NCAA Tournament 2012: 3 Bubble Teams That Should Be in the Dance

Just like every year, there are bubble teams. 

And just like every year, there are bubble teams that deserve to make the tourney, and there are bubble teams that don't deserve to make the tourney.

Teams like South Florida, Drexel, Washington and Mississippi State are stuck on the bubble, waiting for the committee to determine their fate later today. 

But some of those teams just don't have the resume it takes to play in the tournament full of the NCAA's best. Bubble teams have cracked the Final Four before, so the committee has a huge impact on the tourney.

Which bubble teams deserve a tourney spot and which don't?

Drexel or Mississippi State?

Drexel will receive the same kind of treatment Murray State did; do they really deserve a tournament bid?

The Dragons had a 19-game winning streak before their loss to VCU in the CAA title game. Drexel had a fairly easy schedule, but they beat VCU, and they beat talented teams like George Mason and Old Dominion with ease.

While Drexel finished strong, Mississippi State did not. The Bulldogs lost six of their last eight, including losses to LSU, Georgia and Auburn. The Bulldogs are in a power conference, and they finished 21-11, but will their recent slump doom them?

Mississippi State beat Arizona, West Virginia, Detroit, Alabama and Vanderbilt earlier in the year, but a loss to Akron as well as bad SEC losses leave them squarely on the bubble.

The Dragons have a much better resume, and their recent success will be pivotal to the committee's decision. Mississippi State looked like a lock about three weeks ago, but now, they're on the outside looking in.

And the tourney bid goes to...Drexel.

Iona or Seton Hall?

Does Iona really deserve a bubble spot over a Big East team like Seton Hall?

Iona beat Vermont, Loyola (MD) and LIU-Brooklyn, all tourney teams. They fell just short in a loss to Purdue, but they beat teams from quality conferences like Maryland and Richmond.

The Gaels finished 25-7, and they won six of seven (and 10 of 12), but usually, a team like this is passed up for a team like Seton Hall. While Seton Hall is just 8-10 in conference play, they are 20-12 and have quality wins.

The Pirates beat West Virginia, Georgetown, VCU and Connecticut, and while none is in contention for a top seed, all four are headed to the Dance. Unfortunately for the Pirates, losses to Villanova, Northwestern, Rutgers and DePaul could spell doom.

Iona is a very strong team and they're capable of coming through in March. The committee took a chance on VCU last year, and they cracked the Final Four. Could Iona do the same?

The Gaels score points, and they could add excitement to the tourney. One more win would've helped them, but I'd take Iona over a team that's struggled (lately) like Seton Hall.

And the tourney bid goes to...Iona.

NC State or Washington?

North Carolina State has been on the bubble for quite a while; a win over UNC would've sealed a tourney bid for the Wolfpack.

Instead, thanks to a close loss, NC State has to sweat out Selection Sunday, hoping their name gets called. NC State has a solid all-around team that has greatly challenged Duke, UNC, Vanderbilt and Virginia.

Wins over St. Bonaventure, Virginia, Miami (twice) and Texas will boost NC State's resume, and the ability they've shown to challenge great teams may be enough to send them to the Dance. If the Wolfpack challenge good teams and come out on top, they could go far in the tournament.

Washington possesses that same threat, but their resume isn't as strong. Washington hasn't beat a single team destined for the Dance, while they've lost to Colorado, St. Louis, California, South Dakota State and Duke (all headed for the Dance).

Back-to-back losses to UCLA and Oregon State will hurt Washington greatly, and so will their lack of a big win. The Huskies feasted on weak competition in the Pac-12, but they struggled to beat teams like Utah, Arizona State, UC Santa Barbara, Florida Atlantic, Washington State and even Seattle.

To me, this is the easiest decision I've made by far.

And the tourney bid goes to...NC State.