With conference tournament games now in full swing, bubble teams from all over the country are vying for their shot at a March Madness bid.
ESPN lead bracketologist Joe Lunardi always has his hand on the pulse when it comes to college basketball NCAA tournament seeding. With a few games already finished and some more on the way, Lunardi updated his “Last Four In” list on Thursday afternoon.
According to the veteran analyst, Drake, Boise State, Colorado State and Syracuse would be the last to get their bids if the season ended at this midday point.
— Joe Lunardi (@ESPNLunardi) March 11, 2021
Coming into the ACC tournament, the chances of Syracuse making the NCAA tournament looked pretty slim. But, after knocking off No. 9 seed NC State with a blowout score of 89-68, the Orange strengthened their case through the first round. Despite today’s closely-contested loss to the ACC No. 1 seeded Virginia, Lunardi still has Jim Boeheim’s squad squeaking into the tournament if things go their way.
Boise State would be more solidly in the mix had it not suffered a three-game losing skid to end its regular season. As of right now, Lunardi still has the 18-7 Broncos making the big dance, but that could quickly change if they fall in their first-round matchup against Nevada in the Mountain West tournament later today.
With a similar 15-7 record, the fellow Mountain West conference Colorado State Rams have the same win-or-go-home attitude heading into their first-round matchup. With multiple COVID-19 pauses plaguing their season, CSU needs to make the most of their remaining games if they want to earn a bid.
With no more remaining games, Missouri Valley Conference runner up Drake can do nothing but sit and wait. After earning a No. 2 seed in the MVC, the Bulldogs fell to the nationally-ranked No. 20 Loyola Chicago Ramblers in the conference title game.
While this is the projection right now, there’s plenty of basketball left before NCAA tournament Selection Sunday on Mar. 14.
The post Joe Lunardi Updates His Last 4 Teams In The 2021 NCAA Tournament appeared first on The Spun.
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