March Madness : Bubbles Keep Bursting
One of the favorite past times for March Madness is watching the race at the end for the final qualifiers to cross the tape. Good Morning and welcome to HRWager. Today we are going to examine the pattern of why so many bubble teams keep losing near the end of this regular season. Some teams are expected to get bounced but the regularity that the mediocre are frittering away their chances are alarming. So sit back, enjoy the mid major conference championships, and keep a eye ahead for the Big Dance.
March Madness : Whose In Right Now
Keeping a pulse on the heartbeat of America, the masters of the bracket have been crafting their art all night long. Here is whom they think nudges across the finish line to make the field.
- St. Bonaventure via sweeping St. Joes
- Michigan Wolverines 20-10 (10-7)
- Vanderbilt 19-11 (11-6 SEC)
- Cincinnati Bearcats 21-8 (11-5)
Key factors in this are for the most part good conference records. The Commodores at 19-11 has that record that makes fans shudder. How much can you reward a Power Five conference team that only goes 8-5 out of conference? The key is to see their losses against Kansas, Dayton, Baylor, and Purdue. Borderline but as we shall see that no one except the Bonnies have distinguished themselves at the end.
Bad Losses
Tulsa was on life line when a loss against Memphis knocked off the bubble for the moment. 19-10 with a 10-6 conference record. They have an RPI of 41 and strength of schedule of 44. Meanwhile, the other three just on the fringe are nowhere as strong.
- Alabama
- George Washington
- Florida
Membership in the SEC has not saved Bama nor Florida. Everyone wants to applaud Avery Johnson going to the Crimson Tide to resurrect their team. This is the only reason they should get in. The Tide are very up and down in this growth spurt of the program. Look instead for George Washington 22-8 (11-6) to get that final push. We will get to witness if SMU can destroy another bubble team. They crushed the Huskies by 36 last night. Now they get the Bearcats which might be a de facto play in game for Cincinnati. This is on Sunday and we will have a free pick on that. Our projection is that the smaller schools will benefit from this lack of closing among the bigger names. Load the field with Cinderellas this year to keep the magic going. Good fortune to your sports investment and do not forget to take a look at our March Madness Contest going on right now here at the HRW.