NCAA Tournament March Madness

#283 Pepperdine

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Projection: need to automatically qualify

Pepperdine’s résumé reads like a team that has flashed potential but been undercut by a string of damaging results, so its current standing is logical. The high points are clear: a road victory at Cal State Bakersfield and a solid nonconference win over New Orleans give the resume some tangible proof of ability away from friendly surroundings. The low points are louder, though, with a lopsided neutral-site defeat to Fresno State, a tough road loss at UCLA, an away setback at Cal State Fullerton and disappointing losses to mid-majors such as Vermont and Abilene Christian that weigh heavily when the committee looks for consistency. Conference play now presents both a brutal set of challenges and concrete chances to repair the picture, because Pepperdine still faces home and road matchups against the West Coast’s elite and a slate of games at places like Washington State, San Diego, Portland and Pacific where wins would improve its profile. Given the scarcity of signature nonconference victories and the clear damage from several poor results, what matters next are road and neutral wins against recognizable opponents and avoiding more surprise losses at home.

Date Opponent Ranking Outcome
11/7@UCLA32L74-63
11/15N Colorado152L88-81
11/18New Orleans221W90-79
11/21SF Austin133L63-60
11/26(N)Fresno St171L76-53
11/29@CS Fullerton240L83-69
12/2Abilene Chr214L71-63
12/6Vermont179L65-56
12/13@CS Bakersfield314W70-62
12/18@Long Beach St265L81-78
12/20Rice20748%
12/28Gonzaga31%
12/30St Mary's CA346%
1/2@Santa Clara715%
1/4@Pacific12914%
1/8@San Diego21930%
1/10San Francisco9722%
1/14Portland21851%
1/21@Gonzaga30%
1/24@Washington St15618%
1/28San Diego21951%
2/4@Seattle10710%
2/7Pacific12930%
2/11@St Mary's CA342%
2/14Loy Marymount12830%
2/18@Portland21829%
2/21@Oregon St17622%
2/25Seattle10724%
2/28Washington St15636%