Bubble watch 3/10

There are 24 games on the docket today, and there is almost nothing at stake directly involving bubble teams. Major conference tournaments at this point generally feature two teams who are playing for seeding, whereas the NC Central v. Hampton game, for instance, has absolutely no bearing on the bubble for reasons that I trust don’t need to be explained.

There are a couple of interesting games to take a look at though. First up...

Alabama v. Kentucky, 1pm, ESPN

Bama is either on the cusp of dropping out altogether or comfortably in, depending on whom you ask. There are only good games left for them at this point, but a win today over Kentucky would be their 20th and would surely punch their ticket.

St. Joseph’s v. Rhode Island, 1pm, CBSSN

This is one bubble teams will want to have an eye on. URI is comfortably in, but they’re likely the only A10 team you’d call a lock at this point. If they get knocked off today or tomorrow, that’s turning a one-bid league into something more, which lops off an empty spot at the bottom of the bubble. If your team is on the precipice, you want chalk here.

Davidson v. St. Bonaventure, 3:30pm, CBSSN

The Bonnies are 25-6, but they’ve got three losses in the bottom two quadrants. They’ve won 13 in a row, but their resume isn’t heavy in good wins and can’t afford another question mark. They’re probably in, but a loss to Davidson would give them an uncomfortable 48 hours until the selection show.

Arizona v. USC, 10pm, FS1

Like Alabama, USC is probably safely in. Most recent brackets have them floating in the 9-11 range but missing Dayton, and a loss to Arizona isn’t likely to be a black mark on their record. A win over the Wildcats would remove all doubt.