Selection Sunday is in one day, and I'm here to tell you who's in and who's out from the bubble.
Teams Fighting for Final Spots
Arizona Wildcats - Top 35 strength of schedule and nine wins over teams in the RPI top 100 coupled with wins over Kansas, Washington, UCLA, Gonzaga, San Diego State, and USC have earned the Wildcats a bid.
Dayton Flyers - Blown out by a questionable Duquesne team, but they still have a strong RPI in the 20s and have eight victories over teams with an RPI of 100 or greater. However, they had a weak schedule, but I think their strong RPI earned them a place in the tourney.
Maryland Terrapins - The Terrapins made it to the ACC Semifinals. The ACC is one of the toughest conferences in the nation and the Terrapins fell apart earlier in the year. They have also beaten the North Carolina Tar Heels.
Mississippi State Bulldogs - Same SEC record as Florida (9-7), but unlike the Gators, the Bulldogs are playing in the SEC Final after beating the only ranked team in the conference, No. 16 LSU. The Bulldogs are practically a lock.
New Mexico Lobos - Won eight of their last 10 and went 12-4 in the Mountain West. That earns a bid for the Lobos in my mind.
San Diego State Aztecs - Top 30 RPI, should be an automatic bid and plus, they'll play in the Mountain West Championship against Utah, a game they should win.
St. Mary's Gaels - 26-6, 10-4 in conference, has more than earned the Gaels a bid, but since most of the world suffers from, "They play in an awful conference so they're no good syndrome," many say they're out. They must be in for the sake of all Mid-Majors.
Temple Owls - The Owls stunned No. 19 Xavier last night, but they need to win tonight against Duquense to secure a bid (obviously). If they lose, they'll likely be out of the tournament.
USC Trojans - Top 40 RPI, strength of schedule in the 20s, nine victories against RPI top 100 teams, have beaten UCLA, Cal (twice), Arizona State, and Arizona, and will play the Sun Devils again in the Pac-10 Finals.
No Chance
Baylor Bears - This is contingent on them not winning the Big 12 Championship, which is a shocker in itself. The Bears are 20-13 but are 5-11 in the Big 12, which hurts them badly. They do not deserve a bid; if they do, then Providence, San Diego State, etc. deserve one.
Boston College Eagles - Lost to Duke in the ACC Quarterfinals and they're 22-11 overall and 9-7 in the ACC is crossed out considering they lost to three teams in the RPI top 100 and to Harvard at home. Swept by the Hurricanes of Miami, who are also a bubble team and 15 of their wins have come against teams outside the RPI top 100.
Florida Gators - Went only 9-7 in SEC play, and going 14-3 in non-conference play, all against bad opponents, means the Gators certainly didn't do enough to earn a bid.
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