Bracketology Bubble Watch: Arkansas picks up big win, Texas isn’t dead yet and Oklahoma takes on Missouri

The bubble faced a lot of challenges Tuesday with ten of the eleven teams in action having to play on the road. The one home team was the host of a double bubble game. Well, seven of those teams won.

But before I get to those, let’s welcome Texas back to the bubble. The Longhorns looked like they had packed it in after losing six of their last seven, but they came back to life last night, beating Mississippi State 87-82 in overtime.

Let’s not get carried away though. Off the wrong end of the bubble to back on does not put you in the bracket. Texas still has work to do in the conference tournament, but for that to be relevant, the Longhorns need to beat Oklahoma in the regular season finale.

The only losers among the bubble teams  Tuesday were Indiana at Oregon, Nebraska at Ohio State in the double bubble game, which were expected, and the one that hurt the most – San Diego State at UNLV.

That gave the Runnin’ Rebels a sweep of the Aztecs in the regular season. Those losses, one each in Quad 2 and 3, are an anchor on an otherwise decent NCAA Tournament resume.

Arkansas got a big win at Vanderbilt to stay afloat for another day. The Commodores have been tough on their home floor this season, which makes this win by the Razorbacks more impressive. They aren’t out of the woods yet, but get Mississippi State at home to end the regular season.

The city of Cincinnati takes center stage for Wednesday’s bubble games. Both Xavier and Cincinnati are in action tonight hoping to stay in the race. And it wouldn’t be a bubble night without an SEC game. Oklahoma hosts Missouri looking to pick up a quality win.

Check out Palm’s latest bracket, full field of 68 and Bubble Watch at the Bracketology hub

All times ET

Bubble teams in action Wednesday

Cincinnati

vs. Kansas State, 7 p.m. | ESPN+

The Bearcats are just 1-10 in Quad 1 games, which is basically the same problem North Carolina has been dealing with for a month. That is simply not good enough, but there are no Quad 1 games left before the Big 12 Tournament, so they have to keep winning to make sure that event can still help them.

Xavier

at Butler, 7 p.m. | CBS Sports Network (Channel finder)

Xavier’s tournament resume needs some high-end juice as well. The Musketeers are 1-9 vs. Quad 1 teams, but that win is at Marquette. They also beat Creighton and UConn at home, but those are Quad 2 games. And like their crosstown rival, the chance to get that juice will have to wait for the conference tournament.

Oklahoma

vs. Missouri, 8 p.m. | ESPN+

The Sooners, like their fellow SEC bubblers, have a high number of losses, mostly in Quad 1, as they struggle to compete in the juggernaut league. Unlike their fellow SEC bubblers, they also have a quad three loss at home to LSU. A win over Mizzou would be a big boost, but their work wouldn’t be done yet and will likely go into the SEC Tournament.

Teams near the cut line

NCAA Tournament locks

Locks based on résumé: 28 | At-large bids in play: 9 | Automatic bids secured: 0 of 31

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 nonconference games, those rankings are not reliable enough to be considered.