The Pac-12 bubble situation is very uncertain right now. A number of teams will need to get hot and stay hot in order to make the 2024 NCAA Tournament. The fact that the Pac-12 has only one NCAA Tournament lock — Arizona — means that bubble teams can’t afford too many losses over the next several weeks. Wins over UCLA and USC figured to be high-value wins before the season began. Right now, those wins don’t mean a whole lot since the season has become a complete disaster for the Bruins and Trojans. With this in mind, bubble teams such as Washington State have very little margin for error.
Wednesday night, the Cougars made no mistakes. They drubbed Utah, 79-57, to improve their bubble position. Washington State lost to Utah by 22 points in Salt Lake City, so the Cougars managed to dish out a 22-point smackdown to the Utes in Pullman as payback. The win will compensate for Wazzu’s brutal loss to California this past Saturday. The Cougars, if the season ended today, would not be in the NCAA Tournament. They still have work to do. However, this win keeps them in the bubble conversation and givs them a chance to play their way into the NCAA Tournament in February and early March.
Utah is probably still in good shape for the NCAA Tournament, but the Utes will need to win a few road games in the conference to be safe.
Elsewhere in the Pac-12 on Wednesday, Colorado went to Seattle and scored a crucial road win over the Washington Huskies to improve their bubble position. The Buffaloes are very much on the bubble but moved the needle in the right direction. Washington head coach Mike Hopkins looks like a man who will be fired in a few months.
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