NCAA Tournament: Teams on ‘bubble watch’ have one last shot to impress

• The list of teams on “bubble watch” for a bid in the NCAA Tournament is shrinking. Winning in a conference tournament is the last chance to impress the committee.
• Teams like North Carolina, Indiana, Ohio State, SMU and Wake Forest still have work to do to make the Big Dance.
• Tournament bids will be announced on Selection Sunday, March 16.

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With Selection Sunday just four days away, the NCAA Tournament bubble is about to burst for several teams. Meanwhile, the news is brighter for those who will punch their tickets to the Big Dance.

In the loaded Southeastern Conference, a record 13 of 16 teams may make the field. Nearly half of them earned a top-three seed in the tournament. However, there are a few teams on the bubble.

A big win by Oklahoma over Georgia in the first round of the conference tournament Wednesday, March 12, would help the Sooners make the field.

Has Texas done enough to make the field?

Earlier Wednesday, Texas beat Vanderbilt 79-72, improving their chances of earning an at-large bid. Another win by the Longhorns will almost assuredly get them to the dance, and that’s the goal for head coach Rodney Terry.

“Our goal all season long has been to win a championship and get into postseason play,” Terry said. “March is about finishing and advancing –– you can finish a possession, you can finish a half, you can finish a game, you have a chance to advance in March.”

What about North Carolina?

During the ACC Tournament’s first round on Wednesday, North Carolina ran up and down the court against Notre Dame. They won easily, 76-56, improving their record to 21-12, and will get Wake Forest in the next game. The Demon Deacons are at 21-10, so this will be a crucial game for both teams. Tar Heel guard RJ Davis knows about all the speculation surrounding his team.

“You can’t look too far ahead into quarterfinals, semifinals. You really got to take it one game at a time, and I think we’re doing a good job of kind of just staying in the present moment with that, right?” Davis said. “So obviously, you hear the noise. You hear, you know, being a bubble team and me experiencing being the number one seed and then not making the tournament. It’s really just about staying present and understanding that anything’s possible, and it’s March.”

Who else is squarely on the NCAA ‘bubble’?

A few teams that were on the bubble for just two weeks faded down the stretch, like Nebraska, which lost its last five regular-season games.

Also in the Big 10, Indiana and Ohio State are fighting for a spot. The Buckeyes lost to the Hoosiers in the regular season finale and then lost to lowly Iowa on Wednesday in the tournament’s first round. They’ll be squarely on the bubble come Selection Sunday.

Indiana, meanwhile, may still need a first-round win over Oregon this Thursday, March 13, to help their cause.

This assumes that there are no “bid stealers” out there or that teams might win their conference this week despite not being expected to.

For instance, a team like Villanova winning the Big East or Iowa running the table and winning the Big 10 are the surprise teams that burst bubbles.