With Selection Sunday rapidly approaching, a handful of teams are battling to earn some of those final spots. Only one week remains in the regular season and the teams on the bubble are looking to add on some wins in the coming days to feel comfortable come Sunday evening. As of now, fanbases from all conferences are left wondering, “Who’s In?”
The Right Side of the Bubble
Oklahoma:
The Sooners finished the regular season with a 19-12 record playing in the toughest division in college basketball. Lead by freshman Jeremiah Fears, Oklahoma has bolstered their resume with wins against #13 Louisville, #21 Missouri, and #22 Michigan. Long time Michigan fan and Hingham High School student, Charlie Shape, reflects on Fears saying, “Early in the year he was dominant against the Wolverines. He has a bright future as a leader for Oklahoma.” The downside for Oklahoma was a five-game losing stretch during the season where they lost to an LSU team that sits far down in the SEC standings. Oklahoma will enter the SEC tournament needing just one win against Georgia to feel comfortable.
Indiana:
The Indiana Hoosiers had lofty expectations coming into this season after adding highly sought after transfer, Oumar Ballo. So far this year, despite Ballos impressive production, the Hoosiers have been merely mediocre. Like Oklahoma, Indiana’s season was plagued with five straight losses. The season looked at a loss, with Indiana falling off the bubble all together, but a late season surge with wins against #7 Michigan State and #20 Purdue has put them right back in prime position for a run in March.
Xavier:
For most of the year, Xavier was unable to pull off the quality wins they would need to be a tournament team this season. The season took a sharp turn for the best on February 12th with a 9-point win over Providence, sparking a seven-game winning streak to end the regular season. The Musketeers are led by Ryan Freemantle, who after dealing with an injury has been dominant in Big East play. Xavier is looking to secure a spot in March Madness this year with one or two wins in the Big East tournament.
Ohio State:
The Buckeyes have played themselves to the very edge of the bubble to end the season. Losing four out of the last six games including one to Indiana, has put their season in jeopardy. Key wins against #20 Purdue, #11 Maryland, and #15 Kentucky are what is keeping them alive this late into the season. Buckeyes junior guard Bruce Thornton’s 17.5 points per game has been a bright spot for Ohio State and they will look to lean on his production the rest of the way.
The Wrong Side of the Bubble
Boise State:
After being a bubble team that squeaked in last season, Boise State is looking to earn a spot once again in this year’s postseason. The Broncos have a solid resume, but a quad 4 loss early in the season against Boston College is what has them on the wrong side of the bubble. The season was highlighted by wins against #10 Clemson and #19 Saint Mary’s. Led by senior forward Tyson Degenhart, Boise St is looking to add one more quality win this week to solidify a spot in the NCAA men’s basketball tournament.
North Carolina:
Like most years, UNC was expected to be one of the top contenders for a national championship. The Tar Heels were ranked #9 in the preseason top 25, but by week 6 they were out of the rankings all together. Hingham High School Sophomore JT. Reale says, “The fall off of UNC this season was awful. I expected them to make a run in March, but now I do not even think they will make the tournament.” The Tar Heels young squad faced struggles early in the season, due to a gauntlet of out of conference games. After eight games UNC sat at 4-4 with each loss coming to highly competitive teams. UNC was able to keep their season alive, winning six out of their last seven, with only a loss to #1 ranked Duke. The young team led by fourth year head coach Hubert Davis need a few more wins to push themselves to the right side of the bubble.
Texas:
The Longhorns have battled all year in the toughest conference in college basketball. Led by freshman Tre Johnson, Texas finished the regular season at 17-14. Despite the poor record, Texas has a handful of ranked wins including their most recent one, on the road against Mississippi State. In the final game of the regular season, the Longhorns fell to Oklahoma, which swapped their positions on the bubble. Like UNC, Texas had grand expectations coming into this season sitting at #19 in the preseason rankings. They quickly fell out of the rankings with a game one loss against another bubble team in Ohio State.
Colorado State
The Colorado State Rams got out to a bad start to the regular season, with a 6-5 record in non-conference play. One of the key losses was against UC Riverside who is currently at #134 in the NET rankings. Since the beginning of conference play, Colorado State has completely turned their season around with a 16-4 record, which was good enough to place them at 2nd in the Mountain West. The heart of this Rams squad is Nique Clifford, who leads the team in points, rebounds, assists, and steals per game. Clifford and the Rams will look to tack on a few more wins this season and push for one of the final spots in March Madness.
