2009 NCAA March Madness Bubble Watch

Written by:
C Costigan
Published on:
Mar/15/2009

Heading into the Selection Sunday show to determine which teams are playing in the 2009 NCAA March Madness, there were many bubble teams with a strong (and some not-so-strong) cases for participating.  Here is the Gambling911.com 2009 NCAA March Madness Bubble Watch.  The real madness begins in earnest this evening when oddsmakers put up their lines, gamblers start placing their bets (including those ‘sharps' who want in on the early line before it moves) and millions of others prepare their NCAA brackets. 

With Louisville's win Saturday night, they are almost a "lock" to earn a number one seed.  Pittsburgh is a "near lock" though it's not set in stone and Connecticut is looking more like a number two seed. 

Memphis could earn itself a number one seed following a routing of Oklahoma the other night.  Missouri, meanwhile, grabbed its conference automatic bid and pretty much shot down Baylor's hopes for getting in.

Michigan is one of those Dr. Jeckyl and Mr. Hyde teams that can shock if the right personality comes to the court.  Assuming they get in (and they probably will), Michigan could be an NCAA bracket buster.  They've earned an NCAA at-large bid by beating the likes of Minnesota (twice), Purdue and Illinois.  Of course, Dr. Jeckyl showed up the other night falling 20 points to Illinois. 

ESPN reports that Arizona's entry into the NCAA Tournament this year may be in some serious jeopardy.

The Wildcats have appeared in 24 consecutive NCAA tournaments since 1985, the longest active streak in the country and second-longest in history. But that streak appears to be in serious jeopardy after Zona lost to rival Arizona State for the third time this season, 68-56, in the quarterfinals of the Pac-10 tournament in Los Angeles. The Wildcats will present a compelling case with six RPI top-50 victories, having beaten Kansas, Washington, UCLA, USC and San Diego State at home and Gonzaga in Phoenix. The Wildcats were 6-10 against RPI top-50 foes and 8-12 against the top 100. But Arizona might be hurt by its 2-9 record in road games and 1-5 slide at season's end."

In the SEC, Tennessee and LSU seemed to be the only sure bets with three other teams looking to get in from that conference:  Florida, South Carolina and Auburn, all of which have slim hopes.

In the Mountain West Conference, Utah and BYU appear to be sitting pretty.  San Diego State has a shot of getting in but their resume does not offer a compelling enough case according to many pundits.  BYU is more of a "lock" than Utah, we should point out.

Creighton, St. Mary's, Butler, Dayton, Xavier are other contenders looking to make it into the 2009 NCAA March Madness Tournament, the later three having the best shot.  Many believe St. Mary's will still squeeze in however. 

ESPN predicts that St. Mary's will do just that as an at-large bid along with Maryland, Penn State and Minnesota. 

Remember, you can bet on the 2009 NCAA March Madness at betED.com

Christopher Costigan, Gambling911.com Publisher

 

 

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