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 tipoff.
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
As usual, we kick things off with UCF. The Knights are coming off a massive win over BYU in Provo, which should boost them up nicely. With the win, UCF is now 9-6 in Big 12 pla,y which is a great position to be in heading into the month of March.
They still have a NET ranking in the mid-40’s, and they just picked up their fourth quad 1 win of the season. UCF has been flirting with a double-digit seed for most of the year, but this BYU changes things not just in the standings but the seeding as well.
The Knights are now projected to be an eighth seed going into the tournament, and their schedule is very favorable. UCF has three games left against Baylor, Oklahoma State, and West Virginia. Even if they drop one of those games, they still should remain as a single-digit seed.
TCU Horned Frogs
A lot has changed for the Horned Frogs over the last seven days. A week ago, TCU was on the outside looking in after losing to UCF on the road. While they still were in the first four out, things were looking a little bleak.
Since that loss to the Knights, the Horned Frogs have followed that up with back-to-back wins over West Virginia and Arizona State. Now they are back above .500 in conference play for the first time in a couple of weeks, and their NET ranking is still inside the top 50.
I know winning helps, but by no means is the work done. TCU is still listed as one of the last four teams in, and with three games left against Kansas State, Texas Tech, and Cincinnati, every game should be treated like a tournament game.
West Virginia Mountaineers
Last week I welcomed West Virginia to the bubble conversation and maybe that was a mistake on my part because it has been a rough week for the Mountaineers. After beating UCF two weeks ago, West Virginia has now lost three straight games to Utah, TCU, and Oklahoma State.
I understand losing to a TCU team that is also on the bubble, but losing to Utah and Oklahoma State is inexcusable. The Mountaineers have now fallen under .500 in Big 12 action, and their NET ranking is in the 60’s, which is what I call the danger zone.
While they do have four quad 1 wins, they also have a losing record against quad 2 teams, which is not ideal. The only saving grace for this team is that they have some big opportunities ahead of them because two of their next three games are against BYU and UCF. If they can win those and beat Kansas State, then they may be back in business.
