College Basketball Games This Week with Major 2015 NCAA Tournament Implications

We're not just heading into the final week of the 2014-15 college basketball season. We're also entering a week full of last chances and do-or-die situations.

Though conference tournaments between now and March 15 will also play a major role in how the NCAA tournament field shapes up, this last week of regular-season action is loaded with games that will have a significant impact on the tourney.

Some schools are pushing for a regular-season title, which could go a long way toward ensuring an at-large bid, while others are just hoping to pad their resumes enough to make what happens next week irrelevant.

Simply put, the stress levels and the amount at stake for many teams will make this week's games far from lacking when it comes to intrigue and excitement. A few games stand out more than others, as they are likely to have the most significant tourney implications.

Scroll through to see which ones we're talking about.

Baylor at Texas

Cooper Neill/Getty Images

When: March 2, 7 p.m. ET

TV: ESPNU

With an RPI of 49 and a guaranteed losing record in the Big 12, Texas (17-12, 6-10 Big 12) has absolutely no margin for error. The Longhorns were once a Top 10 team, yet four straight losses to ranked teams have them in a situation where nothing short of winning out—and going deep in the conference tournament next week—will make a return to the NCAA tournament possible.

Texas had its chance for a huge profile-boosting win at Kansas on Saturday, but it squandered a second-half lead to fall by five points. Its last four losses have been by a combined 22 points.

"No matter how this frustrating season ends, this Texas team has mastered the art of taking the gut-punching loss," wrote Brian Davis of the Austin American-Statesman.

But the Longhorns still have a shot, as they'll finish up with two straight road games. That starts with having to take down a hot Baylor (22-7, 10-6) team that has won four straight to move into a tie for third in the Big 12 and already beat Texas by 23 in Waco on Jan. 31.

Rhode Island at Dayton

Mike Lawrie/Getty Images

When: March 3, 7 p.m. ET

TV: CBS Sports Network

There is a three-way tie atop the Atlantic 10 heading into the final week of the regular season: Davidson, Dayton and Rhode Island all sit at 12-4 and a game ahead of preseason favorite VCU.

Yeah, we all saw that coming.

As luck would have it, there are two matchups involving this quartet on the schedule this week. First up is Rhode Island (20-7) heading to Dayton (22-6) in a battle of wildly overachieving teams that have dealt with personnel-related adversity. Rhode Island was expecting big things from 6'10" forward Jordan Hare, but he left the program just before the season started. Dayton has been making a go of it with just six scholarship players since big men Devon Scott and Jalen Robinson were dismissed in mid-December in the wake of on-campus theft accusations.

Dayton is coming off a win Saturday at VCU and, despite its thin roster, seems poised to replicate last year's surprise run to the Elite Eight.

Rhode Island, on the other hand, is close to securing the program's first NCAA tourney bid since 1999.

North Carolina State at Clemson

USA TODAY Sports

When: March 3, 9 p.m. ET

TV: None

There's a never-ending argument over which is more impactful when evaluating NCAA tournament resumes: good wins or bad losses. North Carolina State (17-12, 8-8 ACC) has quite a few of both, which is why some project the Wolfpack as high as a No. 9 seed while others have them on the tournament bubble.

Saturday's 79-63 loss at last-place Boston College was NC State's second loss to an RPI sub-100 team in February, the same month in which it won at both Louisville and North Carolina. The Wolfpack's ability (or tendency, depending on the viewpoint) to play to the level of their competition has put their postseason situation in a constant state of flux—with each upcoming game of the utmost importance.

"We are all disappointed in the loss and our performance, but we can’t dwell on this," NC State's Trevor Lacey told Joe Giglio of the Charlotte Observer.

Now comes another game against a lower-rated team, Clemson (16-12, 8-8), which NC State lost to by 11 at home on Jan. 28. The Tigers aren't considered very close to the bubble, despite a similar record, because of a lack of quality wins.

VCU at Davidson

USA TODAY Sports

When: March 5, 9 p.m. ET

TV: ESPNU

The second of two games that will decide which team heads into the Atlantic 10 tournament as the No. 1 seed involves the conference's newest member, Davidson, which was picked to finish 12th in the preseason. Bleacher Report's Kerry Miller suggested that the team could go 0-18 in the A-10 after winning the Southern Conference last season.

Yet here we are, with the Wildcats (21-6, 12-4) riding a seven-game win streak that has them in a three-way tie for first with Dayton and Rhode Island. To remain in the hunt for first, though, they have to knock off league flag-bearer VCU (21-8, 11-5).

The Rams might be trending downward since guard Briante Weber was lost for the season with a knee injury on Jan. 31. VCU has lost two straight and five of nine, but it still has the most talent and weapons in the league. The Rams knocked off Davidson by six at home in January, holding the Wildcats to 37 percent shooting.

Assuming none of the contenders lose their finales on Saturday, Davidson would earn the No. 1 seed with a victory over VCU since it holds the head-to-head tiebreaker over both Dayton and Rhode Island.

Yale at Harvard

Jessica Hill/Associated Press

When: March 6, 8 p.m. ET

TV: None

The first official NCAA tournament bid could be handed out on Friday, when Ivy League co-leaders Harvard (20-6, 10-2 Ivy) and Yale (21-8, 10-2) battle it out. Both have another game on Saturday—Yale visits Dartmouth (12-14, 5-7), and Harvard hosts Brown (13-16, 4-8)—but for all intents and purposes, the Ivy League title gets decided in Harvard's Lavietes Pavilion.

The Ivy League is the only one of the 32 Division I conferences that doesn't have a postseason tournament, so the regular-season champion gets the bid. Harvard has earned the last three automatic berths—and in 2013 and 2014 pulled off upsets of New Mexico and Cincinnati—while Yale hasn't made the NCAA field since 1962.

