Predicting the Biggest Losers of Men's 2022 CBB Conference Tournaments

Amid the nonstop excitement of conference championship week, several March Madness hopefuls end up disappointed.

Bubble-dwelling teams aim to improve their resumes in these postseason tournaments, but an early loss combined with a few bid-stealing teams elsewhere around the nation can be hugely problematic.

Several of the programs highlighted here will enter their respective conference tournaments on the correct side of the bubble. But there's no guarantee that they'll be leaving the same way.

While the list is subjective, the choices are based on projected (or set) matchups and the negative impact of a loss.

BYU Cougars

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BYU stormed out to a 17-4 start and seemed destined for a trip to the NCAA tournament. However, the Cougars have fallen firmly into bubble territory over the last month.

Beginning with a one-point loss to Santa Clara on Jan. 27, BYU went 4-5 over its final nine regular-season games. The Cougars are heading into the West Coast Conference tournament as the No. 5 seed, and they'll need at least one win to seal up an at-large bid.

Due to the conference's unique format, BYU will take on either Loyola Marymount or Pacific on Friday. That matchup can do nothing to help the Cougars' resume.

With a win, BYU would then meet San Francisco, which recently smacked the Cougars by 14 points. And a loss before the conference tournament semifinals could be the dagger for BYU's March Madness hopes.

Indiana Hoosiers

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The Indiana Hoosiers find themselves back in a familiar spot on the bubble.

Riding a five-year NCAA tournament-less streak, Indiana has endured a midseason plunge similar to BYU in 2022. Following a 16-5 run to begin the campaign, IU dropped five straight games before finally ending the skid against Maryland and Minnesota.

But on Wednesday, the Hoosiers lost again. Rutgers hit a triple with 2.1 seconds remaining to clip IU 66-63.

Indiana closes the season at rival Purdue and can expect a comparable second-game opponent—think Wisconsin, Illinois or Purdue—in the Big Ten tournament, and those matchups haven't gone well recently. If the Hoosiers even advance to the quarterfinals, they'll be in immense need of an upset win.

Loyola-Chicago Ramblers

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In an ideal world, Loyola-Chicago would have an unmistakable margin of error in the Missouri Valley tournament. Unfortunately for the Ramblers, losses to Bradley, Drake (twice) and Northern Iowa in the last 10 games have rendered that hypothetical useless.

This has become a win-or-go-home situation.

Loyola's first MVC tournament matchup is against Bradley, which took the Ramblers to overtime in January and beat them in February. The winner will advance to face top-seeded Northern Iowa in the semifinals, with a likely date against Drake or Missouri State in the finals.

Loyola hasn't won three straight games since mid-January. To win the conference tournament, the Ramblers would need to do so while playing no less than two—and likely three—of the Missouri Valley's top teams.

Memphis Tigers

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Memphis is hanging on the bubble by a thread.

That sentiment may change if the Tigers pull off another win Sunday over Houston, which has already sealed the AAC regular-season crown. Memphis beat the Cougars 69-59 last month as part of a six-game winning streak that returned Penny Hardaway's team to the bubble.

However, SMU looms in the AAC tournament. During the first matchup this season, SMU never trailed. And in the second game, the Mustangs ran away from Memphis for a 73-57 triumph.

Provided that Memphis topples Tulane or UCF—both of whom have defeated the Tigers—in the quarterfinals, this SMU-sized obstacle will likely await them again. And it's a loss Memphis cannot afford.

Miami Hurricanes

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Miami has been messing with fire all season, and Jim Larranaga's squad is starting to get burned.

In ACC play alone, the Hurricanes have been in 10 games decided by five points or less. Over the last two weeks, both Virginia and Virginia Tech have clipped the 'Canes—who are seeking the program's first NCAA trip since 2018—to nudge them dangerously close to the dreaded bubble.

Miami is guaranteed no worse than the No. 4 seed, so its opening clash will be against Wake Forest, Virginia or Virginia Tech. While the Hurricanes are 3-3 opposite that trio, every contest has been a hard-fought win or a loss anyway.

They can sneak into March Madness anyway thanks to a strong Quadrant 1 record, but an immediate exit in the ACC tourney would make for a nerve-wracking Selection Sunday.

Rutgers Scarlet Knights

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The string of unexplainable results has caught up to Rutgers.

So far this season, the Scarlet Knights have toppled Purdue, Michigan, Iowa, Michigan State, Ohio State, Wisconsin and Illinois, the other seven best Big Ten teams. However, they also lost to Minnesota, Maryland and Northwestern, plus Lafayette and Massachusetts in nonconference action.

But three straight losses have kept Rutgers on the wrong side of the bubble. That means the Scarlet Knights, who at least stayed alive with a victory at Indiana, will likely need to go on a deep run through the Big Ten tournament to manage an at-large bid.

Could they do it? Sure. The high-end results are already there. Rutgers' season-long inconsistency is reason for doubt, though.

Xavier Musketeers

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By this point, you've probably recognized a trend. Most teams included here are stumbling to the finish of the regular season.

And no program is more than Xavier.

Following a 15-point drubbing at the hands of St. John's, the Musketeers have dropped nine of the last 12 games. One month after contending for a high seed, they're tracking for an early matchup with a No. 1 or 2 seed in both the Big East and NCAA tourneys.

Xavier ends the regular season with Georgetown, which has lost 19 straight games. For the Musketeers' sake, hopefully they'll at least snap the current five-game skid.