Bubble Weekend: Which Teams Will Make Their Move?

ACC: Clemson at Maryland

It's pretty much the consensus that the Tigers are in the NCAA tournament, especially with a couple more wins down the stretch.  A win at Maryland would be a quality notch in their belt.  The Terps are another story.  They overcame an unimpressive nonconference showing to get to 7-4 in the ACC, third in the conference standings.  But then the Terps stumbled, losing to Virginia Tech and Miami back-to-back.  They got their feet back under them with a crucial four-point win at Wake Forest. Maryland now sits at 8-6 in the conference and needs a couple more wins to feel anywhere near comfortable, seeing as how it's up against non-conference losses to American, Ohio, and VCU.

Big East: Pittsburgh at Syracuse

Both of these teams need this win.  Pittsburgh is said to be a safe bet right now, but their margin for error is small.  Syracuse, on the other hand, is in all-out panic mode.  The Orange are 7-8 in the conference and have little to brag about in their nonconference resume.  The win over Georgetown is about all they have to hang their hat on at this point.  With this and two other tough games (at Seton Hall, vs. Marquette) remaining, Cuse needs to turn it on quickly if they don't want to be left out of the dance for a second straight year.

Big Ten: Ohio State at Minnesota

The Big Ten is basically void of bubble drama with four tournament locks already and Ohio State being the only legitimate at-large contender remaining.  That said, the Gophers are the next best option, and could possibly stake a claim if they can down the Buckeyes and pull off a couple more wins.  At this point, Ohio State is probably out.  They are an abysmal 1-9 against the RPI top 50, and have a very mediocre RPI themselves.  This game is a must-win if they want to keep hope alive, because a loss would put them at .500 in the conference, with games still remaining against Purdue and Michigan State.  These games do, however, pose possible big-win opportunities, which the Buckeyes are in need of.

Big XII: Texas A&M at Oklahoma

The Aggies (7-6 Big XII) and Sooners (6-7) are both squarely on the bubble and in need of wins to sway the committee.  Well, only one team will get one on Saturday, in a game where the desperation on both benches will be palpable.  Oklahoma may actually have an edge as it stands right now, by virtue of significantly better computer numbers and good OOC wins against Gonzaga and West Virginia.  This is probably a moot point, however, seeing as how Saturday's winner will gain the upper hand by default.  Oklahoma does also own a very important sweep of fellow bubble team Baylor.  Texas A&M looked poised for the dance, but they hit a three-game slide that may end up costing them dearly if they can't take care of the Sooners.

Pac-10: Southern Cal at Arizona State

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