This past Sunday stood exactly one month from Selection Sunday. While some teams feel strongly about their candidacies for the NCAA tournament, others do not have the same sentiment and have some work to do.
Here is a list of games in the heart of the week that could have some strong bubble implications.
TONIGHT
St. John’s at Georgetown – After a pretty strong non-conference showing, St. John’s has had a rough go of it in the Big East. However, the Johnies have won three straight and play Georgetown in two of their next four contests. Combine this with a game at Villanova to wrap up the regular season, and it’s clear the opportunities for quality wins exist. The game will air at 7 p.m. Eastern on FS1.
Texas at Oklahoma – Texas defeated Texas Tech on Saturday, but still has only one quality win in the Big 12, a victory over West Virginia. The Longhorns begin a gauntlet of at Oklahoma, Iowa State, at West Virginia, and at Kansas to close out February. March then brings Baylor and Kansas State. Sitting at 17 wins right now, it will be difficult for the Longhorns to get many more.
West Virginia tucked away a win over Kansas in the middle of a rough stretch of its schedule to relieve bubble pressure and essentially end any speculation about a slide to the NIT. Texas, while very likely headed to the NCAAs, basically needs to do the same thing. While the resume builders are there, Texas has to quiet the noise surrounding the team on Tuesday night. The game will air at 9 p.m. on ESPN2.
LSU at Texas A&M – The resumes for these two squads are almost identical and neither can deal with a loss to the other right now. The Aggies are at 46 and 85 in RPI and strength of schedule, while the Tigers sit at 52 and 92 in RPI and strength of schedule. As the somewhat-down SEC tries to get as many teams in as possible, this contest is huge for both of these squads. This will air on the SEC Network at 9 p.m.
WEDNESDAY
Xavier at Cincinnati – Following Saturday’s loss to Tulane, Cincinnati is also going in the wrong direction. After winning four games in a row to cap January, the Bearcats have lost three out of their last five to start February. Having swept SMU, Cincinnati still has a pretty strong resume, but the ship has to be righted or the Bearcats will risk joining UConn in the NIT. Xavier is in a similar boat, as February has brought homecourt losses to Creighton and St. John’s. In addition, January delivered only one road win for Xavier. The Musketeers need this game just as badly as the Bearcats in this brutal rivalry. ESPN2 has the broadcast at 7 Eastern.
Davidson at George Washington – Each of these teams sit at 17 wins. The Colonials looked like a possible at-large team after a victory over Wichita State in the non-conference schedule, but some tough losses in the A-10 and getting swept by VCU didn’t help. At this point, GW looks to be on the outside looking in and just needs some wins. This game is not televised.
Colorado at Oregon – Having an RPI in the mid-50s and a strength of schedule nearing 90 does not aid the Ducks. Plus, Colorado put a wrench in Stanford’s bubble plans over the weekend. This also appears that it has all the makings of a trap game for Oregon, as the Ducks face a huge battle with Utah on Sunday. This will air on ESPNU at 11 p.m.
THURSDAY
Purdue at Indiana – Similar to the Xavier-Cincinnati rivalry, this fierce rivalry has serious implications for the Big Ten standings and tournament seedings. While neither Indiana nor Purdue are locks to be dancing in March, a win over the other would solidify their positions. Indiana is in better shape, but a loss at home to Purdue would mark an untimely giveaway of an expected win. ESPN has this broadcast at 7 Eastern.
Temple at SMU – While many view SMU as a lock to make the big dance, the Mustangs still have some work to do. If you recall last season, many pundits viewed SMU as a lock in late February, but an unexpected three-game losing streak caused the Mustangs to become the first team out of the field. They’re not safe yet.
Temple picked up its seventh win in a row on Saturday over East Carolina. Temple’s resume could be set this coming week as the Owls travel to SMU and Tulsa. Picking up two quality road wins could get the Owls in. At the very least, two wins would make it hard for Temple to play its way out of the field in subsequent weeks. The table is ready for Fran Dunphy’s team. ESPN2 will show Temple-SMU at 7 Eastern.
Utah at Oregon State – The Beavers certainly have a lot of work to do to make it in — more than most, in fact. Oregon State has lost two in a row to UCLA and USC. That last lost to USC is hugely damaging. Yet, consider the outlook for the Beavers if they beat Utah, a team expected to get a top-three seed in the NCAA tournament: They would also own victories over Arizona and UCLA. Twin victories over Arizona and Utah would give Oregon State the kind of resume that’s similar to what North Carolina State currently possesses. The Wolfpack have a lot of bad losses, but they also own trump-card wins over Duke and Louisville. Oregon State would climb over a lot of teams with a win here. What also stands out about this game is that if OSU wins, it could very realistically finish the season unbeaten at home in Gill Coliseum. This game airs at 11 p.m. on the Pac-12 Network.
