As defined by the NCAA website, a bid stealer is “a team that would not receive an at-large selection to the NCAA tournament but wins its conference tournament to earn an automatic bid.”

The consequences brought on by a bid stealer could drastically alter seeding in the Field of 68, in addition to cluttering the bubble teams on the border of at-large contention.

Below are five teams I believe could cause chaos on the bubble by poaching an automatic bid as an underdog and leaving the over-qualified league leaders to fend for themselves on the at-large front.

This is by no means a predictor’s guide to this season’s NC State (who stole a bid in the ACC last season and made a run to the Final Four) — I don’t think there will be another team like Kevin Keatts’ 2024 Wolfpack.

The Blazers have lost just three games since New Year’s Day, collecting all 13 conference victories during that span and recording signature wins over North Texas and Wichita State.

UAB’s frontcourt-centered offense has been playing at a top 25 rate nationally since the calendar year began, grabbing offensive rebounds at the seventh highest clip in America (38.4%). Double-double machine Yaxel Lendeborg has anchored Blazers the past two seasons, leading UAB to the NCAA Tournament last season out of the AAC.

UAB’s resume would not put them on the at-large bubble as of now (3-5 record in quads one and two), but a potential run in AAC Tournament (as in, taking down Memphis to win the conference) would pop a spot on the bubble for a team vying for an at-large bid, with Memphis then being relegated to the bubble as a top 20 team.

After recording a signature November victory over now-top 10 Texas Tech, Billy Lange’s Hawks took a tumble, losing three of five before starting 6-6 in Atlantic 10 play.

Saint Joseph’s has since rattled off five in a row to end the regular season, reaching 20-plus wins for the second consecutive season. The Hawks scored 75-plus in all five wins, reaching 90 points twice (Fordham and Rhode Island).

Looking at the current standings (as of Friday, March 7), Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) and George Mason continue to brawl for the conference’s top seed and prospective hopes at an at-large cushion. Saint Joseph’s can secure the conference’s No. 3 seed with a victory over La Salle on Saturday, setting up a top four of VCU, George Mason, SJU and Dayton.

If the powder keg scoring duo of Erik Reynolds II and Xzayvier Brown can continue to thrive in the Atlantic 10 Tournament, Saint Joesph’s can very well find itself playing in two weeks.

Not to mention the emergence of forward Rasheer Fleming, who has scored in double-digits in all but five games down low for the Hawks.

If Saint Joseph’s wins the Atlantic 10, does VCU still get in as an at-large? That’s for the bubble minister to decide.

I couldn’t not put any high-major teams on this list.

Despite the season-ending injury to prolific wing scorer Brooks Barnhizer, Northwestern continues to stay chippy in a blanketed Big 10, signaled by the emphatic 21-point victory over Ohio State — in Columbus, Ohio — two weeks ago.

If there were to be any team to replicate NC State’s magic from last season, my money would be on the Wildcats (I’m not suggesting you place currency on this, it’s a metaphor).

Let’s compare the analytical profiles of each team and you will see why.

2024 NC State ranked 11th nationally in turnover rate (13.8%), 38th in adjusted defensive efficiency (98.4), 114th in EFG% allowed (49.5) and 136th in 2P% (49).

2025 Northwestern’s ranks in the same categories: 19, 45, 138 and 136. Bonus — Northwestern forces turnovers at a blistering rate (55th nationally).

The cohesion between Nick Martinelli and Ty Berry could very well saddle Northwestern into the Bid Stealing Hall of Fame if the Wildcats are able to cut down on fouls.

I may come off as “unique” for even mentioning another team to win the Big West Tournament not named UC Irvine or UC San Diego, but the Matadors currently sit three games behind the Anteaters for third place in the conference standings and have sandwiched wins over Irvine and Santa Barbara between a six-point loss to UC San Diego in the last two weeks.

CSUN presents an incredibly challenging lineup to defend due to its overall length (no starters below 6-foot-4) and balance on both ends of the floor. The Matadors are top 120 in both adjusted offensive and defensive efficiency, shoot the ball effectively from the field (51.7% EFG) and rebound on the offensive glass at a top 30 rate nationally (35.7%).

If CSUN can upend either of the two conference front runners and steal an automatic bid, UC San Diego’s tournament hopes — or an unlucky bubble team such as Ohio State or Nebraska — would be crushed.

The Rams have won six in a row since dropping games to New Mexico and Utah State in early February, pushing and shoving up to the conference’s No. 2 seed with one game remaining.

Colorado State’s slide in non-conference play (losses to Washington, Colorado and Riverside — all Q2 or lower) rattled its tournament stock back in November, but the Rams have rebounded with 15 conference wins in the Mountain West.

Niko Medved’s team currently sits in the “next four out” category on Bracket Matrix, which would check all required boxes to be considered a bid stealer.

Oh, and the Rams have notched wins over Boise State, San Diego State, Nevada, University of Nevada Las Vegas and Utah State — that’s the Mountain West’s three, four, five, six and seven seeds.