Here’s an essential truth about those teams that have found themselves on the March Madness bubble: Sooner or later, they’re going to tell you whether they really want to play in the NCAA Tournament. It happened in 2019, when Ohio State faced Indiana in a second-round Big Ten Tournament game that bracket analysts identified as one in which the winner would have a strong chance of being included in the field and the loser almost certainly would fall short. MORE: March Madness predictions: SN’s latest Field of 68 The Buckeyes entered that showdown with an 18-13 record and left at 19-13. They made it. IU did not. So what are we to make of the statement issued Wednesday night by the Stanford Cardinal? Handed the challenging assignment of visiting the Southern California Trojans, Stanford scored 17 points in the first half, shot 25 percent from the field, turned over the…
Continue Reading: March Madness bubble watch: Big night for Michigan State with rivalry game, chance to approach 'lock' status
