Which Big 12 Bubble Teams Will Make NCAA Tournament?
Both Kansas State and Cincinnati found themselves on the bubble in Joe Lunardi’s latest bracketology update, and with both teams eyeing a late bid to the 2024 tournament field, what is the likelihood that one of the two earns a bid?
The Big 12 Conference fielded more teams in the field than any other conference, with nine, but in order to get a tenth team in the field, Cincinnati or Kansas State would have to make a run.
Lunardi listed the Bearcats as the unofficial 76th-ranked team and Kansas State at 79. Following back-to-back losses for Cincinnati, Wes Miller’s squad will have to take advantage of their final four games. UC takes on No. 2 Houston, Kansas State, Oklahoma, and West Virginia with two Quad 1 opportunities.
Kansas State picked up a Quad 1 win on Saturday after taking down Mark Pope and the BYU Cougars 84-74 in Manhattan. The Wildcats will take on West Virginia, Cincinnati, No. 9 Kansas, and No. 6 Iowa State, with two Quad 1 opportunities remaining for Jerome Tang’s team.
Cincinnati has recorded three Quad 1 wins this season, with wins over No. 23 Texas Tech, TCU, and No. 25 BYU, while Kansas State has recorded three Q1 wins of their own. The Wildcats took down No. 9 Kansas, No. 11 Baylor, and No. 25 BYU this season and will have two more shots at earning top 25 wins in March.
While it’s tough to say that one team deserves more tournament recognition than the other when comparing resumes, the matchup between Cincinnati and Kansas State on March 2nd should give fans a better view of the likelihood of a tournament entry in 2023-24.
