NCAA Tournament March Madness
#239 Pepperdine
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Projection: need to automatically qualify
Pepperdine’s profile points to a single practical route into the tournament through the conference’s automatic berth because the resume lacks a signature victory and the nonconference slate features some damaging setbacks, most notably the road loss at UCLA and the heavy defeat at Fresno State, while the lone solid result came against New Orleans. Close losses like the one to Sam Houston State’s counterpart underscore that the team can compete but has not yet turned a noteworthy opportunity into a résumé changer, and there is no meaningful neutral or road win over a high‑end opponent to sway a skeptical committee. The league schedule compounds the problem with trips to Gonzaga and Saint Mary’s and a hostile visit to Santa Clara that, if lost, will leave little to recommend at-large, so the remaining chances against teams such as CS Fullerton, Rice, San Diego and Portland look more like incremental resume builders than game‑changing statements. In short, the combination of a thin body of quality wins, a couple of bad losses away from home, and looming road tests means the safest expectation is that Pepperdine will need the conference’s automatic spot to reach the Big Dance.
| Date | Opponent | Ranking | Outcome |
|---|---|---|---|
| 11/7 | @UCLA | 33 | L74-63 |
| 11/15 | N Colorado | 150 | L88-81 |
| 11/18 | New Orleans | 179 | W90-79 |
| 11/21 | SF Austin | 145 | L63-60 |
| 11/26 | (N)Fresno St | 144 | L76-53 |
| 11/29 | @CS Fullerton | 309 | 52% |
| 12/2 | Abilene Chr | 255 | 63% |
| 12/6 | Vermont | 180 | 51% |
| 12/13 | @CS Bakersfield | 275 | 45% |
| 12/18 | @Long Beach St | 280 | 46% |
| 12/20 | Rice | 213 | 57% |
| 12/28 | Gonzaga | 5 | 3% |
| 12/30 | St Mary's CA | 34 | 10% |
| 1/2 | @Santa Clara | 53 | 5% |
| 1/4 | @Pacific | 140 | 21% |
| 1/8 | @San Diego | 247 | 40% |
| 1/10 | San Francisco | 94 | 25% |
| 1/14 | Portland | 252 | 63% |
| 1/21 | @Gonzaga | 5 | 1% |
| 1/24 | @Washington St | 160 | 26% |
| 1/28 | San Diego | 247 | 62% |
| 2/4 | @Seattle | 105 | 13% |
| 2/7 | Pacific | 140 | 40% |
| 2/11 | @St Mary's CA | 34 | 3% |
| 2/14 | Loy Marymount | 119 | 34% |
| 2/18 | @Portland | 252 | 40% |
| 2/21 | @Oregon St | 194 | 31% |
| 2/25 | Seattle | 105 | 29% |
| 2/28 | Washington St | 160 | 47% |