March Madness Bubble Talk: A Look at Early Winners and Losers

The college basketball schedule has been chock-full of bubble action this week as we move closer and closer to Selection Sunday.

Without further ado, here are some of the month's early winners and losers.

Winner: The Big East (Marquette and Notre Dame)

Let's start with two of the hottest bubble teams around.

Marquette (47 RPI, 51 SOS) crushed Louisville at home on Tuesday night by 21 points to give the Golden Eagles their 10th win in 11 games. Marquette has now won 11 Big East games; has four Top 50 RPI wins; and has an 8-7 record against the Top 100.

Marquette may not even need to beat Notre Dame at home on Saturday to get into the field of 65, but a win would lock up a bid heading into next week's Big East Tournament.

Speaking of Notre Dame, the Fighting Irish (61 RPI, 54 SOS) beat Connecticut at home on Wednesday night, their third straight win over a Top 50 opponent in the last 10 days. Just like Marquette, Notre Dame has four Top 50 RPI wins and has an 8-7 record against the Top 100.

Notre Dame is still behind Marquette in the Big East pecking order at the moment but has a chance to all but lock up a bid by winning at Marquette this weekend.

With the work that the Irish have done lately, a loss still wouldn't damage their hopes too much.

Notre Dame is probably looking at either the eight or nine seed in next week's Big East Tournament. A win over another Big East bubble team in the 8/9 game and a trip to the quarterfinals easily get the Irish into the NCAA Tournament.

Loser: The Big East (Cincinnati and Connecticut)

The brutal Big East schedule has taken its toll on both Cincinnati and Connecticut all season. The losses are adding up and may end up costing both teams a bid to the dance.

Cincinnati (65 RPI, 14 SOS) has now lost 10 Big East games, and 13 games total this year, after letting a major opportunity slip away against Villanova on Tuesday. The Bearcats have no terrible losses and have beaten a Top 50 RPI team four times, but they have a 6-13 record versus the Top 100.

Cincinnati really needs a win at Georgetown this Saturday to close out the regular season. The Bearcats are looking at anywhere from the 10th to 12th seed in the Big East Tournament and would need to make the quarterfinals to have any hope.

Connecticut's (49 RPI, 2 SOS) loss at Notre Dame on Wednesday was not devastating, but like Cincinnati, the Huskies have now lost 10 Big East games and 13 games total this year. UConn only has three Top 50 wins and two losses outside the Top 100 but holds a 9-11 record against the Top 100.

A win at South Florida this weekend would do wonders for UConn's at-large hopes, as would two Big East Tournament wins to reach the quarterfinals.

Winner: Utah State

While bubble teams all around the country continue to lose games and squander big chances, all Utah State (32 RPI, 106 SOS) does lately is win.

The Aggies are now up to 14 straight victories with Monday night's win over Fresno State. Utah State has two Top 50 wins and an impressive 8-4 record against the Top 100 on its résumé.

Utah State closes the regular season at home against 64th-ranked New Mexico State before playing in the WAC Tournament.

Even a loss in the WAC final might not knock Utah State out of the field.

Loser: The Big Ten (Illinois and Minnesota)

This past Tuesday night was a miserable one for the Big Ten's two bubble teams.

Let me start by saying that Minnesota (77 RPI, 44 SOS) is now clearly out of the picture.

I never loved the Golden Gophers' profile to begin with, and it certainly looks no better after a 28-point loss at Michigan. Only a miraculous run to the Big Ten final could sneak Minnesota back into the conversation.

Illinois (72 RPI, 49 SOS) , on the other hand, was not expected to win at Ohio State on Tuesday but is struggling mightily with four losses in their last five games. The Illini have four Top 50 wins to their credit but are hurt by a 5-9 record against the Top 100 and three losses outside the Top 100.

Illinois hosts Wisconsin on Saturday and may need to beat the Badgers a second time next week in what appears to be a Big Ten quarterfinal matchup.

Loser: UAB

UAB (42 RPI, 103 SOS) may have been looking ahead to their big weekend bubble game at UTEP in a devastating loss at home to Memphis on Wednesday.

The Blazers only have one Top 50 win and are a not great 6-5 versus the Top 100. Also, UAB is now in third place in Conference USA, three games behind leader UTEP.

Quite simply, UAB needs to win at UTEP and even then may now need to win the automatic bid as conference tournament champion to see its name come up on Selection Sunday.

Loser: The SEC (Florida and Mississippi State)

The Florida Gators (52 RPI, 37 SOS) have stumbled down the stretch, much like Illinois in the Big Ten, and find themselves facing a tough schedule to close out the regular season. Florida lost a hard-fought home game to Vanderbilt and is now left with a trip to Lexington, Ky to face the Wildcats.

If Florida can pull out the improbable road victory, they will be in the NCAA Tournament.

Should they lose, however, the Gators will need to make the SEC semifinals to have a reasonable shot.

Mississippi State (59 RPI, 113 SOS) dealt itself a major blow by losing at Auburn on Wednesday night.

With every loss, the Bulldogs' profile looks less and less like that of a NCAA Tournament team. Mississippi State has only one Top 50 win and a pathetic five losses outside the Top 100.

The Bulldogs get Tennessee at home in a must-win to finish the season, and beyond that, just may need to make the SEC final to feel any comfort about their chances.