Bracketology Bubble Watch: Indiana, Texas, Georgia have chance at helping NCAA Tournament résumés

North Carolina lost by 20 at Clemson on Monday and it is hard to see much hope for the Tar Heels now. Essentially, they have to win out for the rest of the regular season to feel comfortable about getting into the field of 68 prior to the ACC Tournament. More likely than not, they will have to make their case there.

Baylor also got beat. Houston defeated the Bears 76-65 at Houston. The Bears are in better shape than UNC, but they are now just .500 against the top three quadrants. They have a homestand coming up with West Virginia and Arizona where they can get some quality wins.

At the top of the bracket, six of the top seven teams are in action Tuesday. Five of those games are on the road, so there is a decent chance of chaos. Two of those games involve teams on the bubble.

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

All times ET

Tuesday’s ‘double bubble’ game

Pittsburgh at SMU

9 p.m. (ACCN)

This one features two teams desperate for a win that matters.

The Panthers have one, having won at Ohio State back in November.  They also beat West Virginia at home, which is a quad 2 win, but still a win over a likely tournament team.  That is the entire list and may not be enough to make up for a home loss to Virginia among its nine.

SMU does not have a win over anyone close to the NCAA Tournament.  The Mustangs are 18-5, but their best win is over LSU.  So, a win over Pitt would be an improvement, but they will still need better.  The only games left in the regular season after tonight that help are home with Clemson and Wake Forest.

Bubble teams in action Tuesday

BYU

at West Virginia, 7 p.m. (CBSSN)

The Cougars fell apart in the second half at Cincinnati on Saturday and were saddled with an 84-66 loss to the Bearcats. The trip to West Virginia will not be easy, but if BYU is to make the NCAA Tournament, it will have to win a few games like this one. The Cougars’ schedule is not particularly kind. Immediately after this are visits from Kansas and Kansas State.

Vanderbilt

vs. Auburn, 7 p.m. (SECN)

The Commodores have picked up a couple of big wins on their home floor already this season to put themselves in a position to make a run at the NCAA Tournament. This is a start of a stretch of six straight games against teams in the top half of the bracket, three of the next four of which are on the road. Vandy’s NCAA Tournament hopes will hinge on surviving this part of the schedule.

Cincinnati

vs. Utah, 7 p.m. (ESPN+)

Cincinnati’s tournament hopes hinge on beating some of the better teams in the Big 12. The Bearcats also have to win the other games for those to matter. They cannot get caught looking ahead to the trip to Iowa State.

Texas

vs. Alabama, 9 p.m. (ESPN)

Texas has lost three of its last four but has a great opportunity to resume build on its home floor. The Longhorns host the Crimson Tide Tuesday and Kentucky on Saturday. They are 7-9 vs. the top three quadrants, so they cannot afford to fall too far down that hole. Maybe they can catch the Crimson Tide looking ahead to Saturday’s big tilt with Auburn.

Indiana

at Michigan State, 9 p.m. (Peacock)

The news of Indiana coach Mike Woodson’s resignation at the end of the season became official on Friday and the Hoosiers rallied from behind on Saturday against Michigan, but came up short in a 70-67 loss. Coming up short at the end of tight games has become something of a theme this season. Trying to get right at Michigan State as Spartans’ coach Tom Izzo tries to break former Indiana coach Bobby Knight’s record for conference wins is a tall task.

Georgia

at Texas A&M, 9 p.m. (SECN)

The Bulldogs are now 2-8 vs Quad 1 opponents after the loss at home to Mississippi State on Saturday. However, they have no other losses and two Quad 1 wins, so they are in a relatively good position compared to some other teams on this list. This starts a stretch of four of six on the road and even the home games with Missouri and Florida will be challenging.

San Diego State

at San Jose State, 11 p.m. (CBSSN)

The Aztecs lost at tough one at Colorado State on Saturday. That is a Quad 2 loss and their second worst of the season behind the home loss to UNLV last month. Unlike last season, there are not as many potential quality wins in league play. It is important to win the games that can hurt, like this one.

Saint Mary’s

vs. Santa Clara, 11 p.m. (ESPN2)

Saint Mary’s bounced back from the loss at San Francisco last week with a nice win at Oregon State. The Gaels still have a two-game lead in the league, but for their at-large prospects, games like this are must win. Santa Clara would be a bubble team if not for three Quad 3 losses, but they have won at Gonzaga, so playing at St. Mary’s won’t bother them.

Teams near the cut line

NCAA Tournament locks

Locks based on resume: 3 | Automatic bids secured: 0 

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.