Believe it or not, we’re just over two weeks away from Selection Sunday and March Madness is truly upon us. What that also means is that we’re running out of time in the regular season and teams are running out of chances to prove they belong in the field of 68. Several leagues are finishing their seasons this weekend while others have just one full week left, meaning only a few real chances remain.
Various bracketologists and other experts have spent weeks looking deep into this field, but nobody knows for sure what’s going to happen in the days ahead. With only a few weekends left to prove themselves, we’re going to look closely at a few teams that desperately need to make an impression right now. Here are five teams that need Saturday’s game to go their way if they want to be on the right side of the bubble.
Georgia at Texas
Actually a game with twice the important, both Georgia and Texas are hanging onto their NCAA Tournament lines and the winner of this game is an enviable position, especially compared to the other program. Both teams currently sit 5-10 in the SEC and need valuable wins in their last three chances, but who’s in a better spot?
Georgia’s NET is currently three spots higher than Texas, though the Longhorns have 4 Quad 1 wins compared to Georgia’s 3. Every game the Bulldogs have lost this season has come against Quad 1 teams, but having great losses alone won’t get anyone into the field. They look great with a road win in Austin whereas the Longhorns are fighting for their lives and need to hold serve at home over a team in the bottom half of the league standings.
North Carolina (vs. Miami)
You could have called these Tar Heels doomed a few weeks ago but a sudden four-game surge has renewed some optimism in Chapel Hill. Regardless, North Carolina is just 1-10 in Quad 1 games and has a stinker at home to Stanford weighing their NET down to just 45. If they can’t take care of business at home against the worst team in the ACC, then there’s no future for this season if they don’t win the conference tournament.
Indiana (at Washington)
After a 13-3 start to the season, Indiana hit a really rough stretch, rough enough that Mike Woodson announced his retirement and many considered this a lot season in Bloomington. However, the Hoosiers remain on the bubble thanks to recent wins over Michigan State and Purdue. Their NET is just 56 and needs work, but Indiana has 4 Quad 1 victories and needs to end the season on a high note to get back in the picture. Clearly, winning out west against the league’s worst team is a must.
Xavier (vs. Creighton)
The last two weeks have seen Xavier win the games they need to win while keeping themselves viable on the bubble. That 1-8 mark in Quad 1 games isn’t ideal, though it being a true road win at Marquette does help the resume. What doesn’t help is a lack of opportunities down the stretch, meaning this team needs to keep winning. Creighton is a pretty good team, though this is just a Quad 2 opportunity that the Musketeers need to take advantage of on their home court.
Oklahoma (at Ole Miss)
While Oklahoma’s resume isn’t dead with a loss in Oxford on Saturday, they really could use that boost. The Sooners have lost six of their last seven games and are just 4-11 in a brutal SEC. Their 5 Quad 1 wins are really helping this resume, which includes nonconference success against Arizona, Louisville, and Michigan. However they just haven’t had consistent results against their new league, including a mind-boggling loss at home to LSU two weekends ago. This team has to make an impression during a really tough stretch to end their regular season.