With under two weeks until Selection Sunday, here’s a conference-by-conference look at the men's bubble — which teams look likely to be added to the 68-team field if they don’t win their conference tournaments and which still have work to do. Teams are grouped by conditional at-large odds (assuming no automatic bid).
Categories - Locks: Very likely to be selected at-large if needed (30 teams listed). - Should be in: Safely above the cutline (roughly 75%+ at-large odds) but not guaranteed (9 teams). - Work to do: True bubble teams whose remaining results will strongly affect their fate (16 teams).
Conference snapshots (ordered by projected bids)
SEC — 9.9 expected bids (8.9 at-large) Locks (7): Florida; Alabama; Vanderbilt; Arkansas; Tennessee; Kentucky; Georgia. Should be in (2): - Missouri — Six wins in eight, top-40 résumé average, about 90% at-large odds. Next: vs. Arkansas. - Texas — Seven Q1 wins and No. 9 in SEC résumé rankings, roughly 77% odds after some volatility. Next: vs. Oklahoma. Work to do (2): - Texas A&M — Five Q1 wins but an uneven résumé; consensus near 75% after recent swings. Next: at LSU. - Auburn — Five Q1 wins and a brutal schedule, but 14 losses; com
