Bracketology: Programs with Work Left to Do Before March Madness 2014

It’s March and that means the 2014 NCAA tournament, perhaps the most exciting event in all of sports, is finally around the corner.

A number of squads around the country are already feeling good about their chances of attending the Big Dance, but there are plenty of tourney hopefuls that are still on the bubble.

These programs have some work left to do before they can be considered locks in the eyes of the selection committee, which will announce the 68-team field on March 16.

Let’s take a look at which teams need to earn some wins during their conference tournaments and season finales to boost their resumes enough to become part of March Madness.

Arkansas Razorbacks (20-9, 9-7 SEC)

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The Razorbacks are currently sitting at 20-9 with two games left in the regular season and the SEC tournament on the horizon.

Arkansas has to be confident that it will make the field now that it is riding a five-game winning streak and grabbed another signature win on the road against Kentucky on Feb. 27.

Pat Forde of Yahoo! Sports called it a huge victory for Arkansas, but also noted that the Wildcats are massive underachievers this season:

However, this surging squad isn’t out of the woods just yet. Kentucky is the only ranked team that Arkansas felled in 2013-14, having also dismissed the Wildcats on Jan. 14.

The program missed opportunities to nab big victories against Gonzaga and Florida (in overtime), which might come back to haunt it.

Arkansas likely cannot afford an early exit during the conference tournament; otherwise it will certainly miss a chance to earn the SEC’s third bid to the NCAA tourney.

The Gators and Wildcats are definitely going to be dancing, but the Razorbacks are still on the cusp.

California Golden Bears (18-11, 9-7 Pac-12)

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The Bears must recover from back-to-back road defeats against Arizona and Arizona State, as well as having lost three of their last four games by double-digit margins.

It’s not the type of stretch that this team, now 18-11 overall and 9-7 in Pac-12 play, can afford at the end of a season if it desires to make the NCAA tournament field.

However, Cal still has some life. There is an opportunity for redemption against Utah and Colorado to close the 2013-14 campaign, as well as the possibility of a deep run in the conference tourney.

Jason McIntyre of The Big Lead noted that Cal is part of his last three in, which is largely based on the signature wins from earlier in the season:

Remember, the Golden Bears knocked out Oregon and then-undefeated, top-ranked Arizona to score two marquee victories.

There is also a road win against Stanford that looks rather impressive, but it’s going to take more to wow the committee enough to admit the program into the Big Dance.

Cal likely has to go undefeated to close the season and make some headway into the Pac-12 tournament in order to have a resume strong enough to join Arizona and UCLA as the locks coming from this conference.

Pittsburgh Panthers (22-8, 10-7 ACC)

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The Panthers boast a great looking record of 22-8, but it’s not nearly as impressive when put under the microscope.

Pitt is still squarely on the bubble, especially after losing a key contest against NC State at home on Monday. The defeat was its fourth in six games, an especially troubling stretch for a team that had won 16 of 17 to start the 2013-14 campaign.

Matt Norlander of CBS Sports echoed that sentiment:

Pitt had a chance to extend their current winning streak to three-straight and practically punch their ticket to March Madness against the Wolfpack, but now has to finish strong and hope for some luck with the selection committee.

Head coach Jamie Dixon spoke with reporters after the game, saying that his team needs to be better but is looking forward to getting back on track in the season finale, as per the team’s official website:

"

We didn’t get it done so we ended up with the result that we have and this is obviously hard to take. To be 6-2 on the road and 4-5 at home is a rare occurrence that a team would do that. That is where we’re at and so we have to go play well against Clemson on Saturday. That is what we are going to do and what we are looking forward to.

"

Factor an immensely weak non-conference schedule into the equation and you are looking at a team that will need to finish strong to have any chance.

Expect Pitt to play with a desperation against the Tigers and do their best to make some noise in the ACC tournament, as it is necessary to start convincing people that it is a worthwhile tournament participant.