Bracketology

24,191 Views | 208 Replies | Last: 14 days ago by Cal88
PAC-10-BEAR
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delete me like Hillary's emails.
HoopDreams
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Agree we VCU has nothing compared to Cal besides their W\L record and stats such as KPI

They have 1 Quad win and zero vs the field!



Onebearofpower said:

Cal88 said:



Looks like OSU, UNM took our spot.

We have to win out, beat SMU in the ACCT and hope that some bubble teams stumble this week.



I agree with what we have to do but I don't think VCU SCU or NM should be above us especially VCU. They haven't beaten anyone and they have worse SOS. I don't think VCU has beaten anyone currently in the field.
bipolarbear
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PAC-10-BEAR said:


Yikes!

Is USC going to have to forfeit games??
smh
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bipolarbear said:

PAC-10-BEAR said:


Yikes!

Is USC going to have to forfeit games??

bipolar.. (just in this fool's opinion) nothing the original poster shares is dependable, let alone his/her sketchy sources, ymmv. # live long and prosper
bipolarbear
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You are right. Got me! But weird story anyway.
HoopDreams
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Don't know if it's right but here is the only thing relevant now: first order of business is winning last two conference games (won't be easy but must do)

AND the teams above us or closely behind us need to lose

3Cats4CAL
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Guess some of the bears didn't want it bad enough....
westcoast101
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I hope this team has a run of 3-4 straight wins over the next week in them to push to the tournament. If they don't, no one to blame but themselves after that putrid Pitt game. The awful OOC schedule is hurting too.
bencgilmore
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There was a lot of carnage on the bubble Saturday, besides us.

It's definitely hopium but if we sweep this week, we're probably back 'in' on most brackets assuming there's even half the attrition of this past weekend

If we play like we did Saturday (and if were honest, against smu too)... Nit it is
OC Bear
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bencgilmore said:


It's definitely hopium but if we sweep this week, we're probably back 'in' on most brackets assuming there's even half the attrition of this past weekend


That maybe true, but all it takes is a couple of upsets in Mid-major conferences to move teh Last In to the First Out.
Cal88
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There are several bubble teams with potential losses tonight, let's see how it shakes out.
RedlessWardrobe
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Cal88 said:

There are several bubble teams with potential losses tonight, let's see how it shakes out.

Any chance of listing them?
Cal88
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Quick AI answer:

Several men's college basketball teams on the NCAA Tournament bubble are playing on Tuesday, March 3, 2026, in crucial matchups, according to CBS Sports and ESPN bracketology reports.

Key bubble games for tonight include:
  • TCU vs. Texas Tech (7 p.m. ET): A major opportunity for the Horned Frogs to solidify their at-large credentials on the road.
  • San Diego State at Boise State: A "must-win" Quad 1 matchup for the Aztecs to keep their tournament hopes alive.
  • Seton Hall at Xavier (6 p.m. ET): A Quad 2 matchup for the Pirates.
  • West Virginia at Kansas State (7 p.m. ET): A Q2 game with high stakes.
  • UCF vs. Oklahoma State (6 p.m. ET): A Q3 game for the Knights.
  • VCU vs. George Mason (6 p.m. ET): A Q3 game for the Rams.
  • Virginia Tech vs. Boston College (8 p.m. ET): A Q4 game for the Hokies.
  • Auburn vs. LSU (9 p.m. ET): A Q2 game, with Auburn trying to stay in contention.
  • Cincinnati vs. BYU (9 p.m. ET): A massive matchup for the Bearcats, who are currently listed in the "Next Four Out".
More complete team by team prospects review here:
https://www.cbssports.com/college-basketball/news/bracketology-bubble-watch-ucla-tcu-ncaa-tournament-at-large/

RedlessWardrobe
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Cal88 said:

Quick AI answer:

Several men's college basketball teams on the NCAA Tournament bubble are playing on Tuesday, March 3, 2026, in crucial matchups, according to CBS Sports and ESPN bracketology reports.

Key bubble games for tonight include:
  • TCU vs. Texas Tech (7 p.m. ET): A major opportunity for the Horned Frogs to solidify their at-large credentials on the road.
  • San Diego State at Boise State: A "must-win" Quad 1 matchup for the Aztecs to keep their tournament hopes alive.
  • Seton Hall at Xavier (6 p.m. ET): A Quad 2 matchup for the Pirates.
  • West Virginia at Kansas State (7 p.m. ET): A Q2 game with high stakes.
  • UCF vs. Oklahoma State (6 p.m. ET): A Q3 game for the Knights.
  • VCU vs. George Mason (6 p.m. ET): A Q3 game for the Rams.
  • Virginia Tech vs. Boston College (8 p.m. ET): A Q4 game for the Hokies.
  • Auburn vs. LSU (9 p.m. ET): A Q2 game, with Auburn trying to stay in contention.
  • Cincinnati vs. BYU (9 p.m. ET): A massive matchup for the Bearcats, who are currently listed in the "Next Four Out".
More complete team by team prospects review here:
https://www.cbssports.com/college-basketball/news/bracketology-bubble-watch-ucla-tcu-ncaa-tournament-at-large/



Thank you C88
bearfan93
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i do not get how Auburn is even in the conversation. 6-10 in conference w/ recent losses to Ole Miss, Miss St., and Oklahoma who are all at the bottom of the SEC.
bencgilmore
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looks like some good news from the first set of games. Mizzou appears to be going down to OU. OkSt looked like they had it vs UCF but its going to OT. Also Miami of Ohio pulled out a tight one.

