March Madness 2012: Teams Deserving of Bid After Conference Tournament Success

Obviously, not every team is lucky enough to win their conference tournament, but a good run can often be enough to get a team into the Big Dance. While some bubble teams fell flat in their attempt to impress the selection committee, others stood tall and won some important games.

Thanks to the parity in college basketball, bubble teams that make the NCAA tournament have a chance to do a lot of damage, so the selections are quite important. Ask the committee if they're happy with their selection of VCU last season, and the answer is sure to be a resounding "yes."

Here are three bubble teams who, although they fell short in their bid to win their respective conferences, deserve a spot in the 68-team March Madness field.

Connecticut Huskies

Entering the Big East tournament with a record of 18-12, it was quite apparent that the defending national champion UConn Huskies needed at least two wins to stay alive. They achieved exactly that as they dominated DePaul in the first round and slipped past West Virginia in the second round in overtime. That pair of victories gave the Huskies 20 on the season and puts them in a much more comfortable position than they were in prior to the tournament.

Perhaps UConn's most impressive performance of the tournament was a loss, however, as it fell just three points short against No. 2 Syracuse. If the Huskies are capable of playing that well against one of the top teams in the nation, then it stands to reason that they can compete with anyone.

The point of the tournament is to have the most competitive games possible, and UConn will undoubtedly be a tough out if included in the field.

Texas Longhorns

The Texas Longhorns entered the Big 12 tournament in a virtual must-win situation against a tough Iowa State team, and Texas found a way to scratch and claw to a victory in order to solidify its place on the bubble. The Longhorns lost in the semifinals to Missouri, so there are no guarantees that they will make it, but their body of work is strong enough that they deserve to make the NCAA tournament.

Texas didn't have a ton of huge wins during the regular season, but they were able to take out UCLA and Temple. Also, the Longhorns continually played close games against the Big 12's elite teams, losing to Baylor by five twice, to Kansas by three once and to Missouri by one once.

Texas did well enough in one of the nation's toughest conferences and won a big game in the tournament, so they should be included in the Big Dance.

Alabama Crimson Tide

The Alabama Crimson Tide figure to either be one of the last teams in the NCAA tournament or one of the first teams out, but by virtue of their performance in the SEC tourney, I believe they will be in. 'Bama finished fifth in the competitive SEC during the regular season, and outlasted South Carolina to win its first game in the tournament.

The Tide did lose to the Florida Gators in the next round, but Florida won by just three points, and Alabama gave the No. 19 Gators all they could handle.

'Bama barely missed the NCAA tournament last season and ultimately lost in the NIT Finals. This year, however, the Tide had 21 wins and competed in a solid conference, so there is no reason why they should be left out in the cold. Another win would have cemented their spot, but they played well enough in their two conference tournament games to be included.