Life on the NCAA Tournament basketball bubble is tough, Mr. Bubble knows for sure | Bohls

Back despite popular demand, Mr. Bubble has returned ahead of the 2024 NCAA Tournament, which will tip off next week.

Mr. Bubble is so fired up to weigh in on all the pressing issues just before the tournament expands to all 351 teams next season. So let’s go to the mailbag:

Mr. Bubble, kind sir, is Texas a lock for the Big Dance? — Signed, R. Terry

Breathe easy, RT. Yes, Texas could drop from an 8 to a 9 and did itself no favors with a dreary, first-game loss to Kansas State at the Big 12 Tournament. Luckily for this bunch, it beat Oklahoma in the regular-season finale, and that elevated the Horns to a 9-9 record in the best league in the country after a late charge with three wins in their last four games. Now, they won’t take much momentum into the Big Bracket. But if a more than respectable .500 Big 12 record doesn’t get you an invite, Rick Pitino doesn’t have anger problems.

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Hey, B-Bro, what’s your biggest worry about the Bevos? — Signed, CDC in Austin

Where do I start, Chris? Shooting better than 29% in the second half is never a good idea? If I were Terry, I’d be very concerned about Dylan Disu continually getting into foul trouble, as he did Wednesday with two fouls in a span of 31 seconds. Texas can't afford to have him on the bench. The Longhorns rely heavily — too heavily — on Disu and big-time scorer Max Abmas. We’ve bemoaned the lack of a third reliable scorer all year.

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B-man, what is up with Kansas? Are the Jayhawks broken? — Signed, B Self

Yes, BS. The rock chalkers are, indeed, broken. Maybe even shattered. Kansas lost eight games in conference. Eight. That’s like three years’ worth of Big 12 losses for that proud program. Its 20-point loss Wednesday to Cincinnati in the Big 12 Tournament comes on the heels of a 30-point meltdown at Houston. Who knew Lance Leipold would be the best coach on campus? We kid, Bill. You’re still the GOAT. But Lance is gaining on you. The Jayhawks have no prayer of lasting long in the NCAAs if Hunter Dickinson (shoulder) and Kevin McCullar Jr. (knee) can’t play.

B-man, what’s bussin’ with three Big 12 newcomers still alive in the tournament Thursday? — Signed, B. Yormark

That’s the way the Big 12 rolls. Houston runs things at the moment, to no one’s surprise, and will be a 1 seed Sunday. BYU, projected as a 5, fell hard to Texas Tech on Thursday as Cougars coach Mark Pope channeled his inner Taylor Swift. And red-hot Cincinnati ran Kansas out of the Sprint Center after making 25 3-pointers in its last two games and might be a better NCAA entry than likely 10 seed Oklahoma. As for Pope, a closet Swiftie whose lucky number is 13, he noted that his BYU team was picked 13th in the league and won on Jan. 13, Feb. 13 and March 13 but not so much on the 14th. “And we're in Kansas,” Pope said of Swift’s adopted hometown before the game. “It’s not even fair.” Then came Tech. Play like that next week, Coach Pope, and it will be one Cruel Summer.

Yo, B, will Vic Schaefer pop a vein if his Longhorns women don’t get a 1 seed? — Signed, B. Schaefer

Dear Blair, let’s put it this way. Yes, he will, because he’s always one turnover away from a heart attack. But if he doesn’t, it will only be because 4 seed Texas would ultimately face 5 seed USC or 5 seed Texas would play 4 seed USC, so six of one …

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Mr. Bubble, are you any relation to Michael Buble? — Signed, M. Buble

No, but I do a great rendition of “White Christmas.”

Bubblehead, just how good is Madison Booker? — Signed, B. Fennelly

Uh, Bill, so good she might eventually get in the conversation of the best to ever play at Texas in a couple of years. She’s already pretty damn good but might not ever catch forward Clarissa Davis, a two-time national player of the year. The ceiling is high. Now she needs more work on her defense. And she could extend her range drastically to hit more 3-pointers since she’s only 24% from behind the line. Of all her contributions in the win over Iowa State to take the Big 12 Tournament championship — 26 points with six rebounds and five assists — the zero turnovers in that game and three turnovers in three games might have been the most impressive considering the demands on her.

