The major conference tournaments begin in earnest Wednesday. The ACC played its first round on Tuesday, where Syracuse and Notre Dame picked up wins. The Irish are looking to play themselves onto the bubble with a win over Virginia Tech, although that would not likely be enough to get selected.
Oklahoma State may be trying to do the same as it faces in-state rival Oklahoma. The Cowboys are 89th in the RPI despite four pretty good wins, including two over Kansas. They likely need to beat Kansas a third time to have any realistic chance of selection.
It may very well be the last chance for some of these teams today. Four of the seven games listed involve teams either among the last four into the bracket or the first four out. One thing to keep in mind about not just the bubble teams, but all of the at-large teams in the bracket -- every single one of them will lose its final game.
| vs. Florida State, noon, ESPN: The Cardinals are in need of quality wins, especially higher quality wins. Florida State qualifies for the first half of that. It will be hard for Louisville to be optimistic about making the NCAA tournament with a loss today. | |
| vs. Louisville, noon, ESPN: Florida State has some nice wins, but just a so-so record against better opposition and a horrible non-conference schedule. The Seminoles have a better chance of surviving a loss than Louisville does. | |
| vs. Boston College, 2 p.m., ESPN: NC State is very similar to Florida State, but worse against better competition than the Seminoles. The Wolfpack already has two bad losses, so adding a loss to a non-tournament team would be less than ideal. | |
| vs. Colorado, 3 p.m., Pac-12 Network: If Arizona State had Trae Young instead of Tra Holder , we would be hearing a lot more about its collapse in conference play, which is similar to what Oklahoma is going through. The Sun Devils may make the field, even if it loses to Colorado, but that loss would be at least their seventh to a team that is unlikely to make the tournament. | |
| vs. Oklahoma State, 7 p.m., ESPNU: The biggest difference between the Sooners' slide in conference play and that of Arizona State is the quality of the teams beating Oklahoma. The Sooners have won two of its last three though, so perhaps they are trending upward. This is the rubber match between the Bedlam foes, and Oklahoma State needs it more. | |
| vs. Oregon State, 9 p.m., Pac-12 Network: Washington has struggled toward the end of the season and those struggles include a loss to the Beavers. The Huskies have wins at Kansas and over both Arizona schools, but they can ill afford another loss to Oregon State. | |
| vs. Iowa State, 9 p.m., ESPNU: Texas is still without Mo Bamba, who is unlikely to play against the Cyclones. Despite his absence, the Longhorns picked up a huge win over West Virginia in the regular season finale. It would behoove them not to give that away against a shorthanded squad from Iowa State. | |
| vs. North Carolina, 9 p.m., ESPN2: The Orange got by Wake Forest on Tuesday and now has a chance to pick up its best win of the season -- perhaps the one that secures a spot in the NCAA tournament. This isn't necessarily an elimination game for the Cuse, but selection Sunday will be uncomfortable if they lose. | |