March Madness 2018: Tournament Schedule and Bracket Predictions for Bubble Teams

The buildup to Selection Sunday is going to be tense for some of the men's basketball programs sitting in the middle of the pack in the major conference standings.

With the conference tournaments starting up in the mid-major conferences, and the Big Ten this weekend, the focus shifts to the bubble.

A few regular-season contests Tuesday night gave some bubble teams the opportunity to add to their respective resumes before conference tournament season begins for everyone, but only a few were able to benefit from that chance.

Due to the parity in college basketball this season, the bubble is chock full of teams from power conferences with average resumes, while there aren't many teams from mid-major conferences waiting to steal an at-large bid.

March Madness Schedule

Selection Sunday (March 11)

First four (March 13 and 14)

First round (March 15 and 16)

Second round (March 17 and 18)

Sweet 16 (March 22 and 23)

Elite 8 (March 24 and 25)

Final Four (March 31)

National Championship (April 2)

Bubble-Team Predictions

Nebraska

Despite being the No. 4 seed in the Big Ten tournament, Nebraska enters Madison Square Garden with plenty of work to do.

The Cornhuskers finished 13-5 in conference play, but as Stewart Mandel of The Athletic noted, that record won't be good enough with how poor the Big Ten is this year:

Head coach Tim Miles' team has won eight of its last nine games, but none of those victories have come against ranked opposition.

Nebraska's two wins against top-25 foes are against a Minnesota team that fell flat in conference play and Michigan, who it could see in the quarterfinals of the Big Ten tournament.

As crazy as it sounds for the fourth-best team in the Big Ten, Nebraska has to beat Michigan and Michigan State to reach the final to at least have a shot of earning an at-large bid, and in all reality winning the tournament might be its best option.

If the Cornhuskers slip up in one of their first two games in New York City, they could be in for a long wait on Selection Sunday, which some Big Ten coaches think is absurd, like Indiana's Archie Miller, per Zach Osterman of the Indianapolis Star:

Although some see Nebraska on the outside looking in, it should do enough damage in New York City to impress the selection committee and sneak into the field of 68.

Prediction: In

Syracuse

Sitting on the bubble has become as traditional as the zone defense in Syracuse. 

Once a perennial lock to make the NCAA tournament, the Orange haven't achieved a ton of success at the top of the ACC in recent years, leading to a nervous start to March. 

Jim Boeheim's team is 10th in the ACC with a 7-9 conference record, and an uphill climb remains to get to .500 before the ACC tournament. 

Syracuse should win its road game at Boston College on Wednesday, but Saturday's home finale at the Carrier Dome against Clemson could hurt its resume further. 

Unlike Nebraska, Syracuse is set to benefit from the strength of its conference when being compared to other teams on the bubble.

Wilfredo Lee/Associated Press

Although it's in the discussion for a tournament position, Syracuse needs to do a lot of work in March, starting with Saturday's home clash with Clemson.

At the moment, Syracuse is lined up to play Pittsburgh in the first round of the ACC tournament before a bubble showdown with Virginia Tech, a game in which the winner could secure a spot in the field of 68.

Even with a win over Virginia Tech or one of the fringe teams in the ACC, Syracuse could be in danger, which means a quarterfinal victory over either Virginia, Duke, North Carolina or Clemson is necessary to feel safe on Selection Sunday.

Prediction: Out

Mississippi State

The middle of the SEC is a curious case as most of the teams have displayed glaring weaknesses during conference play.

However, the parity underneath Tennessee, Auburn and Kentucky leaves a good amount of NCAA tournament berths up for grabs.

Mississippi State appeared to be one of the teams set to make a splash in March Madness until Tuesday night when it lost at home by 22 points to Tennessee.

Instead of adding to their underwhelming resume, the Bulldogs left themselves with work to do in the SEC tournament, with a run to the semifinals feeling mandatory right now.

Rogelio V. Solis/Associated Press

Mississippi State's only win over a ranked team came against Arkansas, which was 22nd in the nation when the teams played January 2.

The Bulldogs' nonconference resume won't win over anyone on the selection committee, as their eight wins came against mid-major programs.

If the SEC tournament started today, the Bulldogs would be lined for a quarterfinal game against Arkansas with Tennessee awaiting in the semifinals.

It's not an ideal draw in terms of resume building, but it is one that could push the Bulldogs into the SEC tournament final and grab the attention of the selection committee.

Prediction: Out

St. Bonaventure

St. Bonaventure is one of the few mid-majors involved in the bubble discussion.

The Bonnies took a major step in the right direction Tuesday, as they outlasted Davidson in a triple-overtime thriller that cemented their spot as the No. 2 team in the Atlantic 10.

Unlike other teams on the bubble struggling to create momentum, St. Bonaventure is on an 11-game winning streak with a trip to Saint Louis left on the regular-season docket.

The Bonnies face the treacherous task of navigating an Atlantic 10 tournament littered with upset-minded teams next week.

If they advance to the final and set up a third game with Rhode Island, the Bonnies should be in good shape to make the field of 68 win or lose.

Thanks to their recent play impressing the selection committee and a tight Atlantic 10 final against Rhode Island, the Bonnies should be dancing.

Prediction: In

Follow Joe on Twitter, @JTansey90

Statistics obtained from ESPN.com