Selection Sunday is rapidly approaching for these teams
With March Madness being only a couple of weeks away, it is do-or-die time for some college basketball teams. Every year there are teams that are on the bubble when it comes to getting into the tournament. With conference tournaments starting up, time is running out for teams to make their cases that they are worthy of getting into the big dance.
NC State:
The Wolfpack is sitting at 18-12 on the season and have nine wins quad one/quad two competition this season. NC State is coming off a tough week which saw them lose to North Carolina and Duke. They have a must-win game on Friday against Wake Forest. If they lose, it may put the nail in the coffin on their tournament hopes.
West Virginia:
The Mountaineers seemed like a lock and still have a good chance of getting into the tournament, but after losing six of their last seven, they are falling at the worst possible time. A loss to Iowa State on Tuesday would not be a good look and could have the committee second-guessing them as a tournament team.
Texas Tech:
The Red Raiders’ resume is significantly weaker than a lot of other teams on the bubble. They have a 7-12 record against Q1/Q2 teams this season. Chris Beard’s crew missed a bid-clinching win on Monday night, falling to Baylor. However, they still have one last chance as they have a home date against the number one rated Kansas Jayhawks on Saturday.
Providence:
The Friars just completed a historic February by becoming the fifth team in NCAA history to beat five ranked opponents in a single calendar month. They also have seven quadrant-one wins that very few teams in the country can match. However, a bad stretch in November that saw the Friars lose four of five teams like Penn, Long Beach St., Charleston and Rhode Island has them squarely on the bubble.
Rutgers:
Rutgers’ huge win against Maryland on Tuesday gave the Scarlet Knights a huge boost in its tournament hopes. However, after going 0-2 in the week prior, Rutgers is still anything but comfortable.
Cincinnati:
The Bearcats have just two Q1 wins compared to four Q3 losses, however, a big opportunity awaits them as they travel to Houston for a big conference matchup. They will probably need some conference tournament magic to truly feel like an at-large team comes Selection Sunday.
Memphis:
The Tigers have a slightly worse version of Cincinnati’s resume, which in itself may not be good enough. Fortunately for the Tigers, this week offers two big opportunities to move the needle (hosting Wichita State and at Houston).