Harvard earned a 52-50 win at Yale on Feb. 7, so a win for the Crimson locks up a fourth straight NCAA appearance. If Yale wins, it gets the nod unless there's still a tie for first after Saturday's game—which would then prompt a one-game playoff for the Ivy League's NCAA bid at a date and site to be determined.

Michigan State at Indiana

USA TODAY Sports

When: March 7, 12 p.m. ET

TV: ESPN

Both Indiana (19-10, 9-7 Big Ten) and Michigan State (19-10, 10-6) seem to be pretty safe bets to make the NCAA tournament field, though it wouldn't hurt to reach 20 wins before the Big Ten tourney. It would also be nice to finish higher in the regular-season standings, preferably among the top four spots—which earn a double bye into the tourney quarterfinals.

Each has been stuck on 19 victories for a week, with Indiana dropping a 72-65 decision at Northwestern on Feb. 25 and Michigan State losing its last two. MSU is part of a three-way tie with Iowa and Ohio State for fourth place in the Big Ten, while Indiana is a game back but currently in seventh place.

MSU's most notable win came at home against Indiana on Jan. 5, but since then the Spartans have hurt their cause with losses at Nebraska and at home Thursday against Minnesota. Indiana is 4-6 in its last 10 games, with four of those defeats coming to lower-rated teams.

Kansas at Oklahoma

Jamie Squire/Getty Images

When: March 7, 4 p.m. ET

TV: ESPN

Kansas (23-6, 12-4 Big 12) has more than just its string of consecutive Big 12 regular-season titles on the line heading into its finale at Oklahoma (20-8, 11-5). The Jayhawks also have a shot at a No. 1 seed in the NCAA tournament if enough things fall their way, but losing here would kill much of that opportunity.

Oklahoma might already be out of the running for the title when this game comes around, as it plays Monday at Iowa State (20-8, 10-6). But regardless of their spot in the standings, the Sooners have been one of the hottest teams in the conference, winning eight of nine since a 1-4 stretch in mid-January. They've jumped to 15th in the latest RPI rankings, which could line them up for a geographically protected seed in the NCAA tourney and possibly some opening-weekend games in nearby Omaha.

Kansas, which hosts West Virginia (22-7, 10-6) on Tuesday, has an RPI of 2 but is currently projected by most experts as a No. 2 seed because it has lost more games than other top-seed candidates such as Arizona, Gonzaga, Villanova and Wisconsin.

Kansas State at Texas

USA TODAY Sports

When: March 7, 4 p.m. ET

TV: ESPN2

The curious case of Kansas State (15-15, 8-9 Big 12) as an NCAA tournament-worthy team will get a lot of play this week. There will be little resolution in the discussion, as the Wildcats are off until this finale against another bubble team needing a strong finish to remain in the tourney hunt.

K-State's RPI sits at 78 after Saturday's 70-69 win over Iowa State, its second straight victory over a ranked opponent—the team also knocked off rival Kansas on Feb. 23. The Wildcats are 7-10 against teams rated in the top 50 of the RPI and have eight total wins against RPI top 100 teams. Yet they also have losses to sub-100 teams Long Beach State, TCU, Tennessee, Texas Tech and Texas Southern.

"As crazy as it sounds, Kansas State has managed to put themselves into the bubble conversation this season," Rob Dauster of NBC Sports wrote.

The game is also a critical one for Texas (17-12, 6-10), which still controls much of its own destiny in this final week. The Longhorns are trying to avoid falling from a preseason Top 10 ranking to missing the NCAA tournament, something Florida (14-15, 7-9 SEC) seems to be on track for unless it wins the SEC tournament.

Duke at North Carolina

Grant Halverson/Getty Images

When: March 7, 9 p.m. ET

TV: ESPN

There's never a shortage of things on the line when Duke (26-3, 13-3 ACC) and North Carolina (20-9, 10-6) meet, especially during their annual season-ending clash. This year is no different, as the visiting Blue Devils are fighting to stay in contention for a No. 1 seed. UNC, meanwhile, is trying to avoid playing an extra game in the upcoming conference tournament.

Duke is widely projected as a top seed right now, but that's not a lock. The remaining games matter—not just the one against the Tar Heels, but also the games the team plays in the ACC tourney.

"If they lost to the Heels and early in the ACC, it's conceivable the Devils could slip off their perch," wrote Ryan Fagan of Sporting News.

Duke can also get the No. 1 seed in the ACC tourney if it wins out and first-place Virginia (27-1, 15-1) loses its last two games: Monday at Syracuse and Saturday at Louisville.

For Carolina, it's all about positioning at this point. The Heels are a game behind Louisville for the fourth seed in the ACC, which would include a bye into the quarterfinals.

Tulsa at SMU

Jim Cowsert/Associated Press

When: March 8, 3 p.m. ET

TV: ESPNU

A year after just missing out on the tournament because of a weak strength of schedule, SMU (23-6, 14-3 American) is firmly in the field and was projected by Bleacher Report's Kerry Miller as a No. 5 seed before losing Sunday to Connecticut. That loss also knocked the Mustangs out of a tie for first place with Tulsa (21-7, 14-2), but they can win the league by knocking off Tulsa in the regular-season finale.

Despite being on top of the standings, Tulsa is not out of danger by any means. The Golden Hurricane have two wins over bubble team Temple, out of three against an opponent rated in the top 75.

Knocking off SMU (rated 18th) would do wonders for their resume.

Tulsa is 7-1 on the road in league play, but that one road defeat was a doozy—by 25 points at Connecticut in mid-February.

All RPI figures courtesy of CBS Sports.

Follow Brian J. Pedersen on Twitter at @realBJP.