Unfortunately TCU gets a big win on the road over top 10 TTU

Boise looking good against SDSU early
Onebearofpower
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Come on BC I believe in you! You too BSU and LSU!
bencgilmore
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Boise came through at least
bencgilmore
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guess it can't hurt that southern branch is up on #9 nebraska
Johnfox
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Not a great night for us.

Auburn beat LSU
VCU beat George Mason
Cincy beat BYU
Virginia Tech beat BC

We have to beat GTech and Wake Forest. Try and get to 5 Q1 wins and that's hard for the committee to say no.
OneKeg
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Okie State did beat UCF in OT, and Kansas State beat West Virginia, which both help.

But yeah. Bears need to win the next three straight and then get lucky with the bubble. At this point, I just hope we win at GT to (hopefully?) lock in a home NIT game.
HoopDreams
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don't hold me to this, but I think today's result are the following.
bad day for us: all results for our direct competition except for 1 (San Diego State loses):

Teams barely in so want them to lose:
TCU won (Quad 1 win) - very bad
VCU won - bad
Texas A&M won - bad
Ohio State - did not play
New Mexico - did not play
Miami Ohio - won by 2 (second game they won by 2 pts over a weak team) - bad


Bubble competitors:
VT won - very bad
USC - did not play
Indiana - did not play
San Diego State lose - very good
Auburn won - bad
Oklahoma State won - bad
Cincinnati won - bad (still a long shot)

Teams we want to win to keep our Quad 1/2 wins:
UCLA - winning by 14 with 12 minutes in game
UNC wins - good (but that means Clemson lost)
Stanford (they are also on bubble, but a long shot so them winning is good for staying in Quad2) - did not play

Other teams we want to win because we played them
Kansas State wins - good
Utah lost - bad



Onebearofpower
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HoopDreams said:

don't hold me to this, but I think today's result are the following.
bad day for us: all results for our direct competition except for 1 (San Diego State loses):

Teams barely in so want them to lose:
TCU won (Quad 1 win) - very bad
VCU won - bad
Texas A&M won - bad
Ohio State - did not play
New Mexico - did not play
Miami Ohio - won by 2 (second game they won by 2 pts over a weak team) - bad


Bubble competitors:
VT won - very bad
USC - did not play
Indiana - did not play
San Diego State lose - very good
Auburn won - bad
Oklahoma State won - bad
Cincinnati won - bad (still a long shot)

Teams we want to win to keep our Quad 1/2 wins:
UCLA - winning by 14 with 12 minutes in game
UNC wins - good (but that means Clemson lost)
Stanford (they are also on bubble, but a long shot so them winning is good for staying in Quad2) - did not play

Other teams we want to win because we played them
Kansas State wins - good
Utah lost - bad





I think UCF losing is better than OKST losing because the loss is quite bad for UCF and I think that OKST is still prob off the bubble.
bearfan93
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Games to watch tonight (other then Cal/GT). The team that is bolded is either on the bubble or one of the first four out

Minnesota @ IU (3:30) - IU is on the bubble
Texas @ Arky (4:00pm) (4:00) - UT is probably locked in w/ a W
Miami @ SMU (4:00) - This could be 3 losses in a row for SMU after getting swept in the Bay
OSU @ PSU (4:30) - OSU is probably in but this loss would hurt
Colorado St @ New Mexico (7:00) - NM is on the bubble



Cal88
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Texas lost, IU won by 30, OSU won.

SMU is on the bubble now, might be backing out of 8-9 ACCT seed if they lose to FSU this weekend.

If we win the next two, we should be in. A win at Wake would be a Q1 win, and give us a most respectable 5-4 Q1 record, 55.55%.

There are only 12 NCAA teams with a better Q1 win percentage than 55.5%.

TedfordTheGreat
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New mexico losing tonight would be huge!!

Btw Lunardi is on crack. He has USC listed above us. Here are USC's latest result

Vs Ohio State (bubble team) - Lost
Vs Illinois (great team) - Lost
Vs Oregon (terrible team) - Lost
Vs UCLA (slightly better than bubble) - Lost
Vs Nebraska (great team) - Lost


So they are on a 5 game losing streak yet still at the bubble above us? And he even has a comment in there that says win or lose against Washington tonight they stay the same.

So why play the games? You can basically go from LAST 4 IN to NEXT 4 OUT moving down maybe 6 spot after a 5 game losing streak? Why don't we schedule the #1, 2, 3, 4 team lose them all and actually move up in the standings?
baytobreakers
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USC just got crushed by UW and NM lost to Colorado State at home
ManBearLion123
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U$C got blown out by UW on the road and UNM lost by 12 to Colorado State at home. So two nice results for us.

