March Madness Bubble Watch: Previewing Weekend's Biggest Games

It feels like just yesterday that the preseason ballots were released and we were all waiting in anticipation for the college basketball season to start.

But after months of competition and speculation about whether Kentucky could beat the Philadelphia 76ers, Selection Sunday is just over three weeks away. It is becoming crunch time for those teams that have yet to secure a bid to the NCAA tournament.

With a particularly large bubble this year, each game matters more than the last as teams look to avoid bad losses and secure big wins.

Keeping that in mind, here are four of the most impactful bubble matchups this weekend.

Can Texas Beat Kansas at Allen Fieldhouse?

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Does anybody else remember when Texas was a top-10 team in the preseason polls and being tapped as the squad with the best shot to finally end Kansas’ run at the top of the Big 12?

How naive we all were. Despite the huge expectations placed on the team at the start of year, once the calendar turned to December, it all started to go wrong for the Longhorns. A 12-point loss on the road against Kentucky isn’t exactly a resume-killer—some might see it as a positive—but a second nonconference loss, in overtime against Stanford, isn’t good.

In Big 12 play, Texas has been a middling presence, beating the teams it should beat like TCU and Texas Tech but at the same time losing almost every game against the upper echelon of the conference (Kansas, Iowa State, Oklahoma and Baylor).

A trip to Lawrence, Kansas, to take on the Jayhawks is one of the least enviable tasks in college basketball, but for Texas it could be the springboard for securing a spot in the NCAA tournament and getting back on track.

If the Longhorns can pull off the monumental upset, it would push them comfortably into the field of 68 and get the wheels rolling for a potential run in March. But a loss to Kansas, followed by one to Baylor two days later, could spell doom for a team with Final Four hopes coming into the year.

Tipoff is scheduled for Saturday at 5 p.m. ET.

Can Boise State Topple San Diego State?

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The Mountain West needs to find some new chords to play. As seems to happen every year, San Diego State has established itself as the face of the conference and is solidly in the field of 68, likely as a trendy pick to make a run to the Sweet 16 or beyond.

But without usual running mates New Mexico and UNLV by their side, the Aztecs are watching as a couple of less experienced faces emerge from the crowd. While Colorado State is also fighting for a spot in the tournament, the more intriguing storyline belongs to Boise State.

More known for being left out of the field than for appearances in it in recent years, the Broncos have their strongest case this time around to making it onto the sport's biggest stage.

With home wins against San Diego State and Colorado State, not to mention a road victory against Saint Mary’s, Boise State has a solid resume but could still use a signature road performance to establish its place in the tournament.

What better time to get in than against a ranked San Diego State team on national television? ESPN2 is carrying the 8 p.m. ET tipoff.

Will Stanford Get a Signature Win Against Oregon?

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It feels like so long ago that the Pac-12 (then the Pac-10) was on top of the basketball world. Powered by the superprogram that is Arizona, the conference was must-watch television for those of us who didn’t have bedtimes out East.

In recent years though, it is hard to even consider it the best conference in its own region. This year is no exception; Arizona and Utah are locks for the tournament, but no other team is solidly in the field as of yet.

On Sunday night (or afternoon, if you’re on the West Coast for the 7 p.m. ET tipoff), Oregon will travel to take on Stanford in one of the more intriguing matchups this weekend. Neither team is a lock to make the tournament, but both probably should when all is said and done.

Of the two, Stanford is probably more desperate for a win that will bolster the resume even slightly heading into March. Oregon is a couple of games removed from a huge upset against Utah, but the Cardinal have had no such victory this year.

With the most impressive win of the season coming against Texas in December, followed by pretty much nothing else, a win at home over Oregon would be a turning point in the season that possibly sends Stanford back to March Madness.

Which Versions of Ohio State and Purdue Show Up to Play?

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If somebody can explain this Ohio State team to me, that would be great. In home games against Maryland and Indiana, the Buckeyes looked like a true monster that could challenge Wisconsin as the Big Ten’s best team.

But in games against North Carolina, Iowa twice, Louisville and last Sunday against Michigan, the Buckeyes looked barely deserving of a bid to the NIT.

Ohio State has one of the most entertaining players in the country in freshman guard D’Angelo Russell and is a real treat to watch when it gets rolling. On the other hand, the defense can look porous at times, and when Russell’s shots aren't hitting, the offense looks anemic at best.

Purdue is a similarly up-and-down team, albeit to a much less drastic extent. An 11-4 record in the Big Ten, including three Top 25 wins, would guarantee most schools a bid, but nonconference losses to North Florida and Gardner Webb tarnish an otherwise mediocre resume.

Neither team is likely to drop out of the field with a loss, but both could also use this game to quell any potential fears heading into Selection Sunday.