NCAA Tournament Last 8 In, First 8 Out Final Update

The NCAA Volleyball Selection Show is tonight – which bubble teams will be in and out? Get our final takes after Saturday’s matches.

A look at our last 8 in, first 8 out after Friday’s matches. You can find the bubble teams as of the beginning of this week here.

Here’s how it shaped up:

Saturday Update

Wins:

• Wichita State – formerly a bubble team – beat Missouri State for the Missouri Valley Conference title. That earns them an automatic bid to the NCAA tournament and relegates Missouri State to our bubble teams.
• Pittsburgh beat Virginia to finish the year on a 4-match win streak. The Panthers have won 10 of their last 11 including an upset of ACC champs UNC and seems a lock to make the tournament.
• Alabama beat LSU 3-1, but it’s probably too little, too late, even with three straight wins over weak opponents to end the year.

Losses:

• Illinois lost at Penn State, ending what was a three-match win streak to end the year. Still, Illinois’ last 5 losses have come to opponents ranked in the top 25 (Michigan, Michigan State, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Penn State) and should still make the tourney based on a very tough conference schedule and a handful of big wins (Purdue, Michigan State) earlier in the season.
• Baylor very nearly upset Big 12 champs Kansas at home, but couldn’t pull out the win. Kansas was the 3-2 victors. Baylor’s case is a unique one, with a string of late-season losses, but all to good programs: Texas, Iowa State, Kansas. Still, the Bears will be right on the bubble for tonight’s selections.
• Indiana dropped a 5-set heartbreaker to Ohio State. The Hoosiers probably needed a huge win just to make the tournament, and they’ll likely be out after losing 5 of their last 6.

With that in mind, here’s a look at our projected 64-team NCAA tournament: