This is the last Bubble Watch of the regular season. There are ten bubble games this Saturday and unlike last weekend, every game features a bubble team playing at home. And for a bonus, the Sunday bubble game is included here as well. In keeping with the theme, that bubble team is at home as well.
For some of these teams, this is the last chance to make a positive impression. They don’t know what they will get in the conference tournament. SEC teams figure they will see quality at some point. ACC teams? Not so sure. They may only get to play one game.
The list of teams on the bubble will get reevaluated once we see conference tournament brackets and the path to a conference title for each of them.
Check out Palm’s latest bracket, full field of 68 and Bubble Watch at the Bracketology hub
All times ET
Saturday’s ‘double-bubble’ games
Ohio State at Indiana
3:45 p.m. | CBS, CBSSports.com, CBS Sports App, Paramount+ with Showtime (Try It Free) Â
In one of the “double bubble” games Saturday, the Hoosiers are looking for a win in coach Mike Woodson’s final home game and another quality win to pad their tournament résumé. They still have a bad record against Quad 1 teams, but no losses outside that group.
For Ohio State, they just need wins. Good wins, bad wins, any wins. Actually, there is no such thing as a bad win for the Buckeyes. Still, at only 17-13 overall, they need to play above .500 from here on out. That is a lot easier if they win vs. Indiana.
Oklahoma at TexasÂ
8 p.m. | SEC Network, fubo (Try for free)
The other “double bubble” game on the docket has both teams coming off wins. The Sooners beat Missouri last time out to move to 5-11 in Quad 1, but they also have a loss each in Quad 2 and 3. The Quad 2 loss came at home to the Longhorns.
Texas looked dead in the water, biding its time until the season ended, and then suddenly, the Longhorns won at Mississippi State. They still have more work to do. Neither of these teams can play themselves in the field Saturday, but the Longhorns have more to do to get in due to four Quad 2 losses.
Other bubble teams in action Saturday
Georgia
vs. Vanderbilt, Noon | ESPNU, fubo (Try for free)
The Bulldogs have won three straight including big wins over Florida and at fellow bubbler Texas. Vanderbilt is another chance to add a good win to the tournament profile. The Commodores have not been a great road team this season, but won at Texas A&M their last time away from home.
Arkansas
vs. Mississippi State, Noon | SEC Network, fubo (Try for free)
Arkansas is one of at least three SEC teams that you never know what you’re going to get. The Razorbacks lost at South Carolina and followed that up with a win at Vanderbilt. That is why they are on the bubble. A win against the Bulldogs takes some pressure off of their SEC Tournament performance, but like many of these bubble teams, their fate will not be decided this weekend.
Wake Forest
vs. Georgia Tech, 2:15 p.m. | CWÂ
Wake Forest needs to beat the Yellow Jackets and pick-up at least one quality win in the ACC Tournament to have any shot at an NCAA Tournament selection. The Demon Deacons have already lost too many games to ACC also-rans.
Xavier
vs. Providence, 4 p.m. | FS1, fubo (Try for free)
Xavier has been hanging around the cut-line and a loss to Providence may make it harder to get back above it. The Musketeers will likely need a quality win in the Big East Tournament as well, but a loss to the Friars might mean they need to win out.
West Virginia
vs. UCF, 5 p.m. | ESPN+
The Mountaineers have had some big wins against the 14th toughest schedule this season, including victories against Iowa State, Arizona and at Kansas. They do not have a great record against better teams though, sitting at 6-11 vs. Quad 1. A win over UCF gives West Virginia some cushion heading into the Big 12 Tournament.
North Carolina
vs. Duke, 6:30 p.m. | ESPN, fubo (Try for free)
The Tar Heels have been waiting for this moment to arrive. They are just 1-10 in Quad 1 games. Their last attempt at win No. 2 resulted in a loss to Clemson. They have been handling the ACC punching bags for the last three weeks and now they get their shot at a quality opponent. Fail here and there is still hope in the ACC Tournament, but no guarantee they will get the games they need.
Baylor
vs. Houston, 10 p.m. | ESPN, fubo (Try for free)
Baylor gets a great chance to ease some fears. A win over Houston might be enough to punch its ticket, assuming the Bears don’t give it away in the Big 12 Tournament. If they lose, they can still get what they need without a Big 12 title.
San Diego State
vs. Nevada, 10:30 p.m. | FS1, fubo (Try for free)
The Aztecs just got swept by UNLV, which are their two worst losses of the season so far. A home loss to Nevada would be another one in Quad 3 and put San Diego State’s tournament hopes in serious jeopardy.
Sunday’s bubble team in actionÂ
Nebraska
vs. Iowa, 12:30 p.m. | Fox, fubo (Try for free)
A few weeks ago, the Cornhuskers looked like they were rallying to an NCAA Tournament berth. Then the wheels fell off and they lost five of their last six. The double OT loss to Ohio State last time out was a great effort that fell short. However, if Nebraska misses the field, it will be because of the home losses to Minnesota and Rutgers. This game is a must-win.
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
| ACC (3) | Duke, Clemson, Louisville |
| Big East (2) | Marquette, St. John’s |
| Big 12 (5) | Arizona, Houston, Iowa State, Kansas, Texas Tech |
| Big Ten (8) | Maryland, Michigan, Michigan State, Oregon, Purdue, UCLA, Wisconsin, Illinois |
| SEC (9) | Alabama, Auburn, Florida, Kentucky, Ole Miss, Mississippi State, Missouri, Tennessee, Texas A&M |
| WCC (1) | Saint Mary’s |
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.