I'm still not confident that a win at Wake and a win in the 8/9 game at the ACCT gets us in, but it would get us close enough to pray I suppose.
Johnfox
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New Mexico takes a Q3 home loss to Colorado State.

USC takes a beating on the road against a mediocre Washington team.

Cal will move right on the cusp of the field with the Wake Forest game looming. Win there and it's 5 Q1 wins. And those Q1 wins are legit. On the ROAD at #22 Miami, at home against #14 UNC, neutral site vs #18 UCLA.

Beat Wake Forest and we're back in the field. Win an ACC tournament game and we're locked.

Side note; it's crazy joe lunardi still gets paid to do his bracketology on ESPN
ManBearLion123
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Johnfox said:

New Mexico takes a Q3 home loss to Colorado State.

USC takes a beating on the road against a mediocre Washington team.

Cal will move right on the cusp of the field with the Wake Forest game looming. Win there and it's 5 Q1 wins. And those Q1 wins are legit. On the ROAD at #22 Miami, at home against #14 UNC, neutral site vs #18 UCLA.

Beat Wake Forest and we're back in the field. Win an ACC tournament game and we're locked.

Side note; it's crazy joe lunardi still gets paid to do his bracketology on ESPN


I think we'd be right on the cusp but still out if we win @Wake. A win @Wake + one in the ACC tourney might get us on the right side of the cut line, but a bid stealer or two could push us out.

We certainly wouldn't be a lock if we win those two games.
Econ141
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Man - I just looked up WF wins and losses and it appears as if the beat many teama that we lost to (e.g. Syracuse, Florida St, Clemson). No wonder they will be a Q1 victory .... And on senior night no less. Hope our guys are up for this challenge!
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6956bear
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ManBearLion123 said:

Johnfox said:

New Mexico takes a Q3 home loss to Colorado State.

USC takes a beating on the road against a mediocre Washington team.

Cal will move right on the cusp of the field with the Wake Forest game looming. Win there and it's 5 Q1 wins. And those Q1 wins are legit. On the ROAD at #22 Miami, at home against #14 UNC, neutral site vs #18 UCLA.

Beat Wake Forest and we're back in the field. Win an ACC tournament game and we're locked.

Side note; it's crazy joe lunardi still gets paid to do his bracketology on ESPN


I think we'd be right on the cusp but still out if we win @Wake. A win @Wake + one in the ACC tourney might get us on the right side of the cut line, but a bid stealer or two could push us out.

We certainly wouldn't be a lock if we win those two games.

Agree that they would not be a lock. The bubble could take on many changes once the conference tourneys start. And there are still some games this weekend that will be very influential. VCU at Dayton. Indiana at Ohio St. New Mexico at Utah St. UNLV at SDSU. SMU at FSU. VaTech at Virginia. Cincy at TCU. UCF at West Virginia. Auburn at Alabama. Arkansas at Missouri.

The Stanford at NC State game could have serious implications for Cal. A Stanford win could get Cal into the 7th spot. NC State is in a bit of free fall right now and a loss to Stanford and in the first round of the ACC tourney could put them in jeopardy.

Louisville is suddenly struggling as well but seems very safely in the field with no quad 2, 3 or 4 losses. But they play at Miami who is really playing well and that game will impact the ACC standings and the NET. Cal wants Miami to win that one.
RedlessWardrobe
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Cal88 said:

Texas lost, IU won by 30, OSU won.

SMU is on the bubble now, might be backing out of 8-9 ACCT seed if they lose to FSU this weekend.

If we win the next two, we should be in. A win at Wake would be a Q1 win, and give us a most respectable 5-4 Q1 record, 55.55%.

There are only 12 NCAA teams with a better Q1 win percentage than 55.5%.



Don't mean to be negative, but there is no way it's that simple.
6956bear
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RedlessWardrobe said:

Cal88 said:

Texas lost, IU won by 30, OSU won.

SMU is on the bubble now, might be backing out of 8-9 ACCT seed if they lose to FSU this weekend.

If we win the next two, we should be in. A win at Wake would be a Q1 win, and give us a most respectable 5-4 Q1 record, 55.55%.

There are only 12 NCAA teams with a better Q1 win percentage than 55.5%.



Don't mean to be negative, but there is no way it's that simple.

Agree it is not that simple. What is simple though is that Cal needs to win. At Wake and game 1 of the ACC tourney. If those 2 things do not happen it seems that the NCAA tourney will no longer be a realistic possibility.

There are a lot of moving parts yet and a lot of teams with very similar resumes.
OC Bear
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Cal88 said:

Texas lost, IU won by 30, OSU won.

SMU is on the bubble now, might be backing out of 8-9 ACCT seed if they lose to FSU this weekend.

If we win the next two, we should be in. A win at Wake would be a Q1 win, and give us a most respectable 5-4 Q1 record, 55.55%.

There are only 12 NCAA teams with a better Q1 win percentage than 55.5%.



a lot of unknowns. A couple of upsets in the mid-majors can allow them to steal an extra bid....and then the bubble IN morphs into bubble Out.
 
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