NCAA Bracket 2020: Latest Expert Bracketology and Predictions

Less than a week remains for teams sitting on the NCAA men's basketball tournament bubble to impress the selection committee.

A handful of power-conference teams, like the Texas Longhorns, need to perform well at their respective conference tournaments to make the field of 68. UT is one of the more remarkable stories on the bubble, as it has reversed its form in the last month to have a chance at hearing its name called Sunday. 

Other squads, like the Xavier Musketeers, have been teetering on and off the bubble for weeks. 

Some squads may not be able to determine their own fate due to bid thievery in leagues in which the top team is considered a lock to make the Big Dance. 

The first few automatic bids have either gone to teams projected to be in the field or in one-bid leagues, so the bubble contenders are safe for now. 

Predictions

Texas Makes the Field by Beating Texas Tech

There are differing opinions on the Longhorns ahead of the Big 12 tournament. 

ESPN's Joe Lunardi has Shaka Smart's team among his last four in, while CBS Sports' Jerry Palm and SB Nation's Chris Dobbertean have the Longhorns as part of their first four out. 

According to Bracket Matrix, Texas appears in 53 of 99 projections and is a No. 11 seed in most of them.

Texas strung together a five-game winning streak just to reach the bubble conversation, but it suffered a blowout loss to the Oklahoma State Cowboys in its regular-season finale. 

The bad loss to the struggling Cowboys hurt some of the momentum Texas gained during the streak that included wins over the Texas Tech Red Raiders and West Virginia Mountaineers. The good news for the Longhorns is they can earn another quality win in the Big 12 tournament quarterfinals over Tech. 

If that occurs, Texas will be in line for a chance to upset the Kansas Jayhawks, who are viewed as the front-runner for the No. 1 overall seed in the NCAA tournament. 

As long as the Longhorns beat TTU, they will have an opportunity that no other bubble teams can come close to matching in the next week. Texas beat the Red Raiders by 10 on the road February 29 and lost to them by five at home in their first meeting, so there is a path to victory Thursday. 

The key for Texas is to receive scoring from each member of its backcourt. Matt Coleman III, Andrew Jones and Courtney Ramey all average over 10 points per game. In the loss to Oklahoma State, the latter two were held to a combined 13 points, but if those numbers improve, they can lead Texas into the Big 12 semifinals. 

A victory over Texas Tech and a competitive 40 minutes versus Kansas should be enough to push Texas into the field of 68, but it may have to go to Dayton, Ohio, for the First Four as one of the final at-large teams.

Xavier Fails to Make Impact at Big East Tournament

Xavier also lost its regular-season finale, but it did so in a close game. 

The Musketeers fought hard against the Butler Bulldogs but fell short after Kamar Baldwin hit a game-winning three-pointer as time expired. 

At the moment, Xavier is on Lunardi's first four out line, but it is in Palm's field as a No. 10 seed and Dobbertean as it among the last four in. 

Bracket Matrix recorded the Musketeers in 96 brackets, with a No. 11 seed their most likely landing spot. 

The problem facing Xavier is it has lost three of its last five games and has a less-than-favorable first matchup at Madison Square Garden with the DePaul Blue Demons. Xavier can't help its chances with a win over the worst team in the Big East.

There is a chance the Musketeers leave New York City without improving their resume since they are in line for a quarterfinal matchup with the Villanova Wildcats. 

The Big East's No. 7 seed lost both regular-season meetings with Nova, and if a third defeat occurs, it will go through a few nervous days. In that scenario, Xavier needs a handful of teams to lose in order to feel secure, but there is always a chance the UCLA Bruins, Richmond Spiders, Wichita State Shockers or others go on a run in their respective conference tournaments. 

Additionally, Xavier has to worry about bid thieves in the Atlantic 10 and American Athletic Conference, among others, that could shrink the margin for error on the bubble. 

The Musketeers did not play a great nonconference schedule, with their best win coming over city rival Cincinnati.

An 8-10 Big East mark and a 1-5 record against the league's three best teams do not help Xavier make a convincing argument to make it as an at-large team if it fails to advance past Villanova. 

Follow Joe on Twitter, @JTansey90.

Statistics obtained from ESPN.com.