NCAA Tournament March Madness

#114 W Carolina

Bubble Watch | Bracketology

Chat with the Bracketologist | How does this work?


Projection: likely out

Western Carolina's resume has some noteworthy points that jump off the page, including a robust overall record with a mix of wins against middle-tier opponents like Notre Dame, McNeese State, and an away victory at Vanderbilt. However, these are counterbalanced by losses that raise eyebrows, such as dropping games to Gardner Webb and a pair of defeats at the hands of Furman, including in the conference tournament, which can sting when the selection committee starts splitting hairs. Key defeats to Chattanooga, UNC Greensboro, and Samford showcase some inconsistency, especially when an opportunity to beef up the profile against higher competition was there for the taking. As a mid-major, Western Carolina needed a few more of those statement wins or a deeper run in their conference tournament to comfortably secure a spot in the dance. As is, with the mix of some close calls against lower-ranked teams and those few crucial losses, their resume suggests more of an outside shot, resting heavily on the benevolence of the selection committee or a possible bid in a lesser postseason tournament.

Date Opponent Ranking Outcome
11/11@Notre Dame124W71-61
11/13@MTSU253W66-64
11/18McNeese St43W76-74
11/26North Alabama230W81-63
11/28@Tennessee Tech323W69-65
12/2@Gardner Webb201L82-77
12/5@High Point108L97-71
12/9UNC Asheville156W78-63
12/16@SC Upstate303W70-53
12/19@Vanderbilt224W63-62
1/3@Citadel276W80-71
1/6Wofford181W70-66
1/10@ETSU167W80-66
1/13@Mercer213W64-52
1/16Samford74L75-71
1/20@Furman148L65-62
1/24UNC Greensboro135L85-82
1/27VMI350W102-77
1/31Chattanooga138L91-85
2/3@Wofford181L88-86
2/7Citadel276W71-64
2/10Mercer213W79-46
2/14@Samford74L88-62
2/17ETSU167W70-65
2/21@UNC Greensboro135L71-65
2/24@VMI350W84-51
2/28Furman148W85-77
3/2@Chattanooga138W82-63
3/9(N)Furman148L79-76