Bubble Watch

At times, it seems that there aren't enough spots in the NCAA Tournament to fit every deserving team. However, this season is the other way around. Every time I look, I see bubble teams losing games they should win or getting blown out in statement-making games. Right now, there is simply not enough teams that belong in the NCAA Tournament. Of course, there is still plenty of basketball left to play for teams to move in or out of at-large contention. According to the numbers, there are 12 bids still up for grabs, with 19 teams seriously vying for them, as of now.

Here is the breakdown:

Locks from the Big Six conferences (and the Missouri Valley): 29
Locks from the mid-major conferences (24): 24
53 Locks Overall

ACC (4): Duke, North Carolina State, North Carolina, Boston College
Big East (7): Connecticut, Villanova, Pittsburgh, West Virginia, Georgetown, Seton Hall, Marquette
Big Ten (6): Ohio State, Iowa, Michigan State, Illinois, Wisconsin, Michigan
Big Twelve (3): Texas, Kansas, Oklahoma
Pac-10 (3): UCLA, Washington, California
SEC (3): Tennessee, Florida, LSU
Missouri Valley (3): Wichita State, Northern Iowa, Creighton

One-Bid Conferences (24): America East, Atlantic-10, Atlantic Sun, Big Sky, Big South, Big West, Colonial, Conference USA, Horizon, Ivy, MAAC, MAC, Mid-Continent, MEAC, Mountain West, Northeast, Ohio Valley, Patriot, Southern, Southland, SWAC, Sun Belt, West Coast, WAC

Here are the teams that still have a chance to get an at-large bid:

Maryland: 14-9 (5-6), RPI: 45, SOS: 11, vs. Top 50: 1-6, Last 10: 4-6
Virginia: 13-9 (6-5), RPI: 64, SOS: 46, vs. Top 50: 1-6, Last 10: 6-4
Syracuse: 17-8 (5-6), RPI: 34, SOS: 14, vs. Top 50: 1-8, Last 10: 4-6
Cincinnati: 16-9 (6-6), RPI: 22, SOS: 5, vs. Top 50: 3-6, Last 10: 4-6
Indiana: 13-9 (5-6), RPI: 41, SOS: 20, vs. Top 50: 4-6, Last 10: 3-7
Colorado: 17-5 (7-4), RPI: 43, SOS: 111, vs. Top 50: 2-2, Last 10: 7-3
Arizona: 15-10 (8-6), RPI: 20, SOS: 3, vs. Top 50: 4-6, Last 10: 5-5
Stanford: 13-9 (9-4), RPI: 71, SOS: 76, vs. Top 50: 2-4, Last 10: 7-3
Kentucky: 16-9 (6-5), RPI: 42, SOS: 22, vs. Top 50: 2-7, Last 10: 6-4
Alabama: 14-9 (7-4), RPI: 46, SOS: 13, vs. Top 50: 2-5, Last 10: 7-3
Arkansas: 16-8 (5-6), RPI: 73, SOS: 90, vs. Top 50: 3-6, Last 10: 5-5
South Carolina: 13-10 (5-6), RPI: 48, SOS: 15, vs. Top 50: 3-5, Last 10: 5-5
Southern Illinois: 18-7 (11-5), RPI: 27, SOS: 57, vs. Top 50: 4-3, Last 10: 5-5
Missouri State: 17-7 (10-6), RPI: 28, SOS: 41, vs. Top 50: 2-5, Last 10: 6-4
UNC-Wilmington: 20-7 (13-3), RPI: 38, SOS: 101, vs. Top 50: 1-3, Last 10: 8-2
Hofstra: 18-5 (11-4), RPI: 51, SOS: 184, vs. Top 50: 1-1, Last 10: 8-2
Air Force: 18-5 (8-4), RPI: 49, SOS: 168, vs. Top 50: 0-1, Last 10: 6-4
UAB: 17-5 (8-2), RPI: 55, SOS: 150, vs. Top 50: 0-2, Last 10: 8-2
Temple: 14-9 (7-5), RPI: 57, SOS: 56, vs Top 50: 3-3, Last 10: 7-3

Teams looking to play their way onto the bubble:
Florida State
Miami (Fl.)
Texas A&M
Nebraska
Vanderbilt
UTEP
Charlotte
Houston
Bradley

Teams that need to keep winning to avoid the bubble:
Seton Hall
Marquette