With the month of Madness just a week away, it's not too early to start looking at which teams have to amp it up a bit to make the field of 65 for the NCAA Tournament. Here's a quick peek at teams that are surely in, those with a solid shot and those on the bubble.
No-Doubters: These teams can relax. They're 99 percent assured of getting in, no matter what.
Memphis
Tennessee
Kansas
North Carolina
Texas
Duke
Butler
Drake
Vanderbilt
Stanford
UCLA
Washington St.
Georgetown
Louisville
Notre Dame
Indiana
Wisconsin
Purdue
St. Mary's
Gonzaga
Xavier
Connecticut
Kansas State
America East Conference Champion
Atlantic Sun Conference Champion
Big Sky Conference Champion
Big South Conference Champion
Big West Conference Champion
Colonial Athletic Association Champion
Ivy League Champion
Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference Champion
Mid-American Conference Champion
Mid-Continent Conference Champion
Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference Champion
Mountain West Conference Champion
Northeast Conference Champion
Ohio Valley Conference Champion
Patriot League Conference Champion
Southern Conference Champion
Southland Conference Champion
Southwestern Athletic Conference Champion
Sun Belt Conference Champion
Western Athletic Conference Champion
That's 43 spots already taken. I've included the likely winners or runners-up from the major conferences as individual teams, like Tennessee in the SEC, Duke and North Carolina in the ACC, etc.
That leaves 22 spots remaining to be filled. All records are as of Friday, Feb. 22.
Likely candidates:
Clemson 19-7
Wake Forest 16-8
Marquette 19-6, ,
Michigan St. 21-5, ,
St. Joseph's 16-8
Texas A&M 20-6
Houston 19-6
Wright St. 20-8
That's 8 almost certain to get in, leaving just 14 more spots, but, uh-oh, there are 31 teams on the bubble (and there may be a couple I missed from minor conferences). Texas A&M, Wake Forest, Michigan State and Marquette could get bumped from the likely list if they lose 3 or more games or take early exits from conference tourneys. Overall, however, those still look like they'll make the grade.
On the Bubble:
ACC: Virginia Tech 15-11, Miami 18-7, Maryland 17-10 - The Terps lay claim to a win over North Carolina. Miami upset Duke last week and late-season wins count more. The Hokies have beaten Maryland twice, but essentially, nobody else. With Maryland losing to Miami on Saturday, give the Hurricanes the edge and maybe just five teams from the ACC go dancing.
Big East: Cincinnati 13-12, West Virginia 18-8, Pittsburgh 19-7, Syracuse 17-10, Villanova 16-9 - With 16 teams in the conference, the Big East could legitimately send 7 teams to the party. Villanova got a huge boost on Saturday, breaking UConn's 10-game win streak. Cincy lost to George
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