Bracketology & bubble watch 2023: What Tuesday's results mean for Oklahoma St., Creighton, Penn State, Wisconsin

College basketball never stops! We saw a few more high-profile games happen yesterday in the Big East, Big 12, and Big Ten that could go a long way toward determining teams' futures in the Big Dance. With less than three weeks left in the NCAA regular season, we take a look at February 14 games that affected bracketology projections and teams fighting their way into the bubble.

Key games for bracketology

This Big East showdown saw Providence grab a home win over Creighton to tie the Bluejays for the third-place spot in conference standings. Before the game, Creighton was projected to be in the 5-to-6-seed range, with Providence in the 7-to-8 seed range. We may see them even out in the 6-to-7 seed range in projections this week – no crazy movement, especially as we get further into the season, but the Big East is definitely a conference to keep your eye on come March.

Oklahoma State wasn't able to beat Kansas at home. Beating a top-five team and projected top seed is a steep ask, so we can expect to see the Cowboys continue to hover around an 8-seed in bracketology predictions. The Big 12 has been the best conference in college basketball this season, so don't let Oklahoma State's conference record fool you when tourney time rolls around. Kansas will remain at No. 1.

Bubble Watch

Wisconsin was listed on Joe Lunardi's First Four Out and on Jerry Palm's 11-seed play-in. A win over Michigan is a huge resume-booster for the Badgers, and they may find themselves on the other side of that bubble in projections after this week. Michigan is unlikely to make the tournament again this year after an Elite Eight run last season.

Illinois is projected in the 5-to-6 seed range, and this was a huge win for Penn State, especially considering its margin. The Nittany Lions will need to come close to winning out if they want a spot in the bracket in March, but they may find themselves creeping closer to the bubble this week. Keep your eye out for Penn State in “first four out” and “next four out” listings.

  
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