NCAA Tournament 2015: Predicting March Madness Status of Top Bubble Teams

While several teams have already punched their tickets to the 2015 NCAA college basketball tournament, others will be at the mercy of the selection committee as they are firmly on the bubble.

Being on the bubble can end in elation after being selected to partake in March Madness, but it can result in extreme disappointment, as well. Bubble teams are constantly living on the edge, and there is truly no middle ground to be had.

Before the selection committee ultimately decides who will go dancing and who will be left at home, here is a look at some of the most intriguing bubble teams in the nation, along with predictions regarding their fates.

BYU

Among every bubble team in the country, it wouldn't be a stretch to call BYU the most interesting case. The Cougars have plenty working in their favor that could make them a tournament team, but a lack of resume-building wins could hurt them.

BYU did defeat Gonzaga on the road Feb. 28, but there aren't many other huge victories among their 25 triumphs. They also have a handful of bad losses, including two to Pepperdine and defeats at the hands of San Diego and Saint Mary's.

The Cougars also lost 91-75 to the Zags in the West Coast Conference finals, but Jon Rothstein of CBSSports.com believes they acquitted themselves well:

BYU is second in the nation with nearly 84 points per game, and it boasts several offensively proficient players who can hurt the opposition, per ESPN.com's Jeff Goodman:

They also have a true superstar in the form of junior guard Kyle Collinsworth. He is averaging 14 points and nearly nine rebounds and six assists per contest. In fact, he has six triple-doubles this season, according to Stewart Mandel of FoxSports.com:

Since the Cougars have all the makings of a team that can do damage in the NCAA tournament, they deserve plenty of consideration. Seeing as they won eight of their final nine games including a win over Gonzaga, they certainly have a solid case.

The lack of big wins could hurt BYU, but the selection committee will ultimately be impressed by the team's current form and reward it with a No. 12 seed.

Murray State

Mark Humphrey/Associated Press

Murray State looked like a virtual lock to make the NCAA tournament for much of the season. But after the Racers lost to Belmont in the Ohio Valley Conference finals, that certainty was erased.

Despite going 27-5 overall and an incredible 16-0 during regular-season conference play, Murray State is very much in danger of missing out. A big reason for that is the fact that it didn't beat any high-quality teams over the course of the season.

ESPN's Bomani Jones is among those who don't see the Racers as a team deserving of an at-large bid:

Rothstein agreed, although he is disappointed that star guard Cameron Payne may not have the opportunity to showcase his skills in the Big Dance:

Despite pundits downplaying Murray State's chances, Racers head coach Steve Prohm has no doubt that his team is deserving of a berth, according to Reid Forgrave of FoxSports.com.

"

The NCAA tournament is there to reward excellence, and (the winning streak) is not excellent—that's an amazing achievement. Along with being only the fifth team in 67 years to go undefeated in our conference. We've got to change the whole 'Hey, it's do-or-die on a Saturday night in Nashville' thing. When our one-seed doesn't win, if they do have the merit to get in, they should get in.

"

Prohm alluded to the fact that Murray State won 25 consecutive games prior to their one-point loss to Belmont. That type of run is tough to ignore, but the nature of the beast is that the selection committee still tends to overlook teams in small conferences.

As great as the Racers were this season, they simply didn't impress enough with their quality of victories to break into the NCAA tournament field as an at-large bid.

Temple

Although Temple has been far from perfect this season, the fact that it holds victories over the likes of Kansas and Connecticut means that it may be on the verge of securing a NCAA tournament berth.

The Owls are far from a lock, though, especially if they fail to beat Memphis in an American Athletic Conference quarterfinal clash Friday. ESPN's Dick Vitale believes Temple needs to win in order to solidify its standing:

Temple definitely has a strong resume, with 22 overall wins and 13 victories in conference play, but it has gotten blown out by elite teams like Duke and Villanova. The fact that the Owls have scheduled such difficult opponents is beneficial, though, as they have the No. 33 RPI in the country, per ESPN.com.

With all of that in mind, Rothstein believes Temple is very much in the running for an at-large bid should it fail to win the AAC tourney:

The Owls probably don't need to win the tournament in order to earn a bid to the big dance, but losing to Memphis in the quarters would definitely be cause for concern. Because of that, it is a game that could very well determine Temple's fate.

The fact that the Owls are battle tested suggests that they will find a way to beat Memphis, though, and that should help them land a No. 11 seed.

Follow @MikeChiari on Twitter