Are Miami and Florida still bubble teams in Joe Lunardi’s latest bracketology?
College basketball’s regular season is nearing its end.
It’s the final week for bubble teams to make their case for inclusion into the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament before conference tournaments get underway for the majority of Division I conferences.
So where does it leave Miami and Florida, the only two in-state programs that have flirted with the March Madness bubble for the past month?
ESPN expert Joe Lunardi gives an indication of how the selection committee might feel about the Hurricanes and Gators, as well as the rest of the potential tourney field, in his latest bracketology predictions that were released Tuesday.
The Canes are no longer a bubble team, according to Lunardi’s projections. He forecasts UM as a No. 10 seed in the East Region to face Michigan State in a first-round game.
Miami (20-9) finishes their regular season on the road this week, with games at Boston College on Wednesday and at Syracuse on Saturday. Both opponents are unranked.
Meanwhile, the Florida Gators remain on Lunardi’s “next four teams out” list. If Lunardi’s projections mirror the selection committee’s decisions, it means UF has work to do this week and in the SEC tournament to improve its stock. The Gators (18-11) finish their regular season slate at Vanderbilt on Tuesday and at home against Kentucky on Saturday.
No other Florida schools have appeared in Lunardi’s bracketology during the past month. He currently projects Gonzaga, Baylor, Kansas and Arizona as the No. 1 seeds.
