams are on the “bubble” and which ones are either in or out when it comes to making the NCAA Tournament on Thursday, Feb. 16, 2023.
There are no trends when it comes to going with or against bubble teams, because that’s pretty much a subjective term. “Bubble” means that a Division I college basketball team needs work to be done to get in the NCAA Tournament. If you at or near the top of a major college basketball conference right now, you are probably in.
So, let’s take a look the “bubble” teams as of Feb. 16 and their odds to win the NCAA Tournament.
Who should be in: Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, Auburn, Baylor, Boise State, Creighton, Duke, Florida Atlantic, Gonzaga, Houston, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Iowa State, Kansas, Kansas State, Marquette, Miami-Fla, Michigan State, Missouri, NC State, Northwestern, Pitt, Providence, Purdue, Rutgers, Saint Mary’s, San Diego State, Tennessee, Texas, Texas A&M, UCLA, UConn, Virginia, Xavier.
ACC
North Carolina (16-10 SU, 8-7 ACC, NCAA Net Ranking: 45, Quad 1: 0-8).
Good news for North Carolina after losing at home to Miami on Monday night is that they are still Carolina. They face NC State on the road on Sunday along with Virginia at home and Duke at home. If they lose all three, they are headed to the NIT. A win over Virginia might be enough along with a win or two in the ACC Tournament.
Clemson (19-7 SU, 11-4 ACC, NCAA Net Ranking: 64. Quad 1: 2-3)
That ACC record in most years would be enough to get the Tigers in, but their non-conference record and the fact that they are playing poorly when it matters might keep them out. The Net ranking is terrible for a decent ACC team. They will need at least one more win at NC State or Virginia to get in.
Big 12
Oklahoma State (16-10 SU, 7-6 ACC, NCAA Net Ranking: 33, Quad 1: 5-7)
Oklahoma State is fortunate to be in the nation’s best conference but also unfortunate. They’d probably be top 2 or 3 in most other conferences. They do have a very good Net Ranking and a sweep of Iowa State with a home win over TCU. A loss to Kansas at home didn’t help, but they just need another win or two to get over the hump.
West Virginia (15-11 SU, 4-9 Big 12, NCAA Net Ranking: 22, Quad 1: 11-3)
The Mountaineers have 11 losses, but a 22 Net Ranking. The 4-9 record in the Big 12 doesn’t help, even if it’s against the best conference in the nation. Will need a win over Texas Tech and probably Oklahoma State. Do they get in with a bad conference record and a very good net ranking?
Big East
Seton Hall (16-11 SU, 9-7 Big East, NCAA Net Ranking: 65, Quad 1: 3-6)
Seton Hall takes care of the subpar team and now they need more wins against the league’s better teams. They have UConn on the road, Seton Hall at home and Villanova at home to end the season.
Big 10
Maryland (17-8 SU, 8-6 Big 10, NCAA Net Ranking: 28, Quad 1: 3-7)
The Terps are closing in on a bid. A win over Purdue on Thursday would cement that. They were also crushed by Michigan on the road and UCLA at home. Should be a win or two away.
Penn State (15-11 SU, 6-9 Big 10. NCAA Net Ranking: 61, Quad 1: 3-6)
A win over Illinois by 12 helped their cause, but they still have a lot of work to do to get consideration.
Wisconsin (15-10 SU, 7-8 Big 10, NCAA Net Ranking: 77, Quad 1: 8-4)
Wins over Marquette and Iowa on the road could get them in, but they could use another win or two to improve that conference record and net ranking.
Pac-12
USC (17-8 SU, 9-5 Pac-12, Net Ranking: 63, Quad 1: 3-4)
Injuries have hampered this team and they are on the downside. They need to just keep winning or they could be out.
Utah (17-9 SU, 10-5 Pac-12, Net Ranking: 52, Quad 1: 1-5)
If Utah gets in, it’s due to a big win over Arizona in December. They also lost at home to Sam Houston State.
Oregon (15-12 SU, 9-7 Pac-12, Net Ranking: 49, Quad 1: 3-7)
The Ducks lost at Washington in OT on Wednesday. That was a rough one and puts them in jeopardy where they basically have to win out.
Arizona State (18-8 SU, 9-6 Pac-12, Net Ranking: 69, Quad 1: 6-2)
They have a nice win over Creighton on a neutral site and Oregon, but they need to improve their profile.
SEC
Kentucky (17-9 SU, 8-5 SEC, Net Ranking: 40, Quad 1: 2-7)
It feels weird to have Kentucky on the bubble. They did beat Mississippi State by three to get their second Quad 1 win and a big win at Tennessee. As long as they don’t fall apart, they should be in with 18 or 19 wins because they Kentucky.
Mississippi State (17-9 SU, 5-8 SEC, Net Ranking: 44, Quad 1: 3-5)
The Bulldogs have a terrible conference record, but if they win at Ole Miss and Mizzou they should get in.
American
Memphis (19-6 SU, 9-3 AAC, Net Ranking: 42, Quad 1: 1-2)
The Tigers are in a mid-major league and one that might get two teams. A win over Houston would get them in, but that’s a big task.
Mountain West
Nevada (20-6 SU, 10-3 MWC, Net Ranking: 32, Quad 1: 3-4)
Nevada is on a roll at the right time. If they can get to 22 or 23 wins with that net ranking and a conference on the rise, they should e in.
Utah State (20-7 SU, 9-5 MWC, Net Ranking: 36, Quad 1: 0-4)
A win at Wyoming would help their cause considering they don’t have a quad 1 win, but that could take place at UNLV.
CAA
Charleston (25-3 SU, 13-2 CAA, Net Ranking: 54, Quad 1: 0-1)
Charleston should be in already, but when you play just one Quad 1 team (North Carolina) and you don’t get the upset, it’s tough to get an at-large unless you basically win every game. The Cougars will need to run the table and get to around 28 or 29 wins, making it tough to keep them out.
