Welcome, Oklahoma men's basketball fans, to the Sooners’ new version of the bubble, where OU has made home under head coach Porter Moser.Â
The NCAA Division I men's and women's basketball committees on Thursday officially voted to expanded both national tournaments from 68 to 76 teams starting next year, and almost immediately after the news broke, bracket experts from outlets across the country released the newest Bracketology to give OU fans an early preview for what being on the new bubble will be like.Â
Sooners' bubble position changes in newest Bracketology
Under the new format, the "First Four" with four play-in games in Dayton, Ohio, ahead of what most consider the actual tournament is extinct. Instead, there will be 24 teams competing in a 12-team "opening round" just days after Selection Sunday that will essentially serve as what fans will likely consider a play-in to compete in the real 64-team bracket. When it comes to filling out brackets, that 64-team field will be when fans start making predictions.
That means those 24 teams will literally have to fight their way into the tournament from what used to be considered the bubble, and the Sooners, of course, are already predicted to be in that mix.
Read more: NCAA Tournament expansion is great news for Porter Moser only
ESPN’s Joe Lunardi had the Sooners playing TCU to be the No. 12 seed in the South Region. The winner would play No. 5 Purdue for actual bracket play. Before expansion in his NCAA Tournament prediction after rosters were settled for next season, Lunardi had OU as the second team out of the 68-team field. All that changed was expansion, which was enough to give the Sooners at least a chance to prove themselves worthy instead of being just barely left out like three of the five seasons under Moser.
NCAA.com’s Andy Katz also had OU as one of the last 24 teams competing for a spot, playing Arizona State for the 11-seed in the East Region. CBS Sports didn't even have the Sooners in the 76-team field, which should immediately get Moser fired in Year 6.
OU fans likely won't have the stress anymore of hearing the Sooners called or not on Selection Sunday, but that doesn't mean there won't be new worries of having to win a game to actually get in this new format, but that still feels better than no chance at all.
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