It's time to take inventory of there all 351 teams in the country stand. Over a dozen or so posts today, we'll break down the resumes that matter in typical Bubble Watch style.
Now we look at a conference which has rallied (albeit just slightly). The bubble section is ridiculously long, my God.
The Lockbox:
Kentucky (17-0) (4-0) RPI 1 SoS 3
Vital signs: 5-0 R/N, non-con SoS 4, 8-0 vs. Top 50, 10-0 vs. Top 100
Signature wins: N-Kansas, @Louisville, UNC, etc etc
Bad losses: nah
That SoS number is a very key piece of the resume, just in case they do lose at some point.
Bubble:
Arkansas (13-4) (2-2) RPI 31 SoS 50
Vital signs: 2-3 R/N, non-con SoS 81, 3-2 vs. Top 50, 4-4 vs. Top 100
Signature wins: @SMU, Dayton, @Georgia?
Bad losses: I suppose @Clemson
Arkansas has separated just a bit from the rest of the pack, with a couple of reasonably good wins, and decent vital signs. They're not safe, considering the SEC as a whole is a mess, so any loss could mean doom.
Georgia (11-5) (2-2) RPI 27 SoS 11
Vital signs: 3-4 R/N, non-con SoS 23, 1-3 vs. Top 50, 5-5 vs. Top 100
Signature wins: Seton Hall, Florida? @K-State?
Bad losses: N-Minnesota maybe
Georgia actually has a good SoS to lean on, which helps the rest of the resume. All the vital signs look good enough to withstand any bubble scrutiny for the time being, but just like every other profile in the SEC, it's in continual danger.
LSU (13-4) (2-2) RPI 48 SoS 85
Vital signs: 4-3 R/N, non-con SoS 129, 3-2 vs. Top 50, 4-3 vs. Top 100
Signature wins: @WVU, Georgia, @Ole Miss?
Bad losses: @Missouri, N-Clemson?
I'd feel a lot better about them with just one less bad loss. None of their 4 losses are against a sure-fire tourney team, which is disturbing in just how big this season could've been. As for now, they're trapped in the middle of the conference who needs to break away from the pack.
Tennessee (11-5) (3-1) RPI 52 SoS 46
Vital signs: 3-4 R/N, non-con SoS 38, 2-3 vs. Top 50, 3-4 vs. Top 100
Signature wins: Butler, Arky, K-State?
Bad losses: N-Marquette
Their non-con SoS is more about bad team avoidance than playing big names, although Butler and K-State at home isn't nothing. They'll need to emerge from the pack, something a bit hard because they've already blown a home game to Bama.
Alabama (12-5) (2-2) RPI 53 SoS 53
Vital signs: 2-4 R/N, non-con SoS 133, 1-4 vs. Top 50, 3-4 vs. Top 100
Signature wins: A&M, @Tennessee, UCLA?
Bad losses: @South Carolina
Another team in the middle of this SEC mess; they have a rather empty non-con resume to work with. Marginal SoS, marginal wins, marginal record...marginal everything. Barely on the bubble page.
Texas A&M (11-5) (2-2) RPI 39 SoS 35
Vital signs: 3-4 vs. Top 50, non-con SoS 78, 1-3 vs. Top 50, 1-5 vs. Top 100
Signature wins: @LSU, N-New Mexico?
Bad losses: N-K-State, @Alabama
Their recent road win over LSU gets A&M to this section. Still plenty of work to do (look at their lack of quality wins), but the SoS and computer numbers at least them get seated at a table for now. This is a generous listing.
NIT watch:
Ole Miss (11-6) (2-2) RPI 47 SoS 24 - my God, the bubble section just wouldn't end. You could definitely argue Ole Miss belongs in the middle of that mess above, and they do have N-Cincy on the resume. And a good SoS (non-con 84). I just don't believe they're as good as the 6 teams above them, and I can't justify that many SEC bubble teams right now.
Florida (10-7) (3-1) RPI 70 SoS 39 - they don't have any single win that compares to the signature win lists above. That simple. Big trouble.
South Carolina (10-6) (1-3) RPI 107 SoS 77 - they beat Iowa St and Oklahoma St and are throwing it away with several bad losses. Ugh.
No postseason projected:
Auburn (10-7) (2-2)
Vanderbilt (11-6) (1-3)
Mississippi St (8-9) (1-3)
Missouri (7-10) (1-3) - you know, if you wanted to argue Auburn or Vandy up a tier, I wouldn't stand in the way.
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