NCAA Tournament bubble watch: How Thursday's results helped Mississippi State basketball
Mississippi State basketball checked the first thing off of its weekly list on Thursday with the OT win over Florida in the SEC Tournament's second round.
The Bulldogs will be big underdogs on Friday against Alabama in the SEC Tournament quarterfinals, but an MSU win over a probable 1-seed in the NCAA Tournament should push the Bulldogs ahead of the bubble.
If Mississippi State doesn't win Friday, it should feel cautiously optimistic heading into Selection Sunday.
Let's take a look at the current NCAA Tournament bubble. We'll start at the at-large 10-seeds, per Bracket Matrix, and run through the end of the possible at-large list.
NCAA Tournament bubble watch
Per Bracket Matrix; NET rankings as of post-Thursday games, while record and conference tournament notes up to date
10-seeds
Boise State
Record: 23-8
NET ranking: 26th
Conference tournament: Won against UNLV in Mountain West Tournament quarterfinals Thursday; will face Utah State in semifinal on Friday
Resume notes: Like many Mountain West bubble teams, the Broncos split most of their conference series this year against top competition. The neutral-site win over Texas A&M gets better with age.
USC
Record: 22-10
NET ranking: 49th
Conference tournament: Lost to Arizona State in Pac-12 Tournament quarterfinals Thursday
Resume notes: Losses to Florida Gulf Coast and Oregon State aren't great, and the UCLA win stands out. If the Trojans win Thursday, it would have a three-game season sweep of fellow bubble team Arizona State.
Providence
Record: 21-11
NET ranking: 55th
Conference tournament: Lost to UConn in Big East Tournament quarterfinals Thursday
Resume notes: A 4-8 Quadrant 1 record isn't awful, but the Friars have a weak non-conference schedule.
NC State
Record: 23-10
NET ranking: 45th
Conference tournament: Won against Virginia Tech in ACC Tournament second round; lost to Clemson in quarterfinals Thursday
Resume notes: The Wolfpack have one Quadrant 1 win, a January home victory against Duke. NC State also does not have a resume-damaging loss. Will the Wolfpack have to beat Clemson on Thursday?
11-seeds
Pitt
Record: 22-11
NET ranking: 67th
Conference tournament: Won against Georgia Tech in ACC Tournament second round; lost to Duke in quarterfinals Thursday
Resume notes: Losses to Florida State and Notre Dame are damaging, but wins at NC State, at North Carolina and against Pitt make up a fairly solid resume.
Utah State
Record: 24-7
NET ranking: 18th
Conference tournament: Won against New Mexico in Mountain West Tournament quarterfinals Thursday; will face Utah State in semifinal on Friday
Resume notes: Utah State is 1-4 in Quadrant 1 and has two Quadrant 4 losses. Was last week's regular-season finale win against Boise State enough?
Rutgers
Record: 19-14
NET ranking: 38th
Conference tournament: Won against Michigan in Big Ten Tournament second round; lost to Purdue in quarterfinals Friday
Resume notes: The Scarlet Knights lost six of eight games to finish the regular season, including at Minnesota and at home against Nebraska. A 5-6 Quadrant 1 record is a strength.
Mississippi State
Record: 21-11
NET ranking: 46th
Conference tournament: Won against Florida in SEC Tournament second round; will face Alabama in quarterfinals Friday
Resume notes: It would be a relief to MSU fans if the Bulldogs were to upset Alabama on Friday.
Nevada
Record: 21-10
NET ranking: 39th
Conference tournament: Lost to San Jose State in Mountain West Tournament quarterfinals Thursday
Resume notes: The strength of the Mountain West this season has helped Nevada, and the Wolfpack have wins over San Diego State, Utah State and Boise State.
Penn State
Record: 20-12
NET ranking: 54th
Conference tournament: Won against Illinois in Big Ten Tournament second round Thursday; will face Northwestern in quarterfinals on Friday
Resume notes: PSU won five of six games to finish the regular season, including against Illinois, Northwestern and Maryland. The Nittany Lions haver a 5-6 Quadrant 1 record and no losses outside the NET top 100.
Also considered
Oklahoma State
Record: 18-15
NET ranking: 42nd
Conference tournament: Won against Oklahoma in Big 12 Tournament first round; lost to Texas in quarterfinals
Resume notes: Did anyone else have more Quad 1 opportunities than the Cowboys? OSU went 6-12 in Q1, but lost six straight overall before last Saturday's win against Texas Tech.
Wisconsin
Record: 17-14
NET ranking: 81st
Conference tournament: Lost to Ohio State in Big Ten Tournament first round Wednesday
Resume notes: A win over Marquette helps the non-conference, but 14 losses is a lot.
Arizona State
Record: 21-11
NET ranking: 60th
Conference tournament: Won against Oregon State in Pac-12 Tournament second round; won against USC in quarterfinals Thursday; will face Arizona in semifinal on Friday
Resume notes: A recent win at Arizona and a 4-5 Quadrant 1 record are the positives, while a loss to Quadrant 4 Texas Southern is the big negative.
Michigan
Record: 17-15
NET ranking: 58th
Conference tournament: Lost to Rutgers in Big Ten Tournament second round Thursday
Resume notes: A 3-12 Quadrant 1 record and the loss to Rutgers in the Big Ten Tournament may be the end for the Wolverines' NCAA Tournament hopes.
UNC
Record: 20-13
NET ranking: 47th
Conference tournament: Won against Boston College in ACC Tournament second round; lost to Virginia in quarterfinals
Resume notes: The Tar Heels are 1-8 in Quadrant 1, and the one win is against NET No. 30 Virginia at home. Very tentative.
This article originally appeared on Mississippi Clarion Ledger: NCAA Tournament bubble: How Thursday's results helped Mississippi State
