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Tom Bellucco breaks down three bubble school college basketball teams trying to lock in spots to the NCAA tournament. What do they need to punch their tickets?
It's almost here. No, I'm not talking about the Summer Olympics. I'm talking March Madness!
Here at RotoBaller we're going to have you covered with insight and analysis from the huge conference tournaments happening in the next two weeks, all the way through to the Final Four in Phoenix. Make sure to follow along with our content so you can dominate your brackets, pools, and whatever else can win you some money this March.
With a week left of regular-season conference games for a lot of the major conferences, and the Big10 Conference Tournament starting this week, there is still plenty of time for movement among what we call "Bubble Teams." In this article, I'll point out three teams that ESPN bracketologist Joe Lunardi has on the bubble, and I'll let you know their outlooks for the big dance and what they have to do to get there. Let's get to it!
Editor's Note: Over the next few days, be sure to check out the rest of our NCAA tournament columns and advice. Tournament winners/picks, sleepers, busts and breakdowns of each region will be released shortly.
Nebraska Cornhuskers (First Four Out)
The Cornhuskers looked impressive at home once again on Sunday night, dismantling Penn State to finish off their undefeated run of conference home games. Nebraska did lose five conference games on the road, but that number looks much better when you factor in three of those five teams (Purdue, Ohio State, and Michigan State). Isaac Copeland and James Palmer Jr. refuse to be left out of postseason conversation, as they carry their team into the Big Ten Conference Tournament.
Lunardi has Nebraska just outside of the tournament field as it stands, and the boys in red are running out of time to change his mind, as their tourney starts in two days. They earned the double-bye, and will likely play Michigan (projected sixth seed) on Friday afternoon. That's a huge statement game that you know the committee will be watching closely. If Nebraska can win or even keep the game within one possesion on a neutral court, that should be enough for a bump into the "Last Four In" category, at least in my eyes.
UCLA Bruins (First Four Out)
While the Cornhuskers were busy moving up the ladder on Sunday, the Bruins were struggling to even keep their contest close in an away game against Colorado. Granted, Colorado is a fantastic team at home, and they seemingly couldn't miss from beyond the arc, but UCLA looked downright awful. This is the same team that knocked off Kentucky and Arizona earlier in the season, but their 10-7 conference record speaks to their Jekyll and Hyde type play over the past couple of months.
On paper this team looks like a tournament squad, and when Aaron Holiday, Thomas Welsh, and Kris Wilkes are in sync, there's no doubt they could make noise in March. Road woes have them fighting for respect, however, and it doesn't get any easier. The Bruins have one final regular season game coming up, and it's an away contest against fellow bubble team USC. Getting a win is important not just for the committee's respect, but also to maintain their status as the fourth seed in the upcoming Pac-12 tournament and keep a first round bye. A loss this coming Saturday and/or a one-game stint in their conference tournament could doom the Bruins, which would be a shame considering all of the talented pieces they bring to the floor each night.
Louisville Cardinals (Last Four In)
There is a still a lot that could change with the Cardinals' resume in the two weeks leading up to Selection Sunday on March 11th. Louisville has been routed by some good ACC opponents, but they've also fared well against the second-tier of ACC teams, as they currently hold a 9-7 record with two games left to play before the ACC Conference Tournament in Brooklyn. Their fairly balanced starting five is composed of two seniors, two juniors, and a sophomore; so experience is not the issue. However, they'll need to play over their heads if they want to avoid getting passed up by some bubble teams who are in the hunt behind them, two of them which are mentioned above.
Louisville gets to host the number one team in the nation on Thursday night, and if they can keep the game against the Cavaliers close or even pull off an upset (they lost by just 10 points in Virginia a few weeks ago) they would almost surely lock in a tournament spot. However, a blowout loss is very possible with the way UVA is playing right now, and the Cardinals have a short turn-around on Saturday night travelling to NC State, where the Wolfpack continues to dominate on their home court. Looking ahead to Brooklyn, the current tournament seeding has Louisville playing either Pittsburgh or Notre Dame followed by Duke if they were to win. Like I said, there's so much that could happen, both really good and really bad, between now and March 11th. That makes the Cardinals a very interesting bubble team to watch over the next couple of weeks.
