March Madness 2017: Tournament Schedule and Bracket Predictions for Bubble Teams

Happy March.

The calendar has flipped from February, and that means we're within reach of the NCAA tournament. Selection Sunday will take place March 12, which is less than two weeks away. That Tuesday, March 14, brings actual games.

While fans are chomping at the bit to get their hands on March Madness, some squads are biting their nails.

Let’s look at two bubble teams below, with a prediction for each.

Tournament schedule

Event	Location	Date
Selection Sunday	N/A	March 12
First Four	Dayton	March 14-15
First/Second	Buffalo	March 16&18
First/Second	Milwaukee	March 16&18
First/Second	Orlando	March 16&18
First/Second	Salt Lake City	March 16&18
First/Second	Greenville	March 17&19
First/Second	Indianapolis	March 17&19
First/Second	Tulsa	March 17&19
First/Second	Sacramento	March 17&19
Midwest Regional	Kansas City	March 23&25
West Regional	San Jose	March 23&25
South Regional	Memphis	March 24&26
East Regional	New York	March 24&26
Final Four	Phoenix	April 1&3

More information about seeding and the schedule can be found here.

Bubble teams

Seton Hall: In

Rich Schultz/Getty Images

The 19-10 Seton Hall Pirates have held their own against Big East opponents who did not win the National Championship last season. Despite two beatdowns at the hands of the No. 1 Villanova Wildcats, the Pirates, who are 10-8 in conference play, have won four of five against their own league.

Perhaps most impressive in that stretch is an 87-81 slugfest victory at Prudential Center against No. 20 Creighton and NBA prospect Justin Patton. On Tuesday night, SHU fought off the 14-16 Georgetown Hoyas, 62-59, behind Desi Rodriguez’s game-high 27 points on 10-of-20 shooting.

Big man Angel Delgado’s also tallied his 11th straight double-double with 12 points and 13 boards.

Julio Cortez/Associated Press

"I told them, 'I don’t want to be a bubble team,'" Delgado told reporters of a spirited late-game huddle, per Dennis Chambers of ZagsBlog. "'If you guys wanna lose this game and go home, just tell me. But that’s not what’s going to happen.' I told them we gotta pick it up."

Zach Braziller of the New York Post thought the Dominican center was underrated all year:

Some context on that rebounding number, per Chris McManus of SHUHoops.com:

Braziller described Tuesday as a must win for SHU’s NCAA tournament hopes, which are not set in stone. But it was definitely a step in the right direction. ESPN Bracketology expert Joe Lunardi had the Hall as one his "Last Four In" before tip-off on Tuesday.

Rich Schultz/Getty Images

A road win over No. 13 Butler in Saturday’s regular-season finisher would do wonders for SHU’s stock and possibly remove the school from the bubble altogether. Just like Delgado said.

CBS Sports' Jon Rothstein called it a "lock" that SHU would at least get in with a victory:

Even without a W, though, it’s more likely than not that even after losing Isaiah Whitehead, now a Brooklyn nets point guard, last year’s Big East Tournament champions will find their way into the field of 68.

Wichita State: In

Peter G. Aiken/Getty Images

The 27-4 Wichita State Shockers haven’t played anybody this year.

Gregg Marshall’s team has faced just six top-100 opponents, according to CBS Sports. Their lone top-25 foe was the Louisville Cardinals, who won 62-52 on Nov. 24. Outside of that, Wichita has gone 1-3 against teams that fall between No. 26-50.

That resume hardly screams “bid-worthy.” CBS Sports wasn’t impressed, as of Tuesday:

"

“The [Missouri Valley Conference] is down this year, so there is nothing left but chances for bad losses, and WSU cannot afford any of those. The Shockers' overall [strength of schedule] is relatively poor also. It would have to be a really weak field for Wichita to get in with this profile, but that worked for them last year.”

"

Still, many are vouching for a Shockers berth. Take FanRag Sports’ Jack Magruder, for example, who thinks excluding Wichita State is a matter of overthinking:

Lunardi sides with Magruder; he gave the Shockers an eight-seed with a first-round game against Michigan State in his latest bracket. Braziller concurs, and he went stat-heavy in his explanation:

"

Statistically, Wichita State ranks among the best teams in the country. It is 19th in scoring (82.5), 12th in rebounding (40.5), 12th in assists (17.3), and 17th in points allowed (63.0). It is shooting 40 percent from 3-point range as a team. The analytics-based website, KenPom.com, ranks Wichita State 10th in the nation. The Associated Press has the Shockers 25th.

"

As of publication, the AP had Wichita State 21st in the country. The USA Today Coaches Poll had WSU 22nd.

Peter G. Aiken/Getty Images

After losing NCAA tournament stars Ron Baker and Fred VanVleet to the NBA, the potential alone for the Shockers’ sixth straight March Madness appearance is impressive. It's a testament not only to Marshall, but also to young players like sophomore Markis McDuffie and freshman Landry Shamet, the team’s respective leading scorers.

As of now, count on the Shockers getting in. Just don't expect generous treatment given their soft schedule.