Conference tournaments are underway in women’s college basketball this week, and some teams’ bubbles are already beginning to burst. In total, six of the 12 bubble teams listed in CBS Sports bracketologist Connor Groel’s latest bracket played on Wednesday. Three of those teams lost: Stanford, Texas A&M and Mississippi State.
Due to those losses, Stanford and Texas A&M went from being among the First Four Out into the Next Four Out, while Mississippi State remained in the Next Four Out. Stanford’s overtime loss to Miami in the ACC tournament was the biggest story of Wednesday, as it all but guaranteed the Cardinal will miss the NCAA tournament for the second consecutive year.
Meanwhile, Arizona State, BYU and Utah all moved up slightly on the bubble after winning first-round games on Wednesday, but all three teams likely still have work to do to secure an invitation. Notably, this was the first Big 12 tournament win for the BYU Cougars since they joined the conference in 2023.
What does Thursday have in store? Eight bubble teams will be in action in conference tournaments today, and then Richmond joining the action on Friday. Notably, Clemson and Virginia — the top two teams on the Last Four In group — will face off in the ACC Tournament. The winner of that game should feel comfortable about making the NCAA Tournament, while the loser might be sweating it out on Selection Sunday.
Here is Groel’s updated bubble after Wednesday’s games and when to catch each team in action.
Last Four In
- Clemson (vs. Virginia, R2 of ACC tournament, Thursday at 11:00 a.m. ET)
- Virginia (vs. Clemson, R2 of ACC tournament, Thursday at 11:00 a.m.)
- Colorado (vs. Kansas, R2 of Big 12 tournament; Thursday at 9:00 p.m.)
- South Dakota State (vs. Kansas City in QF of Summit League tournament; Thursday at 1:00 p.m.)
First Four Out
- Richmond (vs. TBD in QF of A10 tournament; Friday at 7:30 p.m.)
- Arizona State (vs. Iowa State in R2 of Big 12 tournament, Thursday at 6:30 p.m.)
- BYU (vs. Utah in R2 of Big 12 tournament, Thursday at 2:30 p.m.)
- Utah (vs. BYU in R2 of Big 12 tournament, Thursday at 2:30 p.m.)
Next Four Out
- Stanford (lost to Miami 83-76 in R1 of ACC tournament)
- Texas A&M (lost to Auburn 50-49 in R1 of SEC tournament)
- Mississippi State (lost to Florida 86-68, R1 of SEC tournament)
- Kansas (vs. Colorado in R2 of Big 12 tournament, Thursday at 9:00 p.m.)
Before 2025, Stanford had appeared in the Big Dance for 36 consecutive years, dating back to 1987 under Tara VanDerveer. The Cardinal won three national championships during the VanDerveer era, with the most recent one happening just five years ago. Long-time associate head coach Kate Paye took over after VanDerveer retired, but the former Pac-12 powerhouse has not yet found success as a member of the ACC conference.
Similarly, the Mississippi State Bulldogs are likely done after a loss to Florida, especially since they have gone 4-12 in their last 16 games and only have three wins against Quad 1 and 2 opponents. Texas A&M was one of the most intriguing bubble teams heading into conference play after a late-season surge that saw the team finish the regular season with five consecutive wins, including victories over Tennessee and Ole Miss. But the one-point loss to Auburn in Greenville will leave the Aggies on the outside of the madness looking in.
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