More: What's next for Texas basketball after falling to Kansas State in the Big 12 tournament?

Hey, Bubba-licious, do you see a Big 12 team cutting down the nets in April? — Signed, K. Sampson

Well, I do. I wouldn’t go so far as to suggest you pick a name out of a hat because, well, you’d need a very big hat. Maybe a 10-gallon hat. I’d say at least four of the nine expected Big 12 entrants are good enough and could get hot enough to win six straight games. Check back after Sunday’s reveal.

Pick a dark horse to reach the Final Four, B-buddy. — Signed, C. Baker

It’s almost guaranteed in this climate since we’re just a year away from a Final Four that included 9 seed Florida Atlantic and a pair of 5's in San Diego State and Miami. Hardly blue bloods. Seriously. And UConn was somehow a 4 seed before scorching the field. Without seeing the brackets, it’s more difficult, but Mr. Bubble loves a challenge. Give me Saint Mary’s. The Gaels are 23-2 in their last 25.

Bubble Guy, where do you stand on expansion of the tournament? — Signed, C. Baker

I’m fine with the 68-team status quo. Hard to improve perfection. I wouldn’t object to modest expansion of the tournament to maybe, just maybe, 80 teams, but I prefer that nothing changes. I love the rationale of retired Dookie Mike Krzyzewski, who won five championships but also was upset in the first round by Mercer, Lehigh and VCU. He likened the tournament to a rustic European restaurant. "That's our tournament," he said. "You can't screw around with that. That can never be replicated.” So leave it alone, s’il vous plait.

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The biggest name in all of college basketball is Caitlin Clark, Bub. Who’s the biggest name on the men’s side? — Signed, C. Barkley

Hey, Barkley. You still got it. I know Zach Edey’s been around almost as long as Brock Cunningham. I bet two-thirds of Americans probably can’t name 10 men's players. Heck, the second most famous player is probably Angel Reese. Where’s Christian Laettner when you need him?

Whom should Louisville hire? — Signed, S. Drew

Well, Scott, since you ain’t going anywhere, I’d suggest the Cardinals need to get a proven candidate after the Kenny Payne experiment ended with a 12-52 record and a single road win. UCLA’s Mick Cronin, a former Louisville assistant under Rick Pitino, would make the most sense if not for his $16 million buyout after April 1. I’d go after Xavier’s Sean Miller, who was tainted after his time at Arizona where he went to three Elite Eights, or maybe TCU’s Jamie Dixon, who might be tiring of the nightly wars in the Big 12.

B-pal, do you root for anybody in the tournament? — Signed, K. Bohls

Must always remain impartial. But I’ll put it this way. It wouldn’t bother me at all if Rick Barnes cuts down the nets or if Shaka Smart is the last coach standing. They’re good people.

Is there a team you root against? — Signed, R. Williams

Not really. I know America is firmly anti-Duke. And Kyle Filipowski only upped the hate meter after graduating from Grayson Allen’s Tripping 101 class. OU hasn’t been relevant enough lately to root against. We kid.

Will the SEC be the same meat grinder for Texas and Oklahoma that the Big 12 has been for, say, the last four years? — Signed, B. Yormark

Not a chance, Mr. Commish. The Big 12 rules college basketball and will continue to do so, especially after Arizona joins the league. Listen, the Big 12 figures to send nine teams to the Dance on Sunday. The SEC expects seven. The Big 12 will lose Texas and OU, but the league will compensate by adding a couple like this year’s projected 2 seed Arizona and expected play-in entry Colorado next season, so that’s a wash. Besides, I’m assuming Texas’ new conference treats basketball on a par with spring football practice. Or right below spring ball.

This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Mr. Bubble answers all pressing college basketball questions