NCAA Tournament 2015: Teams That Had Bubble Burst in Conference Championships

The bubble is a cruel place. 

While every team wants to be Kentucky with absolutely no pressure during conference championship week, that is a luxury that few can enjoy. Instead, a number of teams that have seen their resumes dissected all season put their postseason fates on the line during conference tournaments, and a number of them failed to deliver.

With that in mind, here is a look at a few bubble squads in particular that had a chance to play their way into the Big Dance and ultimately fell short.

*The term conference championships here refers to the conference tournaments rather than the individual conference championship games within those tournaments.

Murray State

Mark Humphrey/Associated Press

You couldn’t script heartbreak more perfectly than what happened to Murray State in the Ohio Valley Conference championship game against Belmont.

Belmont’s Taylor Barnette drilled a fall-away three-pointer in the final seconds from somewhere in downtown Nashville to dash Murray State’s postseason dreams and undefeated conference record. 

It was an incredible shot and an unforgettable moment for Belmont supporters, but the Racers’ 88-87 loss was a cruel ending to a memorable season. After all, Murray State didn’t lose a game in conference play and cracked The Associated Press Top 25 in early March behind dominant scorer Cameron Payne, who averaged 20.3 points and 5.8 assists per game.

It takes something special to finish with an undefeated league record and not lose a single game from Nov. 30 to March 29. So why in the world is this team likely out of the NCAA tournament?

Eamonn Brennan of ESPN.com explained the problem:

"

By all conventional standards, however, Murray State's résumé falls short. Of the 30 games the Racers played this season, just three came against teams ranked inside the RPI top 100. As Prohm noted, the Racers did beat Illinois State on a neutral court, which looked better after the Redbirds' upset of Wichita State. But Murray State also lost at Xavier 89-62 on Nov. 24. Five days later, it was thrashed by Valpo 93-58. Every other Murray State opponent this season has been ranked outside the top 100 -- including losses to Portland, Belmont and (gulp) Houston. Twenty-one of their 25 wins came against teams ranked outside the top 150.

"

If we go by the eye test, Murray State is clearly one of the best 68 teams in the country. What’s more, it could probably knock off a number of power-conference opponents and wreck some brackets in the process.

Mark Humphrey/Associated Press

The problem for the Racers is that the field isn’t necessarily comprised of the best 68 teams. Conference tournament winners dramatically shrink the field of at-large teams, and Murray State’s resume simply doesn’t stack up, even if the bubble is weak this season. 

There just aren’t enough quality wins.

Illinois

Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images

The formula was simple heading into the Big Ten tournament for Illinois to improve its bubble standing— beat Michigan in the first game.

After all, a victory over the Wolverines would have set the Fighting Illini up for a quarterfinals clash against Wisconsin in something of a nothing-to-lose contest. A win over one of the top teams in the nation against Wisconsin would have been a monumental boost for Illinois, but the selection committee wasn’t going to punish it too much for losing to a squad like the Badgers.

So much for the plan.

The Fighting Illini lost to an injury-ravaged Michigan by 18 points in a game they never had a chance to win. The fact that it came in the United Center in Chicago in front of a number of Illinois supporters only made it more difficult to swallow.

Duane Burleson/Getty Images

Illinois lost five of its final seven games and limped into Selection Sunday. While it does have some impressive wins over the likes of Maryland, Baylor and Michigan State, there are simply too many losses (13) and not enough substance to get the Fighting Illini into the field. 

They blew their last chance against Michigan in the conference tournament.

Texas A&M

Steve Helber/Associated Press

Texas A&M had one thing going for it heading into the SEC tournament—a lack of head-scratching losses.

However, the Aggies lost in their first SEC tournament game to an Auburn team that they blew out twice during the regular season. The Tigers won a measly four conference games during the regular season, but Texas A&M couldn’t come away with the much-needed victory.

Aggies coach Billy Kennedy discussed his team’s inability to come through when it mattered most, according to The Associated Press, via ESPN.com: "They have got to step up and accept the pressure and be able to play in a pressure moment. We have got to get back to figuring out what's best offensively at times to get us in offense."

Texas A&M doesn’t really have any notable victories on the resume, either, and it was seen as the team that simply beat the opponents it should have and fell short against the quality foes. That path can get a squad into the NCAA tournament unless it does fall to one of those lackluster opponents in the conference tournament. 

The Aggies lost four of their last five games and popped their own bubble with a dreadful finish to the season.

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