One month from now we will have the NCAA Tournament bracket, but a lot can happen over the course of a month. In the weeks before the Selection Committee makes their final delineations, hundreds of important games will be played concerning the teams hoping to fight for a slot in the Big Dance. Dozens of teams are jockeying for those valuable at-large bids and are hoping to make their cases before it’s too late.
No case can be fully made in the middle of February, but we’ll be looking at a few teams that made statements this week. Nobody wants to be firmly on the bubble when Selection Sunday comes around, but what kind of cases did each of these teams make?
BYU
Somewhat buried in a talent-heavy Big 12, BYU got league play off to a slow start and were just 6-6 at the start of this week. However, the Cougars picked up their 3rd Quad 1 win of the season with a great performance at West Virginia on Tuesday night. Not wanting to waste their hard work, they then stopped a red-hot Kansas State squad over the weekend. BYU is firmly on the bubble and made a great statement, though there are a lot of tough games left on their schedule to further prove themselves.
New Mexico
As things currently stand, New Mexico should be safely in the Tournament field, even if the MWC isn’t as strong as when it sent six teams to the Big Dance last year. The Lobos are winners this week for their effort on Sunday, completing a season sweep over Utah State and taking full command of the league, now sporting a 14-1 mark in league play. There are a couple of awful losses on this resume, but Richard Pitino’s squad has won 15 of 16 and looks like the class of the MWC.
San Diego State
While they haven’t been playing their best basketball in recent weeks, San Diego State got a brilliant performance this weekend against Boise State, with a 17-point win over another MWC team that’s right on the bubble. The Aztecs have had some close calls in recent weeks and are just 10-4 right now in the league, but those nonconference wins over Houston and Creighton really elevate this resume, and they’re now taking steps back in the right direction, winners of six of their last seven.
Texas
After an 11-2 march through nonconference play, albeit without any notable performances, Texas faltered early and often in SEC play and were 4-8 in the league after losing to Alabama earlier this week. Fortunately, they salvaged the week with a great win over Kentucky, their 4th Quad 1 victory on the year. Texas is a bubble team that needs as many performances like this as possible, though earlier wins over Missouri and Texas A&M certainly have value as well.
Wisconsin
There were a few great performances from the Big Ten this week, but it’s hard to ignore Purdue’s explosive performance at Purdue on Saturday afternoon. The Badgers picked up their finest win of the season, got back near the top of the conference race, and proved to the world that they deserve a Top 4 seed at the very least. With six Quad 1 wins and a NET nearing single-digits, Wisconsin is for real and might even pick up a few more quality wins in the final weeks of the season.