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NCAA Tournament bubble watch: Conference tournaments altering March Madness field of 68
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- NCAA Tournament bubble watch: Conference tournaments altering March Madness field of 68
The bubble continues to get smaller.
With several conference tournament automatic bids secured Saturday and some still left to be decided Sunday, the men's NCAA Tournament bracket is starting to take shape. But there are still some teams uncertain if they will be part of the field of 68. Cases have been made in the conference tournaments, but a few of the teams whose fates hang in the balance still control their own destiny. Some shocks this weekend have impacted the at-large bid picture.
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With Selection Sunday just a few hours away, here are the big shake-ups on the NCAA Tournament bubble, with a look at what could happen when the bracket is revealed Sunday afternoon.
New Mexico wins Mountain West tournament
The best way to get off the bubble? Win your conference tournament.
New Mexico won't have to worry Sunday after it won the Mountain West Conference tournament by defeating San Diego State on Saturday. The Lobos got off to a hot start and while the Aztecs were able to eventually take the lead, a 10-0 Lobos run in the final five minutes propelled New Mexico into the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2014.
Jaelen House and the New Mexico Lobos won the Mountain West.
Entering the week, New Mexico was projected to be a "last four in" team. It needed a big showing in Las Vegas or it risked falling out of the field entirely. The Lobos secured their NCAA Tournament spot with their run to the conference title.
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Not only are they in the field, they shouldn't have to play a First Four game in Dayton, Ohio. And every other bubble team gets knocked down a spot, a big blow for fringe teams.
American Athletic Conference tournament creates chaos
All bubble teams were thanking UAB for providing a major shocker in upsetting No. 1 seed South Florida in the American Athletic Conference tournament. But further AAC developments put bubble teams right back where they started.
South Florida had a fantastic season that included a 15-game winning streak en route to the conference's regular season title. The only problem is the conference is the new home of Florida Atlantic, a Final Four team last season that followed it up with a solid debut season that should get the Owls into the NCAA Tournament — regardless of their conference tournament outcome.
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UAB started the day by shocking the Bulls in the semifinals to advance to the conference tournament title game. The Bulls won't be getting the AAC's automatic bid, and likely won't be in the NCAA Tournament despite a 27-7 record; South Florida has the No. 73 NET ranking and no Quad 1 wins.
After South Florida's defeat, Florida Atlantic seemed to be in line for the automatic bid and the AAC appeared set to be a one-bid league, opening up a spot for a bubble team. But then the Owls were stunned by No. 11 seed Temple.
Now, the American Athletic will get not only UAB or Temple in the NCAA Tournament, but likely Florida Atlantic as well, creating a nightmare scenario for everyone else on the bubble.
NC State wins ACC championship
Another bid was stolen after NC State shocked potential No. 1 seed North Carolina in the ACC tournament final.
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The Wolfpack weren't anywhere near the bubble entering the week as the No. 10 seed in the ACC tournament. But NC State defeated No. 15 Louisville in the first round, then proceeded to beat No. 7 Syracuse, No. 2 Duke, No. 3 Virginia ( in OT ) and No. 1 North Carolina in consecutive days. The Wolfpack still wouldn't have gotten in the NCAA Tournament if it didn't beat its in-state rival Saturday.
With NC State now a tournament lock, bubble teams lose another spot. ACC rival Virginia could be hurt the most by the Wolfpack's tournament title.
Oregon wins Pac-12 tournament
Another bubble bid was stolen with Oregon beating Colorado in the last Pac-12 tournament final.
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Oregon had been just outside the field for most of the season, and appeared all but done after losing to Arizona and Colorado at the beginning of the month. But the Ducks got revenge in the conference tournament, taking down UCLA, Arizona and Colorado en route to the Pac-12 title.
With Oregon and NC State going from a NCAA Tournament miss to a lock, the bubble has slimmed down more than anticipated. It will be a tough Selection Sunday for several teams. Some who thought they were safe may have to play in Dayton, and some won't hear their name called at all.
NCAA Tournament bubble teams entering Selection Sunday
With everything that happened, bubble teams can expect to see themselves fall down the seed line. Here are USA TODAY Sports' projected bubble teams after a wild Saturday:
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Last four in:Northwestern, Florida Atlantic, Oklahoma, Texas A&M
First four out:St. John's, Seton Hall, Virginia, Indiana State
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: March Madness bubble watch: Conference tournaments change field of 68
