March Madness 2012 Bracket: Teams in Desperate Need of a Xavier A-10 Title Win

Every year a team that otherwise wouldn't have made the NCAA Tournament wins its conference championship and ruins a bubble team's chances. In fact, it usually happens multiple times per season, but the 2012 conference championship slate hasn't had many surprises.

The only team that may have stolen a bubble spot thus far is the Colorado Buffaloes, as they won the Pac-12 championship. There is a slight chance that the Pac-12 will only be a one-bid league, in which case it won't matter. If California makes it, though, then Colorado will have sniped a berth.

There is only one game remaining that could knock out a bubble team and that is the Atlantic 10 title game between Xavier and St. Bonaventure. The overwhelming sentiment is that Xavier is in regardless, but the Bonnies need to win, and if they do, then it will shrink that bubble list by one.

Here are three bubble teams that will be rooting hard for the Musketeers in the A-10 championship today.

Washington

Washington is one team that will have nobody to blame other than itself if it fails to make the NCAA Tournament.

The Huskies were the regular-season champions in the Pac-12 as they went 14-4, and they looked to be in good shape. A Pac-12 quarterfinal loss to a mediocre Oregon State team changed everything; however, and now the Huskies are firmly on the bubble. Depending on what happens today, Washington could quite possibly be the last team in or first team out.

According to ESPN's Joe Lunardi, the Huskies are currently the first team out of the tournament.

If Lunardi is on the money, then nothing that happens today will change Washington's fate. Because of the Huskies' dominance in the Pac-12 during the season; however, I tend to believe that they are in the tournament right now. They obviously don't have much wiggle room, though, so a St. Bonaventure win could very easily send the Huskies to the NIT rather than the big dance.

Mississippi State

If Lunardi is to be believed, then no team is in a more precarious position right now than the Mississippi State Bulldogs.

The ESPN bracketologist currently lists Mississippi State as the last team in the tourney, so a St. Bonaventure win would knock the Bulldogs out based on Lunardi's calculations. With a 21-10 overall record, it seemed like the Bulldogs would be solidly in with a win over Georgia in the first round of the SEC tournament, but Mississippi State shockingly lost.

Losing to a 15-17 Georgia team really hurt Mississippi State's case, and now the Bulldogs could be at the mercy of the Atlantic 10 title game. If the Bonnies win and knock them out, then it will certainly be heartbreaking, but Mississippi State put itself in this position, much like Washington. The Bulldogs needed just one easy win in the conference tournament, but they blew it and will now have to sweat it out.

Drexel

If there is one team that is perfect evidence of fans and analysts worrying too much about RPI and strength of schedule, it's the Drexel Dragons.

Despite the fact that Drexel won the CAA regular-season title with a record of 16-2 and finished with an overall record of 27-6, the Dragons are the second team outside the NCAA Tournament, according to Lunardi. What makes that even more amazing is the fact that Drexel won 25 of its last 27 games.

Some will say that Drexel blew its chance by losing to VCU in the CAA title game, but the Rams are an excellent team and the Dragons managed to stay within three. Drexel has an RPI in the 60s and a strength of schedule in the 200s and, fair or not, that is something the committee values. The CAA normally gets multiple bids, but Drexel will be right on the bubble and hoping for a Xavier win.