March Madness is coming up fast. Here’s a look at who’s on the bubble ahead of Selection Sunday for the NCAA Tournament.
Arizona State (20-9): Desmond Cambridge deserves to be in the NCAA Tournament after swishing a 55-footer at the buzzer to stun rival and then-No. 7 Arizona 89-88 on the road Saturday. The Wildcats have won two in a row and four of five to claw their way into the postseason picture. Sitting 61st in the NCAA’s NET rankings, they still have work to do but close the regular season against fourth-ranked UCLA and fellow bubble team USC — a clear path to locking up a tourney spot.
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Auburn (19-10): The Tigers ended a tough February by dropping five of seven, including a 32-point drubbing at Kentucky. Three more of those recent losses came on the road — Tennessee, Texas A&M and Vanderbilt. It doesn’t get any easier for Auburn, which finishes the regular season at second-ranked Alabama and against No. 12 Tennessee. The Tigers, ranked 36th in the NET, could use another Quad 1 victory.
Michigan (17-12): With freshman Dug McDaniel playing his best basketball of the season, the Wolverines have won three straight and six of eight to make a late push. They can significantly improve their tournament hopes by winning road games against Illinois and No. 15 Indiana this week.
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Memphis (22-7): Kendric Davis and DeAndre Williams have the Tigers and coach Penny Hardaway on the verge of making the NCAA Tournament for the second straight season. They have won four of five, moving up to 38th in the NET, but can’t afford a loss at SMU on Thursday and could use a victory in their nationally televised home finale against top-ranked Houston on Sunday. Davis, who is averaging 21.2 points and 5.7 assists, missed the first meeting with Houston (a 72-64 loss).
Penn State (17-12): The Nittany Lions seemed like a tournament lock after winning three straight against Illinois, Minnesota and Ohio State. But then they squandered a 19-point, second-half lead to Rutgers on Sunday, leaving the senior-laden team on bubble watch down the stretch. Coach Micah Shrewsberry’s group can bounce back in a big way with Quad 1 games at Northwestern and against No. 21 Maryland.
Charleston (28-3): Florida Atlantic (26-3) and Liberty (24-7): All three dominated their leagues and won the regular-season championship, but they will likely need to win their conference tournament — all of them playing in one-bid leagues — to make the NCAA field.
Arkansas (20-11) reached 20 victories for the first time since the 2019-20 season when it went 24-8 before COVID-19 prompted the cancellation of the NCAA Tournament. It may need to beat Missouri in an eight-nine seed matchup Thursday in the Southeastern Conference Tournament to secure its third straight bid to the NCAAs.
Syracuse (18-11) needed to rally late in the season to keep its NCAA chances alive and it did with wins over Miami and Pitt. That’s left the Orange as the last team in the field of 68, according to ESPN. Syracuse will look to enhance its chances at the ACC Tournament, starting Thursday against North Carolina State, a team once part of the top 10 that has slid out of the rankings.
Oregon (16-13) was projected as a No. 4 seed by ESPN in early January after opening the year 10-1. But the Ducks have lost 12 of their final 18 games. It Oregon can’t rebound in the Pac 12 Tournament starting Wednesday, it will end a run of five straight NCAA appearances, not counting the virus-cancelled event in 2020.
