Tag: bubble

Bracketology round-up: Michigan State basketball arrives to Selection Sunday

Follow along with what the bracketologists say is going to happen to Michigan State ahead of the selection show:

The time is here and it is officially Selection Sunday, unfortunately for Michigan State fans, it has turned into a stressful day of anticipation.

Quite frankly, coming into yesterday, there were four scenarios that Spartan fans did not want to see happen. Unfortunately, once again for MSU and it’s fans, all four scenarios happened and the bubble has shrunk drastically.

In unprecedented fashion, there has been five bids stolen over the past two days, turning the bubble into an absolute mess. On Friday, the Spartans were a lock and looking at a 9 or 10 seed. On Sunday morning, Dayton and the First Four might be looking like the best case scenario.

Luckily, putting Spartans fans at ease, for now, the bracketologists still love the Spartans chances of getting into the field of 68:

*this list will be updated throughout the day, heading into the selection show*

Bracket Matrix ranking: Not ranked

MSU’s seed: 9-seed vs Dayton

Click here to see USA Today’s full bracketology

Bracket Matrix ranking: No. 98

MSU’s seed: Last Four In – 10-seed

Click here to see ESPN’s full bracketology

Bracket Matrix ranking: No. 142

MSU’s seed: 10-seed – Last Four In

Click here to see CBS’s full bracketology

Bracket Matrix ranking: No. 75

MSU’s seed: 10-seed vs Clemson

Click here to read Fox’s full bracketology

Bracket Matrix ranking: No. 1

MSU’s seed: NO SUNDAY UPDATE YET, formerly 10-seed

*messaged Spartans Wire yesterday saying MSU had greater than 90% chance*

Click here to see Bracketometry’s full bracketology

Bracket Matrix ranking: No. 2

MSU’s seed: 10-seed, Last Four In

Click here to see 1-3-1 Sports’ full bracketology

Bracket Matrix ranking: No. 22

MSU’s seed: 10-seed, Last Four In

Click here to see T3’s bracketology

Bracket Matrix ranking: No. 37 (newbie section)

MSU’s seed: 10-seed, Last Four In

Click here to see JBR’s full bracketology

Bracket Matrix ranking: No. 54

MSU seed: Last Four In

Click here to see Graham Doeren’s bracketology

Bracket Matrix ranking: No. 65

MSU seed: 11-seed, Last Four In

Click here to see Delphi’s full bracketology

Bracket Matrix ranking: No. 14 (newbie)

MSU seed: 10-seed, Last Four In

Click here to see Projection Sports’ full bracket

Bracket Matrix ranking: No. 20

MSU seed: 10-seed, Last Four In

Click here to read The Round Robin’s full bracket

Bracket Matrix ranking: No. 9

MSU seed: 10-seed, Last Four In

Click here to read Bracksketblogs full bracketology

Bracket Matrix ranking: No. 10

MSU seed: 10-seed, Last Four In

Click here to read Scott’s full bracketology

Bracket Matrix ranking: Not ranked

MSU seed: 10-seed, Last Four In

Click here to see NKY’s full seed list

If there is anything Spartan fans can hold their hats on, to this point of the stressful day, is that 100% of the brackets submitted into the Bracket Matrix have the Spartans in the field. Continue to refresh the matrix to follow along the additional updated brackets:

Click here to see the whole Bracket Matrix

5 Saints bubble players who have earned a roster spot

Some Saints made sure to seize the opportunities they were given this summer. We believe these 5 standouts performed well enough to win roster spots | @DillySanders

The New Orleans Saints wrapped up their preseason on Sunday night, which now brings the focus to cutting the roster down to just 53 players. The guys on the bubble have had time to make their case, now it’s just up to decision makers in the front office.

Between the rookies, veterans trying to stick around and newcomers trying to introduce themselves to the fanbase there were a lot of interesting players for the Saints. With a team like this, with a lot of players already locked in, there are going to be some guys that performed well but won’t make it in New Orleans. There were also some players that definitely didn’t help their case enough to make the roster.

Here are the names that we felt were on the roster bubble, but performed enough to plead their case about sticking around for a bit:

11 Saints players on the roster bubble as cuts deadline approaches

These 11 New Orleans Saints players are on the roster bubble as cuts deadline approaches. Which of them will make the team?

