March Madness 2020: Schedule and Bracket Predictions for Bubble Teams
Just two weeks ago, the Arizona State Sun Devils were 10-4 in the Pac-12 with an NCAA men's basketball tournament spot close to secured.
After their third consecutive loss Thursday, the Sun Devils are in danger of missing the Big Dance with another poor result or two.
The Sun Devils' home loss to the Washington Huskies, who are the last-place team in the Pac-12, will damage a resume that was not terrific to begin with.
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The Wichita State Shockers also hurt their NCAA tournament chances with a loss to the Memphis Tigers, who are clinging to hope they can make a run at The American Athletic Conference tournament.
Wichita State and Memphis reside in the same situation as the Utah State Aggies as programs that will sweat out the bracket reveal if they do not win their respective league tournaments.
Utah State remained alive in the hunt for the Mountain West's automatic bid by beating the New Mexico Lobos, but the victory was not an easy one, which left some doubt in what it is capable of.
March Madness Schedule
All games broadcast on CBS, TBS, TNT and truTV.
First Four: March 17, 18
Round of 64: March 19, 20
Round of 32: March 21, 22
Sweet 16: March 26, 27
Elite Eight: March 28, 29
Final Four: April 4
National Championship: April 6
Bracket Predictions For Bubble Teams
Arizona State
The good news for Arizona State is it has plenty of opportunities ahead of it to strengthen its resume and move off the bubble.
However, you could have made that same argument going into Thursday's game against Washington.
Before Thursday, the Huskies had three Pac-12 victories, none of which occurred away from home.
The disappointing loss dropped the Sun Devils to 10-7 in league play alongside three other teams, which means it may have to play an extra day at the Pac-12 tournament if it does not land in the top four.
A win over the Washington State Cougars Saturday is mandatory for Arizona State to avoid sliding any further on the bubble.
After Thursday's results, ESPN's Joe Lunardi moved them down to his last four in along with the Xavier Musketeers, Indiana Hoosiers and Cincinnati Bearcats.
No matter where the Sun Devils land in the Pac-12 bracket, they need to reach the semifinal round to ensure they pick up one quality win.
Bobby Hurley's team split the regular-season series with four of the five other top programs, but the most beneficial win would come against the No. 14 Oregon Ducks, who are tied with the UCLA Bruins for first place.
As long as Arizona State reverses course and beats Washington State and wins games in Las Vegas, it should be safe from any bubble concerns, unless a handful of bid thieves appear in conference tournaments.
Prediction: Safely in field of 68 after a few wins.
Wichita State
Wichita State has run the gamut of bubble emotions in the last week.
The Shockers erased a 13-point halftime deficit to take down the SMU Mustangs Sunday before suffering an eight-point defeat to Memphis Thursday.
The defeat moved Wichita State's record against the other top teams in The American to 1-6. Its only win over Memphis, Cincinnati, the Houston Cougars and Tulsa Golden Hurricane came over Memphis January 9.
Gregg Marshall's team can add a win to that collection in Sunday's regular-season finale versus Tulsa, but that might not be enough to put it on the right side of the bubble.
The safest path for the Shockers is to win The American tournament, which begins Thursday in Fort Worth, Texas.
However, that is far from an easy task with a handful of desperate teams looking to join Houston in the field of 68.
If they come up short at Dickies Arena, the Shockers do not have many quality wins to hang their hat on.
Their best nonconference triumphs came over the Oklahoma Sooners and South Carolina Gamecocks, while it lost to the West Virginia Mountaineers.
At the moment, Wichita State resides on Lunardi's first four out line, and unless results go in its favor, it may miss out on the Big Dance.
Prediction: Wrong side of the bubble.
Memphis
To Memphis' credit, it has not completely fallen off the bubble radar yet.
The Tigers won their 21st game Thursday and have a chance to spring an upset at Houston Sunday.
Memphis' nonconference resume looks a bit better than Wichita State's, as it beat the NC State Wolfpack and the then-No. 19 Tennessee Volunteers in December.
However, Penny Hardaway's team split the regular-season series with fellow American bubble teams Wichita State and Cincinnati.
Just like Wichita State, the best bet for Memphis is to win the conference's automatic bid in Fort Worth.
If not, the Tigers have a steep hill to climb on the bubble, as they are currently one of the next four out in Lunardi's Thursday night update.
That means Memphis has to leap over NC State, Wichita State, Utah State, the Richmond Spiders and Purdue Boilermakers just to earn one of the last at-large positions.
Memphis won three games in a row once in conference play, and those victories were over the UCF Knights, UConn Huskies and Temple Owls, who have a combined 21-30 conference record.
The Tigers' inability to string together a few wins at a time could halt them from joining the Big Dance, even if they beat Houston.
Prediction: NIT bound
Utah State
Utah State's task is clear over the next two days.
The Aggies have to beat the 11th-seeded Wyoming Cowboys in the Mountain West tournament semifinals and then upset the San Diego State Aztecs to earn the conference's automatic bid.
While beating San Diego State is no easy task, the Aggies held a halftime advantage over the No. 1 seed in their last meeting.
Even though the Aggies played the Aztecs tight for a half, they were blown away by a 49-point second half and lost by 12 February 1.
Entering Friday, the Aggies are the first team out in Lunardi's latest update, and a win over Wyoming, who had two regular-season wins in conference play, will not resonate much.
A loss to the upset-minded Cowboys would likely doom Utah State's tournament hopes, especially after it suffered a defeat to the New Mexico Lobos in its regular-season finale.
If they play San Diego State close in a potential matchup Saturday, a case could be made for them since they own wins over the Florida Gators and LSU Tigers.
But in that scenario, Utah State would need all of the conference tournament favorites to come out on top and for other bubble members to falter over the next week.
If they fail to contain the top team in the Mountain West, they will have one of the most nervous waits of any bubble team over the next week.
Prediction: Falls to San Diego State in Mountain West tournament final, barely misses March Madness.
Follow Joe on Twitter, @JTansey90
Statistics obtained from ESPN.com
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