An updated Lockbox is ready for perusal. Given Ohio State's loss last night and 2-5 record in their last seven, I put Illinois State in for them today.
The Bubble by the Numbers
--31 Automatic Bids. That number will not change this season.
--34 At-Large Bids. That also is a static number.
--16 teams have LOCKED their spots.
--7 other teams are in fantastic shape. They are listed as "virtual locks" in lower case black font in the Lockbox. Eleven of the LOCKS or virtual locks are conference leaders. That means that twelve At-Large bids are spoken for at this point. It is hard to imagine any of these teams missing even with a few games to go. This could change, but most if not all of these teams are not going anywhere.
--I have eight teams listed in blue this week. One of those is a conference leader. With the "virtual locks" added to this group, that accounts for 20 At-Large bids that are not "bubble slots." Hence, 14 slots are up for grabs. The bottom is rough and the Bubble is very crowded. Some of this will sort out in the last couple of weeks. Hopefully, some of these teams will clear things up with a strong finish.
--The Bubble Boys who made it in are in green and those left out are in red in the Lockbox.
Last Night's GOI
--SIU 71, at Bradley 60. Egyptian Dogs possess amazing resiliency. Here they come.
--at Indiana 72, Ohio State 69. Bucks are fading away into Boliva (thanks, Mike Tyson).
--BYU 70, at New Mexico 69 (OT). Lobos let the Big Fish get away.
--at UNLV 68, San Diego State 58. Rebels strengthen their hand. They are in decent shape at this point.
--at Vanderbilt 72, Tennessee 69. Yesterday, TBB said: "'Dores are 17-0 at home and Tennessee is playing at #1 for the first time. It has all the makings for an upset." It happened. "Memorial Magic" is real.
Tonight's GOI
--Miami-FL at Clemson. Both are on track, but both still have work to do.
--Creighton at Illinois State. Both need a terribly strong finish, and ISU is in a better overall position.
--Mississippi at Kentucky. Both must have it.
--Oklahoma at Nebraska. Huskers are showing life, so OU needs to proceed with caution.
--Texas Tech at Texas A&M. Aggies cannot afford a 4th straight loss at this juncture.
