The losers of Thursday's four double bubble games are all on the outside looking in on Friday morning. Seton Hall is the first team out, though, so the Pirates have the best chance of floating back into the field after their loss to St. John's in the Big East quarterfinals.
With the loss by Dayton in the Atlantic 10 Tournament, we have our first bid-stealer of the season. Maybe it's the second if Indiana State is an at-large team. All of the top four seeds in the A-10 Tournament lost on Thursday, including projected 10-seed Dayton.
Thursday's bubble winners all get a chance on Friday at the kind of win that could seal the deal for them. Virginia is the only exception, needing to win the conference title in order to make the field. The Cavaliers face NC State on Friday after the Wolfpack stunned 2-seed Duke on Thursday.
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Some of these teams may not have to win to stay in the bracket. The committee has to fill the bracket, and every team near the cut line on either side of it will lose its last game.
All times Eastern.
Check out Palm's latest bracket, full field of 68 and Bubble Watch at the Bracketology hub
Bubble teams in action Friday
| 1 |  |
| vs. Purdue, 12 p.m. | Big Ten Network, fuboTV (Try for free) -- The Spartans may have done enough by avoiding a damaging loss to Minnesota on Thursday, but a win over the Boilermakers would erase all doubt. | |
| 2 |  |
| vs. Tennessee, 1 p.m. | ESPN, fuboTV (Try for free) -- The Bulldogs beat Tennessee once this season and may need to do so again to feel comfortable about making the NCAA Tournament. There are no especially fatal flaws on Mississippi State's resume, but we would not be talking about them like this if they did not have the Quad 4 loss to Southern. | |
| 3 |  |
| vs. Wisconsin, 2:30 p.m. | ESPN2, fuboTV (Try for free) -- The Wildcats have navigated the end of the season reasonably well while battling injuries, including a season-ending one to guard Ty Berry. They are still lacking a noteworthy win off of their home floor, however. A victory Friday would be Northwestern's best of the season in that category. | |
| 4 |  |
| vs. UConn, 5:30 p.m. | Fox, fuboTV (Try for free) -- Like Michigan State, the Johnnies may not have to beat UConn to stay in the field, but one cannot be too sure. A win over the Huskies would clinch it for sure. | |
| 5 |  |
| vs. Illinois, 6:30 p.m. | Big Ten Network, fuboTV (Try for free) -- The Buckeyes' win over Iowa gave them a chance at Illinois, but nothing more. A win over the Illini may be the game that pushes Ohio State over the cut line. | |
| 6 |  |
| vs. North Carolina, 7 p.m. | ESPN, fuboTV (Try for free) -- Pitt won the double bubble game over Wake Forest and is the last team in the bracket this morning. A win over the Tar Heels could ensure the Panthers stay on the right side of the cut line. They already won at Duke this season, so this game is no tougher than that. | |
| 7 |  |
| vs. Kentucky, 7 p.m. | SEC Network, fuboTV (Try for free) -- The Aggies appeared doomed after a five-game losing streak in February, but they have now won four in a row in March. They are the first team out of the bracket today, but a win over the Wildcats would change that. | |
| 8 |  |
| vs. Marquette, 8 p.m. | FS1, fuboTV (Try for free) -- Providence is new to the bubble, but I am not convinced the Friars can be an at-large team. Providence is currently 21-12 with some nice wins, including two over Creighton and one over Marquette. The problem is that the Friars have played 11 Quad 4 games, so they are two games below .500 against the top three quadrants. Only one team in 30 years has received an at-large bid with that on their resume. By the time they win enough games to fix that, they will be Big East champions. | |
| 9 |  |
| vs. NC State, 9:30 p.m. | ESPN2, fuboTV (Try for free) -- Virginia was uninspiring in an overtime win over Boston College on Thursday, and now they get another opponent that does not help them build their resume for the NCAA Tournament. The only good thing beating the Wolfpack does is give them a shot at the ACC title. | |
| 10 |  |
| vs. Washington State, 10:30 p.m. | FS1, fuboTV (Try for free) -- The Buffaloes took down Utah in their double bubble game on Thursday and can now get a better win against the Cougars. In fact, this would be their best win of the season so far if they get it. If not, Selection Sunday figures to be pretty stressful. | |
| 11 |  |
| vs. Colorado State, 12 a.m. | CBS Sports Network -- New Mexico got a big win over Boise State on Thursday and is now just outside the last four teams in the field. A win over the Rams would seal it for sure, and they might still be in even with a loss. | |
NCAA Tournament locks
Locks based on résumé: 31 | AQ bids secured: 14 | At-large spots remaining: 5
| 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mississippi State | 20-12 | 41 |
| Colorado | 23-9 | 26 |
| Virginia | 23-9 | 50 |
| Pittsburgh | 22-10 | 40 |
| First 4 Out | Team | Record | NET |
|---|---|---|---|
| Texas A&M | 19-13 | 46 |
 | Seton Hall | 20-12 | 65 |
| Ohio State | 20-12 | 53 |
 | Kansas State | 28-6 | 28 |
| Next 4 Out | Team | Record | NET |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kansas State | 19-14 | 70 |
 | Utah | 19-14 | 51 |
 | Wake Forest | 20-13 | 44 |
 | Iowa | 18-14 | 61 |
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.
