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Charlie CremeESPN.com
Only one team in the top 16 in women’s Bracketology played on Thursday, and Oregon State easily took care of business with a win over Washington State in the Pac-12 tournament.
On Friday, 11 conference tournaments are in action, including the quarterfinals in the ACC, Big Ten, Pac-12 and SEC.
But Thursday was all about the bubble and which teams are still on the right side of it.
A quick look at the bubble’s survivors and casualties through Thursday’s games:
Alabama: Its NCAA tournament hopes were likely extinguished with a loss to Georgia in the second round of the SEC tournament. The Crimson Tide were already a long shot for an at-large invitation and needed a win and chance to keep playing to retain any realistic hope. They have dropped to the “Next Four Out,” but with no chance to improve their stock. The Lady Dogs, also currently in the “Next Four Out,” stay alive for another day with the win, but the flickering light is dim with No. 1 South Carolina up next on Friday.
Tennessee: A big second half against Missouri helped the Lady Vols avoid falling onto the bubble. They have a chance to completely sew up a bid if they can beat Kentucky in the SEC quarterfinals on Friday.
Conference USA: This is where the biggest changes to Bracketology came Thursday. Conference USA now owns two of the teams in the “Last Four In.” Old Dominion’s upset loss to UAB in the second-to-last game of the league’s regular season cost the Monarchs the C-USA’s automatic bid and pushed them into the danger zone.
Rice now takes over the league lead and Western Kentucky remains bubble-bound. The change at the top of Conference USA also gives the league three teams in the field, but puts two of those three at risk.
Arizona State and Virginia Tech: These were the other two biggest upset victims of the day, and their early departures from the Pac-12 and ACC tournaments, respectively, cost each a seed line. The Sun Devils have now lost three of their past four games, with two of those coming to teams that are sub-100 in the RPI. Their spot in the field is secure, but the Sun Devils have dropped to a No. 7 seed in our latest Bracketology projection.
The Hokies are also stumbling of late and are 1-3 in their past four games. Thursday’s stunner at the hands of Wake Forest puts Virginia Tech on the 8-line. As many as five other teams are now primed to pass the Hokies, which means they might not be done dropping.
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