S.I. Bubble Watch for Week Ending 2/27/17

[CaribouJim]

http://www.si.com/college-basketball/2017/02/27/ncaa-tournament-bubble-watch

That same Marquette team rounds out the Big East bubble. The one thing that the Golden Eagles have that no other Big East bubble team does is a win over Villanova. That’s going to be huge when the committee sits down to debate the backend of the tournament field. The Golden Eagles also beat Creighton on the road, Seton Hall and Xavier, and a neutral-floor win over Vanderbilt looks better than ever with the Commodores making a late-season run for an at-large bid. The biggest issue now for Marquette is its remaining schedule. After the visit to Xavier on Wednesday, the Golden Eagles host Creighton on Saturday. If they split, they’re likely in, assuming they avoid a bad loss in the conference tournament. If they lose both, they’ll almost certainly have to do some damage during championship week.

[MUwarrior1090]

And from earlier in the article:

These teams are on the bubble, but they’re in better shape than both Kansas State and TCU. Marquette owns wins over Villanova and Creighton, while Xavier has three top-50 wins and strong marks in both RPI (27) and on kenpom.com (39). It’s more likely than not that both of these teams hear their names called on Selection Sunday, regardless of what happens in Cincinnati on Wednesday. The winner, however, will brush right up against lock territory.

[Goose85]

Of all the proposed bubble teams, I think we may have the best or close to the best record against the top 50.

[mufan2003]

Of all the proposed bubble teams, I think we may have the best or close to the best record against the top 50.

Off the top of my head, Syracuse (6) and Providence (6) are the only bubble teams with more RPI Top 50 wins. MU with 5 right now. A great opportunity with the last 2 conference games against Top 50 teams.

[MUwarrior1090]

From Today's Bubble Watch: http://www.si.com/college-basketball/2017/02/27/ncaa-tournament-bubble-watch

Marquette showed again on Wednesday why it can be so dangerous in the tournament, which it took a big step toward with an 95–84 win at Xavier. The Golden Eagles made 12 of their 21 attempts from behind the arc to improve on the best three-point percentage in the country. Marquette has what no other Big East bubble team does, which is a win over Villanova. Wednesday’s win completed a season sweep of Xavier, and the Golden Eagles also own victories over Creighton on the road, Seton Hall at home, and Vanderbilt on a neutral floor. They wrap up the regular season on Saturday against Creighton, and though they still aren’t guaranteed an at-large berth, it would be quite surprising if they were left out.