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NCAA Bubble Watch: Pac-12 & SEC

Carly Fasciglione |
March 10, 2015 | 12:28 p.m. PDT

Staff Writer

Can Pac-12 POY Joseph Young keep his team on their hot streak? (@pac12/Twitter)
Can Pac-12 POY Joseph Young keep his team on their hot streak? (@pac12/Twitter)

As the final games of the regular season are played out and conference tournament brackets are finished up, the competition to earn a spot in the NCAA Tournament is intensifying. Two conferences, the Pac-12 and SEC, known more so for their dominance in football, are once again looking to send three to four teams to the Big Dance. Basketball powerhouse conferences like the ACC, Big East, and Big 12 will each have around six teams in the tournament, but even though the Pac-12 and SEC will most likely have fewer bids, those bids will be ranked at higher overall seeds. If this plays out in their favor is a question for a later time, but for now, let’s look at who those title contenders could be. 

Pac-12

The home conference for the USC Trojans, who waved goodbye to the tournament long ago, has found its strength in its three current locks, Arizona, Utah and Oregon. 

Guard T.J. McConnell and forward Rondae Hollis-Jefferson led Arizona to an impressive regular season and the top seed in the Pac-12 tournament for the second year in a row. A tournament title could give Arizona the No. 1 seed in the West, but after last year’s experience, the team knows that won’t be such an easy task. 

The well-rounded Utah squad has struggled in their last few conference games, but the team is still currently considered a lock at the four seed in the South according to Joe Lunardi. The Utes have been over-shadowed in tournament talk by Oregon’s recent hot stretch, but Utah’s fierce defense and high field-goal percentage places them in better position to win close tournament games.

READ MORE: NCAA Bubble Watch: American Athletic Conference & Atlantic 10

For Oregon, to say they’ve made the most of their past ten games would be a bit of an understatement. Wins against Oregon State, Utah, UCLA, Cal, Arizona State and Stanford has propelled Oregon from a stagnant bubble team to a mid-seed lock in the Midwest. Regardless of how cliché the saying is, making it into the dance is all about getting hot at the right moment; just look at what UConn did last year. The Ducks have done just that and could even give Arizona a run for their money in the Pac-12 tournament. 

UCLA has become the quintessential bubble team. Their last three home wins against USC, Washington and Washington State haven’t changed their standings, leaving their last hope to the Pac-12 tournament. A win against Arizona in the semifinals could help them slip in, but a conference tournament championship for the second year in a row would put UCLA in sgape for a much better seed.

Without some sort of miraculous, underdog tournament championship win, Stanford should probably start preparing for the NIT tournament. Unlike Oregon, Stanford couldn’t capitalize in their most desperate situations. Granted, those games were against Oregon and Arizona in Tucson, but their last heartbreakers have almost permanently taken Stanford off of the bubble.

SEC

The Wildcats try to keep their perfect season alive as they head into the SEC Conference Tournament. (@SECNetwork/Twitter)
The Wildcats try to keep their perfect season alive as they head into the SEC Conference Tournament. (@SECNetwork/Twitter)
The SEC could become the most obnoxiously proficient conference in both major revenue sports if they secure five bids in the tournament this year, and right now, it’s looking very possible.

After Kentucky’s Saturday win to complete their 31-0 regular season, I think it’s pretty safe to say they’re a lock in the tournament. Even though the Wildcats almost caused John Calipari to lose his wig a few times, Kentucky’s dominant squad has simply refused to go down and are looking to become the first undefeated team since 1976. 

Arkansas and Georgia, no matter how overrated they may be, are looking like they’ll have their place in the tournament. Even after a home loss to LSU, the Razorbacks look like they’ll be able to rack up a mid-to-high seed regardless of the outcome of the SEC tournament. Similarly so, Georgia will most likely end up as a high seed in the West, unless they can make some noise in the conference tournament. 

READ MORE: NCAA Bubble Watch: Big East & Big 12

The Ole Miss Rebels are a lock that’s a little more interesting. Their final game at home against Vanderbilt resulted in a shocking loss, leaving some questioning if their past three losses in four games can still qualify them as a lock. As of now, Ole Miss is technically a lock, but an early loss in the SEC tournament could place them right back on the bubble.

LSU has become one of the most polarizing cases as a bubble team. They have five losses to teams ranked outside of the top 90, including Wednesday’s home loss to Tennessee, while still beating 12 top 100 teams. It’s looking like the committee will overlook their bad losses, especially with their massive road win against Arkansas this past Saturday, but it’s too soon to say that they are a definite bid just yet. 

Reach Staff Writer Carly Fasciglione here and follow her on Twitter.



 

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