Even though there are still many big games left in college basketball, March is just around the corner. Before you know it, conference tournaments will begin and the NCAA Tournament will tip off.
Right now, there is a clear Top 6 in the Big 12 with Arizona, Houston, Iowa State, Kansas, Texas Tech, and BYU. Barring an epic collapse, all of those teams will be a lock to get to the tournament.
However, the big question for the conference is who else could get in? I know Selection Sunday is still a few weeks away, but I thought it would be fun to see which Big 12 teams are on the bubble using CBS Bracketology.
UCF Knights
Last week the UCF Knights were a projected ten seed after dropping a few games. They are a team that was clearly going in the wrong direction and were on a path to completely miss the tournament if things kept going the way they were.
Their game against TCU on Tuesday night was a must win for them and they were able to not only win but win by double digits. After the win, UCF is now 18-7 overall with a 7-6 record in conference action.
The good news for the Knights is that they still have a top 45 NET ranking, and their schedule is fairly light down the stretch. They only have one ranked opponent left on their schedule which is BYU next Tuesday in Provo. Other than that, UCF gets Utah, Baylor, Oklahoma State and West Virginia.
I know UCF has been inconsistent lately, especially on the road, but they should be able to handle what’s upcoming. But to say Saturday night’s game in Salt Lake City a must win would be an understatement. UCF is the only team outside of the big six that has the best chance to get in right now.
TCU Horned Frogs
Sometimes you get second, third or even fourth chances and it feels like TCU got a freebie after losing to UCF earlier in the week. A week ago, the Horned Frogs were listed as the first team in the first four out on CBS.
Somehow, that didn’t change despite the double-digit loss in Orlando. The Horned Frogs still have a top 50 NET ranking which is decent, but they have now fallen to under .500 in conference play.
TCU’s remaining schedule isn’t tough by any means but it’s not exactly a cakewalk either. They will take on another bubble team in West Virginia this weekend and have a trip to Lubbock in early March. But with the injury to TJ Toppin, that game against Texas Tech doesn’t scare me as much as it did a week ago.
West Virginia Mountaineers
Hello West Virginia and welcome to the Big 12 bubble. Last week, Oklahoma State was here but since then have fallen off a cliff and now it’s your turn to take a seat. But don’t get comfortable for too long because there is still a lot of work left to do.
The bad news is that the Mountaineers have a NET ranking in the mid-50s, which isn’t great. The good news is that they do have a winning record in Big 12 play unlike TCU. But one thing I will say is that loss to Utah was absolutely crushing.
West Virginia had a chance to be 8-5 if they had just taken care of business at home against a bad Utah team. A team that they were clearly better than, but they couldn’t hang on.
While they may not be on the CBS radar, they still are a bubble team in my eyes. Their upcoming game against TCU is massive, and it is the biggest bubble game in the Big 12 this weekend. The winner of that game will stick around the tournament conversation while the loser could be lost for the rest of the season.