Roster cuts are difficult for every team, and the New Orleans Saints have some tough decisions in front of them. A small crowd of talented, experienced players are currently on the roster bubble ahead of Tuesday’s cuts deadline — who will make the team? Who will get left out? Who will get a second chance on the practice squad, or possibly return after some procedural moves are completed?

Here are 11 names we’re watching closely over the next 24 hours:

15 Packers fighting for a roster spot in final preseason game vs. Seahawks

Highlighting all the players fighting for spots on the Packers’ 53-man roster entering the preseason finale vs. the Seahawks on Saturday.

The Green Bay Packers will play the Seattle Seahawks on Saturday in their final preseason game before final roster cuts have to be made by Tuesday, Aug. 29. Every snap for every player matters, but they will be particularly important for these 15 players, who are looking to make one last push towards a spot on the 53-man roster.

Being admittedly assumptive at a few positions, I have 42 roster spots accounted for, which leaves 11 up for grabs heading into this final game. For many of these back-end of the roster players, it’s important to keep in mind that special teams contributions will play a key role in many instances when it comes to determining those final spots.

Here are my 15 players to watch closely on Saturday, as they all fight for the few roster spots that remain on this Green Bay Packers team.

Roster locks, long shots, and players on the bubble in the Saints WR corps

Breaking down roster locks, long shots, and players on the bubble in the New Orleans Saints wide receiver corps ahead of their final preseason game:

There’s a lot of intrigue surrounding the New Orleans Saints wide receiver corps ahead of their final preseason game — with roster cuts following shortly after, multiple players are competing for their jobs right now.

Some guys are safe locks for the 53-man roster to open the season. Others are on the bubble and have a shot at clinching a roster spot versus returning on the practice squad after being waived. Others are long shots who badly need to show the team something in the days ahead, or they’ll be playing football elsewhere in the fall.

With the Saints having let go of veteran wideouts Bryan Edwards, James Washington, and Keke Coutee in each of the last three weeks, it’s worth taking stock of the receiving corps to see what opportunities are still available.

Last year the team rostered six receivers and stashed three others on the practice squad, which they maintained throughout the season. If that repeats, one of the ten receivers currently on the team won’t be here this time next week. Here are our picks for current roster locks, long shots, and players on the bubble whose case could go either way:

Dennis Allen outlines Jaylon Smith’s path to winning a Saints roster spot

Dennis Allen was impressed by Jaylon Smith’s preseason debut, but he says the Saints linebacker needs to play special teams well to make the team:

Jaylon Smith made an immediate impact for the New Orleans Saints in their second preseason game, eagerly engaging blockers at the line of scrimmage to help defend against the run while proving a tough out in pass coverage while guarding the flats. It was enough to impress head coach Dennis Allen, but he hasn’t quite earned a spot behind Demario Davis and Pete Werner just yet. For now, Allen says, he’s still on the roster bubble.

“I thought it was a good first exposure out there in a game-like situation,” Allen said. “We’ll get another chance this weekend to continue the evaluation process. But I like what I’ve seen over the last week or so from the player. He’s smart, he’s tough, highly instinctive, there’s a lot of things to like.”

Smith appeared to be well on his way to leapfrogging Zack Baun as the team’s third linebacker — but he wouldn’t play many snaps even in that role high up the depth chart. With Allen’s preference for a four-man rush and nickel or dime personnel fielding extra defensive backs, the Saints rarely put three linebackers out on the field at a time.

So how can Smith help himself as he works to make the team? Allen volunteered one pathway to a roster spot: covering punts and kickoffs on special teams.

Allen continued, “I think with him, part of the equation is going to be where does he factor in on special teams? It’s not something he’s done a lot of. I think he’s going to embrace that challenge and hopefully he’ll perform well on teams.”

He’s right on that point — special teams have not been a big part of Smith’s resume in the NFL. He’s never played more than 88 snaps in a single season during the game’s third phase. Baun has been one of their top special teams players in recent years, so it may not be enough for Smith to perform at a high level defensively and make the team. Proving he can help in the kicking game would do a lot to ease Allen’s concerns. We’ll see if Smith has those chops in Sunday’s preseason finale with the Houston Texans.

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Roster locks and long shots for Saints’ updated 90-man training camp depth chart

Breaking down the roster locks and long shots for the New Orleans Saints’ updated 90-man training camp depth chart:

The New Orleans Saints are up and running at this week’s organized team activity practices, so it’s a good time to reassess the roster and consider which positions are areas of strength and which are looking vulnerable.

