Bubble watch took a couple of days off but figures to be hot and heavy the next few days. One of the Last 4 In is in action today, along with three teams trying to push their way into the bracket.
People tend to overreact to results in bubble games during the conference tournaments. When a team wins, it's always "they're in!" and when a team loses "they're out!" Every team that finishes near the cutline of the at-large pool in the final bracket will have lost its final game. They can't all be in or out when they lose.
Before we get to the games, let's take a moment to raise a glass to Oakland coach Greg Kampe, who capped off his 40th season as the Golden Grizzlies' coach by getting back in the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2011. Kampe's tenure at Oakland is the longest in Division I.
All times Eastern.
Check out Palm's latest bracket, full field of 68 and Bubble Watch at the Bracketology hub
Bubble teams in action Wednesday
| 1 |  |
| vs. Notre Dame, 2:30 p.m. | ESPN, fuboTV (Try for free) -- Wake Forest needs to prove it can beat tournament-quality teams away from home. The Demon Deacons will get that chance in the quarterfinal if they beat the Irish to get there.. | |
| 2 |  |
| vs. Texas, 7 p.m. -- The Wildcats have more than one problem with their tournament résumé, but there is still time to fix them. Beating Texas would give them their best win away from home this season by far end ensure at least a .500 record against the top three quadrants. One win is not likely enough to get Kansas State into the field, though. | |
| 3 |  |
| vs. Air Force, 7 p.m. -- The Lobos' home loss to Air Force is primarily why they are in trouble in the first place. Needless to say, they cannot afford to lose to the Falcons again. Boise State is on deck if New Mexico wins. | |
| 4 |  |
| vs. Arizona State, 11:30 p.m. | Pac-12 Networks, fuboTV (Try for free) -- Utah was swept by the Sun Devils in the regular season, which is no small part of why the Utes are in danger of missing the tournament. The loss at Oregon State last week didn't help, either. Utah was 9-11 in the Pac-12, and while conference performance is not a criteria, the Utes did a lot of damage to their résumé in conference play when you consider how bad the league was this season. If they figure out how to beat Arizona State, fellow bubbler Colorado is next. | |
NCAA Tournament locks
Locks based on résumé: 30 | AQ bids secured: 11 | At-large spots remaining: 6
| Conference | Locks | Teams |
|---|---|---|
ACC | 3 | Duke, North Carolina, Clemson |
Big East | 3 | UConn, Marquette, Creighton |
Big Ten | 3 | Purdue, Illinois, Wisconsin |
Big 12 | 7 | Houston, Baylor, Iowa State, Kansas, BYU, Texas Tech, Texas |
Pac-12 | 2 | Arizona, Washington State |
MWC | 5 | San Diego State, Utah State, Nevada, Colorado State, Boise State |
SEC | 6 | Tennessee, Alabama, Auburn, Kentucky, South Carolina, Florida |
WCC | 2 | Saint Mary's, Gonzaga |
Near the cut line
| Last 4 In | Team | Record | NET |
|---|---|---|---|
| New Mexico | 22-9 | 28 |
 | Colorado | 22-9 | 27 |
 | Seton Hall | 20-11 | 62 |
 | St. John's | 19-12 | 39 |
| First 4 Out | Team | Record | NET |
|---|---|---|---|
 | Pittsburgh | 21-10 | 44 |
| Utah | 18-13 | 52 |
 | Texas A&M | 18-13 | 47 |
 | Iowa | 18-13 | 61 |
| Next 4 Out | Team | Record | NET |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wake Forest | 19-12 | 38 |
 | Memphis | 22-9 | 69 |
| Texas A&M | 18-13 | 46 |
 | Ohio State | 19-12 | 55 |
Note – all references to NCAA Tournament selection records and trends based on NET rankings excludes the 2021 tournament. Due to shortened schedules and a relatively small number of non-conference games, those rankings are not reliable enough to be considered.
