March Madness Daily: Wednesday's Biggest Bubble Games

Before we get to Wednesday's games, let's first bid farewell to Connecticut, who's bubble finally popped with a 22-point loss to St. John's in the first round of the Big East Tournament.

Now for my quick look at the bubble:

Last Four In : San Diego State, Illinois, Ole Miss, Memphis
First Four Out : South Florida, Arizona State, Seton Hall, Rhode Island

Of the teams listed above, only South Florida and Seton Hall are in action on Wednesday.

In-for-the-moment San Diego State (36 RPI, 69 SOS) begins play in the Mountain West Tournament on Thursday against 114th-ranked Colorado State. Illinois (75 RPI, 41 SOS) will face 16th-ranked Wisconsin for the second time in a week on Friday in an absolute must-win. Ole Miss (57 RPI, 72 SOS) is hanging on to a bid and will face the winner of LSU-Tennessee in Friday's SEC Tournament. Finally, Memphis (46 RPI, 79 SOS) will take the court on Thursday in the Conference USA Tournament against the winner of Houston-East Carolina.

Currently on the outside looking in, Arizona State (54 RPI, 70 SOS) will meet 176th-ranked Stanford in the Pac-10 Tournament on Thursday. Also, Rhode Island (42 RPI, 89 SOS) defeated Saint Joseph's on Tuesday, and will now face 85th-ranked St. Louis in the Atlantic 10 Quarterfinals on Friday.

As for Wednesday's action, the only four bubble games of the day will all take place in the Big East Tournament.

Big East Second Round—South Florida vs. Georgetown, Marquette vs. St. John's, Seton Hall vs. Notre Dame, Cincinnati vs. Louisville

At noon, South Florida (66 RPI, 64 SOS) will take on 16th-ranked Georgetown in a rematch of an early February contest in which USF won at Georgetown. South Florida advanced to the second round of the Big East Tournament by beating DePaul in a game that did nothing for South Florida's overall profile. However, a win over Georgetown would do wonders by giving the Bulls a fourth RPI Top 50 win. Currently, USF is a mediocre 6-10 versus the Top 100, but only has one loss outside the Top 100. If South Florida defeats Georgetown, they will move from the "First Four Out" to the "Last Four In".

The second matchup of the day has Marquette (58 RPI, 53 SOS) facing 72nd-ranked St. John's. Many consider Marquette to already be safely into the field of 65, but a win here will lock up a bid for certain. Marquette only has three Top 50 wins, and two losses outside the Top 100, but has been one of the hottest teams around having won nine of their last eleven to finish the regular season. Even with a loss, a lot would need to happen elsewhere on the bubble to knock the Golden Eagles out.

In the night session, Seton Hall (55 RPI, 32 SOS) takes on Notre Dame (56 RPI, 52 SOS) in the best bubble game of the day. Seton Hall had to fight off a furious Providence rally just to advance to the second round, but now have their opportunity to move to the right side of the bubble with a win over the Irish. Seton Hall has a nice profile with three Top 50 wins and no losses outside the Top 100, but a 6-11 record versus the Top 100 leaves a lot to be desired. The Pirates will see their at-large hopes vanish with a loss.

Notre Dame ended the regular season on a roll and may not even need a win to earn an at-large bid. The Fighting Irish have three losses outside the Top 100, but have three Top 50 wins and a 10-7 record against the Top 100. A win over Seton Hall locks up a bid, but like Marquette, a lot would need to happen elsewhere to keep Notre Dame out on Selection Sunday.

The message for Cincinnati (63 RPI, 11 SOS) is the same on Wednesday as it was on Tuesday. Win and keep your hopes alive. Lose and say goodbye to the NCAA Tournament. The Bearcats hung on to defeat Rutgers in the first round on Tuesday night and now face a much tougher opponent in the second round, the 31st-ranked Louisville Cardinals. If Cincinnati advances, then we can start to seriously evaluate the Bearcats tournament hopes on Thursday.