Texas, Oklahoma, Auburn need to root for one outcome in A-10 title game to avoid bid steal on NCAA Tournament bubble originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
There’s one potential bid stealer remaining as Selection Sunday dawns.
Advertisement
The NCAA Tournament could sneak in an extra team in the Atlantic 10 if the conference title game between VCU and Dayton swings one way, and it could matter greatly for teams like Texas, Oklahoma and Auburn.
First thing’s first: If VCU wins the title game, there’s no bid steal. St. Louis (which lost in the semis) and VCU are both in the field regardless, according to ESPN’s Joe Lunardi.
The problem starts if Dayton wins. The Flyers aren’t in the bracket unless they get the automatic qualifier from the conference tournament.
And if they get that, it’s one less at-large spot for those big programs.
Advertisement
As Lunardi has it Saturday night, Texas is in the field as the last team in, and Oklahoma and Auburn are the first two teams out.
He also has San Diego State and New Mexico listed in his first four out, and his next four out features Indiana, Stanford, Cincinnati and Seton Hall.
His other last four in with the Longhorns are Missouri, Miami (Ohio) and SMU.
The reality is that a Dayton win could put any of those teams at risk. It’s just one fewer spot to navigate on a tricky bubble.
Dayton has a strong history in the A-10, but the last few years hadn’t been as good. They’ve gone on a conference tourney run now and are just one win away from dancing.
Advertisement
The Flyers can put themselves back on the map, and disrupt one team’s hopes and dreams, with a win on Sunday.
More sports news: