With the conference tournaments looming, bubble teams are looking to make some final impressions in the regular season. Here are some mid-week games to watch:
TUESDAY
Ole Miss at Alabama: With both of these teams on the bubble (and yes, Alabama is on the bubble, albeit the periphery), both need this win badly. Alabama needs it a bit more, as the Tide have alternated wins and losses since the end of January. Previously, they had lost four out of five games. Alabama has struggled to beat quality teams in the SEC and this will give the Tide an opportunity.
After winning nine out of 11 games in SEC play, the Rebels have lost two in a row against Georgia and LSU. Strong play in the SEC has Ole Miss likely in, but wins are still needed, especially down the stretch. This game airs on the SEC Network at 7 p.m.
Iowa at Indiana: This is a battle of teams trending in different directions… and which have fallen to Northwestern in February. Iowa has won four in a row after losses to bottom-half Big Ten teams in Minnesota and the Wildcats. About halfway through the conference schedule, it appeared that Indiana was a lock to get in. However, the Hoosiers have been alternating wins and losses over the past month: to Northwestern, Maryland, Wisconsin, and Purdue twice. This game will air at 7 p.m. on ESPN.
Rhode Island at Dayton: This is a battle of two of the three teams that are tied for the lead in the Atlantic 10 with Davidson. Coming in, Dayton has won five of its last six games. The Flyers have been quite a strong story this season, as departures from the program led to UD having nearly no frontcourt size.
The Rams have been equally hot, the winner of nine of their last 11 games. This will be the only regular season game this year between these two squads. The game will air at 7 p.m. on CBS Sports Network.
WEDNESDAY
Miami at Pittsburgh: Both of these teams have very similar resumes, and this could prove as a possible bubble elimination game in the ACC. Pitt certainly has some quality wins in the ACC, but it also has a couple of dud losses. A win against Miami and then Florida State would have the Panthers in decent shape.
On the other end, Miami was really strong for most of the non-conference schedule, but has really struggled at times in the ACC. Yet, the Hurricanes are still a squad that went to Cameron and dominated Duke. This game airs at 8 p.m. on ESPN 3.
Purdue at Michigan State: Coming off a tough loss in Columbus, the road does not get any easier with at date in East Lansing against the Spartans. While a couple of bad losses in non-conference games plague the Boilermakers, they have been really strong in conference play. A couple of wins over Michigan State and Illinois likely get them in.
It’s now or never for the Spartans — they have lost two in a row and have Purdue and at Indiana (Saturday) remaining on the schedule. It could take a pair of wins and at least another win in the Big Ten Tournament to give Michigan State a look. This airs on the Big Ten Network at 8 p.m.
Cincinnati at Tulsa: After losing three games in a row, Cincinnati bounced back strongly to win its last three contests, including two road games to stay on the bubble. Tulsa has won 16 of its last 18, and Frank Haith’s squad has quietly jumped to the top of the AAC. However, the stretch run for the Golden Hurricane will not be easy, as they close with Cincinnati and then a trip to SMU. This game will air on the CBS Sports Network at 9 Eastern.
THURSDAY
Memphis at UConn: Just when we were all ready to count the Huskies out, they picked up a huge win over SMU on Sunday. While the win still makes UConn a long shot to get into the Dance, they are still at least on life support. They just need to keep winning with regular season games remaining — here against Memphis, and at Temple on Saturday. These games both need to be wins, and then a deep run in the AAC conference tournament could give the defending national champions a slight but real chance at making the field as an at-large team. This game airs on ESPN2 at 9 p.m.
VCU at Davidson: Since losing Briante Weber, VCU has really struggled to show the same toughness it owned before that crucial injury. Since they lost Weber for the season, the Rams have been a .500 squad. Davidson, which is on a solid run as the winner of seven straight, has actually passed VCU in the A-10 standings. The Wildcats can continue to show why on Thursday night and improve their tournament resume in the process. This game will air on ESPN U at 9 p.m.
Stanford at Arizona State: Coming off Sunday’s loss to Oregon at home, Stanford simply cannot lose any more games in the next week and a half. The Cardinal are likely on the outside looking in and need a win over the Sun Devils. That comes first. Then, this team must at least be competitive at Arizona on Saturday before making a Pac-12 Tournament run to even have a shot to go Dancing. This game airs on Fox Sports 1 at 11 p.m.
