NCAA Basketball: 4 teams in danger of missing the NCAA Tournament

With the Big Dance rapidly approaching, here are four NCAA basketball teams that desperately need to turn around their mid-season slumps.

The clock is ticking for NCAA Tournament hopefuls to add to their resume as there are only six weeks until Selection Sunday. Teams are looking to add the coveted “signature wins” which could make the difference between NCAA and NIT.

However, some teams have already earned quality wins and are just looking to stop the bleeding. These teams turned heads and did some great work early in the season, but have mired in a downward spiral ever since. If these teams cannot right the ship, they will miss the tournament, which seemed unthinkable just a few weeks ago.

While teams like UCLA, Missouri, Baylor, and Maryland should also be sweating it out, this article is going to focus on teams that were ranked in the top 10 of the AP Poll for at least one week. If you had suggested that any of these teams were in danger of missing the tournament in December, you would have been laughed off the internet. But, with just six weeks left, these squads are fighting for their lives.

Related Story: Most recent Bracketology field (Jan. 29)

Notre Dame Fighting Irish, 13-8 (3-5 ACC)

Peaked at No. 5 in AP Poll (Week 4)

Notre Dame began the season in the AP Poll and ascended into the top five after beating Wichita State in Maui. The Fighting Irish looked like one of the best teams in the country for a few weeks before crashing down to Earth.

They were blown out by Michigan State, upset by Ball State, and lost to Indiana on a neutral court. This completed their fall from fifth to unranked. Notre Dame was still seen as a potential tournament team at the time, but injuries to their two stars (Bonzie Colson and Matt Farrell) have probably sent them to the NIT.

Colson suffered a broken foot and could be back for the ACC Tournament while Farrell has missed multiple stints of games with a nagging ankle injury. Even if both players return at some point, Notre Dame’s resume will likely be lacking for at-large consideration. They cannot use the argument that they lost games because Colson and Farrell were injured because their two worst losses came with both players in the lineup.

Temple Gibbs and Martinas Geben have played well for the shorthanded Fighting Irish, but this team was built around Colson and Farrell and it does not have enough talent to withstand their injuries. Gibbs, Geben, and John Mooney are the only healthy rotation players to have a positive net rating in conference play. Gibbs is averaging 15.4  ppg and 3.3apg while Geben is averaging 10 ppg and 8.1 rpg. Both are much improved from last season where they played much smaller roles.

Junior wing Rex Pflueger has been a bit of a disappointment. Many (myself included) thought he would make a jump from role player to key starter like Pat Connaughton, Steve Vasturia, and V.J. Beachem had in the past. However, he has struggled with more offensive responsibility. He is averaging 8.7 ppg, but is only shooting 37.4% from the field and 33.8% from three (down from 44.4% and 39.7% last season).

Notre Dame has lost six straight games and that streak could extend for the foreseeable future. The Fighting Irish have a road game against NC State before coming home to play a tough Boston College squad.

Prediction: Notre Dame goes 6-12 in the ACC which gives them a 100 RPI and 51 SOS (according to RPI Wizard). If you think they sweep Boston College, they would be 7-11 and have a 79 RPI, for what its worth. Either way, it is not looking good for the Irish.