Thursdays Biggest Bubble Games

On Wednesday, we saw plenty of bubble teams in action, with a few even falling early in championship week. For a team on the bubble, it is never a good sign to not still be playing on Thursday or Friday. Sunday is now going to feel like an eternity for Georgia, Ohio State, & West Virginia, who all took bad losses today.

Now, onto those who survived another day; getting to your conference’s quarterfinals or semifinals as a bubble team is crucial. We all know the committee weighs conference tournament performances in their assessments of teams. So here are four matchups featuring teams looking to find themselves on the firm side of the bubble.

Out in the SEC, we have Arkansas, who almost joined the party of teams eliminated on Wednesday after a near-epic collapse. Still, it’s about surviving...and they did just that. Now, they take on Ole Miss, and with a win here, they will most certainly find themselves on the right side of the bubble discussion. Ole Miss, though, will be ready to go, as this also features a fun coaching matchup between John Calipari & Chris Beard.

Prediction: Ole Miss 67 Arkansas 61

Next, we have Xavier over in the Big East, a team that has caught fire as of late. They are facing a well-coached team with a very talented point guard in Kam Jones. The Musketeers will need their guard, Ryan Conwell, to shut down Jones if they want a last-minute, resume-boosting win.

Prediction: Xavier 77 Marquette 74

This game is the first of two featuring bubble vs. bubble action. Both teams are in must-win spots if they want to keep their hopes alive. UNC moved into the Last Four In today, but lurking in the Next Four Out is Wake Forest, with Hunter Sallis & Cameron Hildreth ready to give them a run. The Tar Heels live and die by the three, so this one could turn into a high-scoring affair fast.

Prediction: North Carolina 81 Wake Forest 69

Finally, we head out west for another matchup of two bubble teams, as the Mountain West still holds hope for a four-bid league. However, this game is likely an elimination game for both teams. San Diego State could possibly survive a loss here but, of course, wants to avoid sweating on Sunday. Boise, on the other hand, needs this win...or it’s NIT/CIT bound for them. Expect Tyson Degenhart to be at his best if the Broncos want a chance.

Prediction: SDSU 61 Boise State 53

Tomorrow & Friday are the best days of the conference week as you have full slates of major players playing, with possible big upsets and bubble implications. So there is much more than these 4 games if they end up going sideways on us, and watch out for the cinderellas to cause some havoc still going into the weekend.

Bet Recap: 2-3, I’m mad I forgot to add Montana ML, should be 3-3. I did try to tweet it out to Big Cat & co.

Bet(s) of the Day:

3-13

Indiana - Oregon over 141.5 -112

BYU ML +145

Davidson - Saint Louis over 140.5 -110

SDSU +114

George Washington -6.5 -112

Frisky Parlay:

Mississippi State - Missouri over 156.5

Villanova - UCONN over 134.5

Odds: +270