10 Bubble Teams Most Likely to Get Snubbed on Selection Sunday

As championship week heats up, bubble teams have one last shot at showing the nation that they belong in this year's March Madness. 

While some of these programs are right on the cusp of getting their NCAA tournament resumes together, the following teams just may feel the dreaded "Selection Sunday snub."

10. Providence Friars

Friars head coach Ed Cooley is working hard to get Providence basketball competitive again.

In his first two years, Cooley has made significant strides forward, especially in the area of recruiting. He has started to bring in talent that should eventually turn into some very good teams.

Unfortunately, it takes time to change a culture that has been firmly entrenched in the lower tier of the Big East Conference.

The Friars haven't had a 20-win season in 10 years.

And now that Providence is already out of the 2013 Big East tournament, there is no way that it is going to be dancing this year.

9. Arizona State Sun Devils

Early in the 2012-13 season, ASU looked like it had turned the corner. The problem was the corner that it turned has ended up in what could be a dead end.

Starting in February, the Sun Devils were 18-5 (7-3). Rather than riding their Mo throughout the season, Arizona State stumbled through its final 10 games, going 3-7.

That's not the kind of late-season production that positively catches the committee's attention.

8. Arkansas Razorbacks

Arkansas rode the Razorback roller coaster this season, up and down, up and down.

Even in the last 10 games of the season, Mike Anderson's squad beat Florida, Missouri and Kentucky, but it also lost to Vanderbilt, Florida, LSU and Missouri.

If it could have picked up an extra win or two, Arkansas might have been in better shape during championship week.

Let's put it this way: Unless Arkansas gets to the SEC title game, I think it can kiss its March Madness dreams goodbye.

7. Iowa Hawkeyes

Iowa has not made the NCAA tournament since Steve Alford led it into March Madness in 2006.

This season in Iowa City has been a combination of ups and downs.

The Hawkeyes beat most of the mid-level teams (Minnesota, Wisconsin and Illinois) but lost to Nebraska and Purdue.

Iowa's pre-conference schedule is not helping it make its Selection Sunday case.

Even though it won a good share of its early games, the level of competition was suspect. Iowa played seven schools with RPI's of 241 or higher.

Unless the Hawkeyes go on an unexpected run in the Big Ten tournament, they will come up short again.

6. La Salle Explorers

La Salle's biggest mistake this year may have been made long before the season began.

The Explorer's played 10 games against teams with an RPI of 150 or more, five that were over 200.

Even though LaSalle ended up as the Atlantic 10 No. 4 seed, it is far from Selection Sunday secure. In fact, it may have a hard time getting out of its first game alive.

The Explorers may face Butler.

Even though they beat the Bulldogs at home by one during the season, I wouldn't want to face Brad Stevens in March.

5. Alabama Crimson Tide

Losses are never good on a March Madness resume. Losses at home against lower-grade teams are lethal.

Unfortunately for the Crimson Tide, they lost to Mercer and Tulane at home, and to Auburn on the road.

And it really didn't help their case to lose three of their last five regular-season games.

Alabama's overall record is 20-11, but it will most likely face Tennessee and then possibly Florida.

I'm not sure that Bama can survive these two tough contests.

4. Middle Tennessee State Blue Raiders

Middle Tennessee State was supposed to stroll through the Sun Belt conference tournament .

During the regular season, the Blue Raiders were so much better than the rest of the teams, with second-place South Alabama five games back in the standings.

But Florida International brought its best, messed up MTSU and knocked it off its March Madness course. (Also of note: FIU didn’t even win the tourney title.)

As much as a 28-5 record looks flashy, I’m not sure that the selection committee will take more than one Sun Belt team.

3. Baylor Bears

Baylor basketball has been following a curious pattern over the last few years.

The Bears have alternated years of March Madness success with years of not making the tournament at all.

In both 2010 and 2012, Scott Drew's crew made it to the Elite Eight.

But in between those two Final Four near misses, the Bears went 18-13 and didn't even make the 2011 NCAA tournament.

Unless the Bears make it to the Big 12 tournament finals, once again they will be left outside of the Dance.

2. Iowa State Cyclones

Iowa State was nearly flawless at home (16-1) this season, where it beat Kansas State, Oklahoma State and Oklahoma.

Unfortunately, the Cyclones were flawed on the road and in neutral-site games (5-9), which puts them dangerously close to staying at home next week when 64 teams begin to put it on the line in this year's NCAA tournament.

Make no mistake about it: ISU can ring up some points; it is the No. 4 scoring team in the nation (80.1 per game). But unfortunately for ISU, the game has two ends.

Bottom line: If the Cyclones don't win their opening-round game against Oklahoma, it will be an abrupt end to a season that could have been much more

1. Illinois Fighting Illini

The Fighting Illini have been either hot or cold this season.

They started off the year winning their first dozen games. Nice.

However, Illinois' fortunes changed drastically over its next 12 games, as first-year John Groce's team only went 4-8.

The Fighting Illini turned things around, finishing the season 5-3 with impressive back-to-back wins against No. 1 Indiana and Minnesota.

All of this has left Illinois in a place where it needs to win not only its opening-round game against Minnesota, but then knock off Indiana again to secure its place on Selection Sunday.