This time, we’ll be breaking each position group down into roster locks (established starters, veteran backups, and highly-drafted rookies), players on bubble (backups returning from last year’s roster or practice squad, late-round draft picks, and undrafted free agents who got heavily-guaranteed deals), and long shots (street free agents, rookies with training camp invites, and everyone else).

Remember, the Saints currently have filled just 89 of their 90 roster spots, so a move or two will be coming soon after the league’s June 1 milestone makes it more feasible for other teams dealing with salary cap constraints. Right now, here’s what the Saints’ roster looks like:

FedEx Cup Playoffs: A closer look at PGA Tour players on the top-30 bubble ahead of the 2022 BMW Championship

Plenty of players are looking to punch their tickets to East Lake Golf Club.

The second leg of the FedEx Cup Playoffs begins Thursday at Wilmington Country Club in Wilmington, Delaware, at the BMW Championship. That means only the top-70 players from the PGA Tour FedEx Cup standings qualified and are shooting for the season-long prize, the FedEx Cup.

Only 68 players will tee it up, and from there, only the top 30 in the standings advance to the Tour Championship at East Lake Golf Club in Atlanta. The winner of the FedEx Cup Playoffs will take home $18 million and the FedEx Cup.

Cameron Smith, No. 3 in the FedEx Cup standings and into next week’s field, won’t tee it up at the BMW Championship, withdrawing Monday.

BMW Championship: PGA Tour Live on ESPN+ | Best bets | Tee times

Here’s a closer look at some names in the FedEx Cup points standings, including those who are on the bubble and others who need a big week to make the Tour Championship.

Texas A&M may just be 2022’s most unlikely men’s NCAA Tournament team

The committee is sure to have fun trying to evaluate this Aggies team.

This has been an unpredictable season in college basketball.

It has featured countless top-10 upsets, parity at the top and a bubble situation that has been fluid, to say the least. And as we close in on the end of conference tournament week, there’s one team that could be better poised to take advantage of that fluidity than any other.

Coach Buzz Williams’ Texas A&M team entered this week’s SEC Tournament in Tampa as a March Madness longshot. But after three wins that set up a date with Tennessee in the title game, the Aggies might just be able to sneak into the field — even if they don’t secure an automatic bid with a conference title on Sunday.

It’s almost inconceivable that TAMU could be in this position. On Feb. 12, it suffered its eighth consecutive loss in what appeared to be a doomed campaign. Since then, this has been a completely different team.

Three days later, Texas A&M ended the skid with a home win against Florida and is now one of the hottest teams in the country, winning eight of its last nine. Two of the Aggies’ three wins in Tampa this week came against projected top-four seeds in SEC regular-season champion Auburn and Arkansas.

Of course, an at-large bid for Texas A&M is far from a given, even with this team’s late push. Its placement in the NET Rankings at No. 51 is not great, and neither is its 4-9 record in Quadrant 1 games this season.

In his most recent bracketology update on Saturday, ESPN’s Joe Lunardi listed the Aggies as the second team among the First Four Out. However, he said that depending on the results from fellow bubble teams SMU and Virginia Tech — the latter of which faces off against Duke on Saturday night in the ACC Championship — the Aggies could enter the field.

The Aggies may require some help if they can’t finish the job against the Volunteers, but an incredible run over the last month has this team on the cusp of the big dance.

Madness, indeed.

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NCAA Tournament Bubble Watch: Notre Dame headed for First Four?

Not the development anyone wanted.

Notre Dame didn’t have a good week after falling to Virginia Tech on Thursday and then having a handful of other bubble teams play well early on.  Where does that leave the Irish as we hit the weekend?

USA TODAY has their updated bracket projections out on Saturday morning and the good news is the Irish are in their field of 68.  However, they are by the skin of their teeth as one of the last four in the updated projection.

Virginia Tech beating North Carolina didn’t do Notre Dame any favors last night as the Hokies now meet Duke in the ACC Tournament final.  Texas A&M reaching the semi-finals of the SEC Tournament should turn the Irish into big Arkansas fans today.

Oklahoma falling to Texas Tech should be beneficial for the Irish after the last few days that haven’t gone according to plan.

A week that started with Notre Dame thinking they may be as high as a nine-seed now sees them perhaps heading to Dayton for the First Four.  Stay tuned…

Related: Notre Dame NCAA Tournament History

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