It's still early, and a proper bracket or Lockbox is still a week or two away, but there are a handful of teams that we can put on a pre-Lockbox list of ten teams that meet the following criteria.
1. It would shock nearly everyone if they missed the NCAA Tourney.
2. The RPI and Pomeroy ratings like them.
3. They have the kind of non-conference wins that NCAA teams need.
4. They could do as expected in conference and be assured of a bid.
Here's the list that meets these criteria in my estimation.
North Carolina, Duke, Clemson, Oklahoma, Texas, Pittsburgh, Georgetown, UConn, Tennessee, Xavier
I'm not sure Tennessee and Xavier are as good as most of the other teams listed here, but they are the best teams in fairly strong conferences and they both already own some nice wins. It would be surprising if either missed.
Tonight's GOI
--Portland State at Baylor. Watch out, Bears. The Vikings have won three straight including a 27-point demolition of Montana and a win at Gonzaga.
--Davidson at College of Charleston. The two best teams in the SoCon.
--Georgetown at UConn. Clash of the Titans Game.
--Cincinnati at Memphis. Good rivalry from days of yore...and this feels like it matters in Bubbledom.
--Temple at Villanova. Owls have played a brutal schedule, but they need to win a few of the big ones.
