Pull Against These Teams!

Saturday was not a squandered opportunity.  Sure, a win would have taken us off the bubble and secured our place within the field of 68... but it didn't happen (thanks, Carolina refs.)  Instead, we saw a jump in our RPI and SOS numbers, just from playing the Tarholes.  We're still on the bubble, but we're still on the good side of the bubble and in relatively safe position for a tourney bid.

Down the stretch, we need to win at least one more game.  This Thursday against FSU would be ideal, as it would give us another much-needed marquee win.  But honestly, it doesn't matter when or where it comes, we just need another win.  (Although losing to both FSU and Maryland, and then beating Boston College or Georgia Tech on Thursday of the ACC Tournament wouldn't help us a whole lot... unless we also add in a win over 4-seed Miami on Friday.  I should have said we just need another GOOD win.)  Losing out would be disastrous.

But as I'll detail in my next post -- UVA's 2012 bubble vs. Virginia Tech's 2011 and 2010 bubbles -- these things don't happen in a vacuum.  There are other teams trying to play their way into the Big Dance and/or trying to choke their good positioning away en route to the NIT.  It's an exciting time of year.

And because I'm such a swell guy, here is your updated rooting interest guide for the week that spans the end of February into early March.  Madness!

Pull FOR these teams, they are already tournament locks: Kentucky, Syracuse, North Carolina, Michigan State, Kansas, Ohio State, Missouri, Duke, Georgetown, Wichita State, Marquette, Louisville, Florida, Indiana, Vanderbilt, Wisconsin, Michigan, Baylor, New Mexico, Florida State, Temple, Gonzaga, Murray State, UNLV, Harvard, Southern Miss, Memphis, Indiana, Vanderbilt, Long Beach State, Drexel


Pull AGAINST these teams, they are crowding our bubble:

• Kansas State
• California
• St. Louis
• Iowa State
• Notre Dame
• Creighton
• Miami
• NC State
• Texas
• UConn
• West Virginia
• Seton Hall
• Cincinnati
• South Florida
• Purdue
• Northwestern (though it's admittedly hard to pull against them making their first-ever tournament appearance)
• Illinois
• Minnesota
• Washington
• Colorado
• Oregon (though at RPI 52, they are very close to giving us another marquee, top-50 win)
• Arizona
• Alabama
• Mississippi State
• LSU (though we need them to hang steady with their #66 ranking in the RPI)
• Ole Miss
• Arkansas
• Xavier
• Dayton
• St. Joe's
• La Salle
• UMass
• San Diego State
• Colorado State
• UCF
• Marshall
• Saint Mary's
• BYU
• Oral Roberts
• VCU (suck it, Smaka Shart.)
• Iona
• Belmont
• MTSU
• Stanford
• Akron
• New Mexico State

It's a long list, but seeing any number of these teams do badly certainly helps our chances.

So when you're about to John Henson flop down onto the couch, pop open this post, do a quick search, and know for whom to root.

GO HOOS!