March Madness 2016: Bracket Predictions for Nation's Top Bubble Teams

Selection Sunday is March 13, and the best teams in the nation are jousting for the highest seeds. Some less fortunate schools are simply trying to spruce up their resumes to prevent their bubbles from bursting.

Here's a look at some predictions for three high-profile programs' March Madness fates.

Syracuse Should Be In

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It seems as though the Syracuse Orange's season will be divided into two parts: with head coach Jim Boeheim and without him. Joe Castiglione, the vice president and director of athletics at the University of Oklahoma and a member of the NCAA selection committee, explained, per Mike Waters of the Syracuse Post-Standard:

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In Syracuse's case, our committee has had the opportunity to see the team early in the year and we've seen them for these last several games without Coach Boeheim. Now we will have the chance to see how the team performs with the return of its head coach, and by the end of the season we'll have an idea of what sort of impact the suspension possibly had.

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Let's be clear: It may be unfair to consider Boeheim's absence during his early-season suspension when determining the Orange's worthiness of a spot in the NCAA tournament. Were Boeheim absent from the sidelines because of an illness or religious mission, it would be fair to look at his squad's 4-5 stretch under a more forgiving lens.

In reality, though, Boeheim was serving a suspension for NCAA rules violations. Part of the penalty for his infractions—whether we agree with the rules or not—was that his team would be at a disadvantage without him on the sidelines.

He wasn't there to lead his team, and its poor play was a consequence. 

With that said, the Orange have put together a strong enough resume to get in despite the slow start. They have a win against the Duke Blue Devils at Cameron Indoor Stadium and victories over three other ranked teams.

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Syracuse has three games remaining on its regular-season schedule before the ACC tournament begins. The Orange will be at home against the North Carolina State Wolfpack and on the road against the North Carolina Tar Heels and Florida State Seminoles.

Winning two of their last three would wipe away any doubt, especially if they steal a win in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. Either way, two more wins—whether they be in the conference tournament or regular season—should be enough to make the NCAA tournament field.

Bet on Syracuse getting in.

UConn Needs to Finish Strong

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Unlike the Orange, the Connecticut Huskies don't have multiple wins against ranked teams. In fact, they have just one—a 68-62 win over No. 21 SMU—and they lost to the Orange.

That won't look good to the committee.

Also, the American Athletic Conference is not strong enough to generate the same respect that ACC membership will garner the Orange.

UConn has one more meeting with the Mustangs before the end of the regular season, and it needs to win that game or advance to the AAC tournament final to make the field of 68.

Based on the inconsistency head coach Kevin Ollie's team has demonstrated all season, that seems unlikely.

Purdue Will Be in the Field of 68

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The Purdue Boilermakers lost a crucial game on the road Saturday to their archrivals, the Indiana Hoosiers. A win would have locked up an NCAA tournament spot for the Boilermakers. 

Even with the loss, Purdue is likely going to make the tournament. It has already won 21 games, though it has only one win over a ranked opponent.

Also, the team will face the No. 6 Maryland Terrapins at home on Saturday. A loss would put it on a two-game losing streak and more than likely drop the team out of the Top 25.

Here's where being part of one of the sport's biggest conferences comes into play. At 21-7, Purdue has won 75 percent of its games. The chances of a Big Ten team with that type of winning percentage missing the tournament seem almost impossible.

Barring a collapse to close out the season and a quick exit from the Big Ten tournament, the Boilermakers will be dancing.