On ESPN Bubble Watch
Tulsa. The mock brackets have no problem making room in the projected field for Houston. Yet it's the Golden Hurricane leading the Cougars in the American race and not the other way around. In fact, with a win at Wichita State, Frank Haith's team will reign supreme as the outright American champion.
One factor dragging down Tulsa's at-large chances, however, is an abnormally low NET ranking. While it appears teams like UCLA could compel the committee to enter new territory in low NET rankings for at-large bids, dipping all the way down to the 80s would still be a stretch.
The Golden Hurricane's NET ranking is perhaps equal parts the product of bad losses (Colorado State and, especially, Arkansas State, both at home) and a level of per-possession performance over the season as a whole that's been less impressive than the team's won-loss record in conference play.
Tulsa. The mock brackets have no problem making room in the projected field for Houston. Yet it's the Golden Hurricane leading the Cougars in the American race and not the other way around. In fact, with a win at Wichita State, Frank Haith's team will reign supreme as the outright American champion.
One factor dragging down Tulsa's at-large chances, however, is an abnormally low NET ranking. While it appears teams like UCLA could compel the committee to enter new territory in low NET rankings for at-large bids, dipping all the way down to the 80s would still be a stretch.
The Golden Hurricane's NET ranking is perhaps equal parts the product of bad losses (Colorado State and, especially, Arkansas State, both at home) and a level of per-possession performance over the season as a whole that's been less impressive than the team's won-loss record in conference play.