Bubble Weekend: Which Teams Will Make Their Move?

This is another wouldn't-mind-a-win vs. have-to-have-a-win game.  USC's win at Arizona was unbelievably huge and may ultimately be what sends the Trojans to the dance.  With good computer numbers and a marquee win over UCLA, they probably only need to win one of their last three to feel pretty safe.  The Sun Devils may need to win this game and the following two at the Oregon schools (both are winnable), because they lack big OOC wins aside from Xavier and have an RPI in the mid-70's.  They do have a win over Stanford and a sweep of bubble brethren Arizona in the conference slate, but they also endured a five-game losing streak in conference play.

SEC: Kentucky at Tennessee

This year's Kentucky team has one of the strangest tournament profiles in recent memory.  They started the season 6-7 with losses to the likes of Gardner-Webb and San Diego.  But the beginning of conference play must have woken the Cats up, because they now sit at 10-3 in the SEC and 16-10 overall.  Can the committee look past the terrible start and appreciate UK's conference resume?  A win in Knoxville would be a great stride for Kentucky if they want real at-large consideration.  And if they can get to 13-3 in the conference, or even 12-4 if they can't beat the Vols, can the committee leave out a team with a record like that in a power conference?  Their situation would be much less stressful if they could have won a couple more games outside of the SEC.

Missouri Valley: Illinois State at Southern Illinois

The Valley is still a one bid league as we speak, but for either of these teams, a win in this game coupled with a run in the MVC tournament would create a very compelling at large case.  For Illinois State it would be a 13-5 conference record and a pretty solid RPI.  For Southern Illinois it would be a 12-6 conference mark and good OOC wins over Saint Mary's, Mississippi State, and Western Kentucky (despite a less than desirable overall record).

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