This is it. The last weekend before the conference tournaments begin. Now is the time for college basketball bubble teams to step up. There are some teams that believe that they just need to win their last game and maybe one in their conference tournament to secure a spot in the NCAA Tournament. There are also some teams that need to win their conference tournament. What does Ohio State have to do? First of all, they need to not lose at home to Northwestern on Sunday. That sounds easy, right? But this Northwestern team won on the road against Michigan State and Purdue. This is not the same Northwestern that just rolls over to get their beat down. This team fights back. Good luck Buckeyes. I'll be rooting for you. As well as screaming at the TV and the people on Twitter if you make me mad.
Remember the list of schools we looked at a few weeks ago? Well how bout we take a look at those schools again and see if they've helped their NCAA Tournament chances at all. Those schools were Notre Dame, Miami (FL), Tennessee, Wisconsin, Georgetown and Michigan.
1. Notre Dame. 17-13, 8-10 in conference play. The Irish are on 2 games under .500 in conference play. They've recently beaten another bubble team in Providence and Rutgers but have losses to UCONN and Villanova. The losses are against top teams in the Big East but if they could have just beaten another top Big East team besides Louisville, that could have helped their chances. I don't believe they are in but if they can get a some wins in the Big East tournament against better teams it could help them. I do believe they have a better shot then Georgetown.
2. Miami (FL). 17-11, 6-9 in conference play. They've recently beaten Boston College and Virginia but got tripped up on the road against Georgia Tech. That loss does not help their cause. Their next game is against NC State today at Noon and then the ACC Tournament. If they can find a way to win today and get a couple in the NCAA their chances seem good.
3. Tennessee. 19-10, 10-5 in conference play. Congratulations Vols. You are officially off my Bubble list. Not sure now why you were on the bubble list anyway. Oh well, people make mistakes. Have fun in the NCAA Tournament.
4. Wisconsin. 18-11, 9-8 in conference play. Wisconsin seems to be back to being Wisconsin. As long as they win this weekend and at least a game in the Big Ten Tournament, they should be in.
5. Georgetown. 15-13, 6-11 in conference play. They only won one game since we last checked on them but that game was on the road at Villanova. I understand that the Big East is a brutal conference but with the Hoyas being under .500 in conference way, it's tough to make an argument for them to get a bid. They have great wins against Memphis, UCONN and Villanova but this team should be going after that Big East Conference tournament crown. Without it they will most likely be playing in the NIT.
6. Michigan. 18-12, 8-9 in conference play. Sigh. It's really tough to look over a team that has been competitive and has wins over Duke and UCLA. A few wins in the Big Ten tournament could help solidify this teams chances for the NCAA Tournament.
Around this time we usually go to mock brackets to see who the so called experts believe will get in. Let's take a look at these teams in Joe Lunardi's Bracketology. As of now the teams he has in are Tennessee, Wisconsin and Michigan with Michigan being one of the last 4 in. Miami (FL) is showing as one of the next four out. Georgetown and ND look to be NIT bound unless they do something about it in the Big East Tournament. 8 days until Selection Sunday. We will see if this holds up or if these teams make a statement on whether they should (or should not) be in the tournament.