March Madness 2011: 10 Teams That Will Screw with Bubble Team's Tourney Hopes

In order to fully enjoy March Madness, there are a couple things that the self-respecting sports fan must have.

To start with, you need at least three televisions, preferably all with HD capabilities.

Next, you need a bookie you can trust, which is easier said than done.

Lastly, you need plenty of knowledge. After all, when it comes to something like the NCAA Tournament, you can't screw around.

That being said, we haven't made it to Selection Sunday quite yet. There's still Championship Week to get through, and one of the things we're going to be keeping our eye on is which of the teams on the bubble are going to pad their resumes with a big win or two in their respective conference tournaments.

This is another thing that's easier said than done. For all the teams that are looking to punch their ticket to the Big Dance, there are just as many looking to play spoiler. And it is to that latter group that we pay homage today.

Behold! Here are the 10 teams that could potentially screw with bubble teams' tourney hopes.

10. Iowa Hawkeyes

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WEST LAFAYETTE, IN - JANUARY 09: Matt Gatens #5 of the Iowa Hawkeyes drives for a shot attempt during the Big Ten Conference game against the Purdue Boilermakers at Mackey Arena on January 9, 2011 in West Lafayette, Indiana. Purdue won 75-52. (Photo by A

Coming off a tournament run last year that saw them make it all the way to the Final Four, the Michigan State Spartans were supposed to be championship contenders this season. As we all know, that didn't happen, and the Spartans find themselves in need of at least one win the Big Ten Tournament in order to get the benefit of the doubt on Selection Sunday.

To start things off in the Big Ten tourney, the Spartans have drawn the Iowa Hawkeyes. Because the Hawkeyes won just 11 games this season, including just one of their final seven, they don't seem to pose much of a challenge. But they did beat the Spartans in early February, and that last win just so happened to come against Purdue, the No. 2 seed in the Big Ten tourney.

If the Spartans beat Iowa, they should be good. A win would match them up against the Boilermakers in the quarterfinals, but they probably don't have to beat them in order to earn a trip to the NCAA Tournament.

If the Spartans lose to the Hawkeyes, however, their underachieving will finally come to an end.

9. California Golden Bears

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JACKSONVILLE, FL - MARCH 21: Head coach Mike Montgomery of the California Golden Bears reacts to a calll against his team while facing the Duke Blue Devils during the second round of the 2010 NCAA men's basketball tournament at Jacksonville Veteran's Mem

Nobody has accused the Golden Bears of being much of a threat this season, which probably has something to do with their epicly bad five-point first half against Notre Dame back in late November.

In the first round of the Pac-10 tourney, Cal has drawn the USC Trojans, who have made their case for the Big Ten with wins over Tennessee, Texas, Arizona and UCLA. The thinking is that beating Cal shouldn't be too much trouble, but that doing so wouldn't make for much of a bullet point on their resume.

However, let's not forget that Cal can be tough. They were a missed layup away from beating Arizona last month, and they played USC tough in their two meetings (winning one of them).

If Cal beats USC, the Trojans are doomed.

8. Illinois Fighting Illini

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CHAMPAIGN, IL - FEBRUARY 13: Mike Davis #24 of the Illinois Fighting Illini tries to fire up the crowd against the Purdue Boilermakers at Assembly Hall on February 13, 2011 in Champaign, Illinois. Purdue defeated Illinois 81-70. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Gett

Another major matchup between bubble teams is in the Big Ten tourney, where the Illinois Fighting Illini are due for a second-round matchup with the Michigan Wolverines.

Between the two of them, the Wolverines probably need the win more. They came on strong down the stretch, but you could easily argue that the only trophy wins they have under their belt are their two wins over Michigan State. Compared to Illinois' win over North Carolina earlier this season, the Fighting Illini look like the better selection.

Still, they need to beat Michigan in order to prove that they belong, and I'm thinking they'll do just that. A loss won't necessarily kill the Wolverines, but you have to think it probably will.

7. Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets

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MILWAUKEE - MARCH 21: Iman Shumpert #1 of the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets moves the ball against the Ohio State Buckeyes during the second round of the 2010 NCAA men's basketball tournament at the Bradley Center on March 21, 2010 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

The bubble wouldn't be the bubble without Virginia Tech, and the Hokies once again find themselves in need of a couple of wins in order to have a realistic shot at hearing their name called on Selection Sunday.

Their quest will start on Thursday in the first round of the ACC tourney. The Hokies have drawn the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets, who wouldn't seem to pose much of a threat. They obviously can't afford to lose, and they'll probably need a win against Florida State in the quarters to punch their ticket.

However, given the horrible inconsistency of the Hokies, it seems foolish to assume that they will knock off Georgia Tech on Thursday. The Yellow Jackets did beat the Hokies head-to-head in late January, and they did it in convincing fashion. Plus, let's not forget that the Yellow Jackets also have a win over North Carolina in their cap, so they are perfectly capable of slaying a dragon. And the Hokies aren't much of a dragon.

6. Arkansas Razorbacks

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LOUISVILLE, KY - DECEMBER 08: Marshawn Powell #33 of the Arkansas Razorbacks shoots the ball during the game against the Seton Hall Pirates in the 2010 DIRECTV SEC/BIG EAST Invitational at Freedom Hall on December 8, 2010 in Louisville, Kentucky. (Photo

Dreadful inconsistency or no dreadful inconsistency, the Tennessee Volunteers' early season success and eight top-50 RPI victories put them in pretty good shape for the NCAA Tournament. If they beat the Arkansas Razorbacks in the first round of the SEC tourney, they should be a lock.

However, beating the Razorbacks was something the Volunteers were unable to do back in early January, and another loss could potentially stop Tennessee's season in its tracks.

Personally, I don't think Tennessee is going to do down against Arkansas. But then again, expecting the Volunteers to do anything this season has been a tricky proposition.

5. Boston College Eagles

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CHESTNUT HILL, MA - FEBRUARY 20: Reggie Jackson #0 of the Boston College Eagles celebrates in the second half against the North Carolina Tar Heels on February 20, 2010 at Conte Forum in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts. The Eagles defeated the Tar Heels 71-6

The Boston College Eagles are on the bubble themselves, and their inevitable victory over Wake Forest in the first round of the ACC Tournament will set up a kind of ultimate bubble showdown with the Clemson Tigers.

Because both teams are going to need to win the game in order to state their case for the tourney, you might be wondering why they're not the headliner on this slide. And that's a good question.

The truth is that I think the Eagles can pull off the upset. They may not have any signature wins under their belt that make them worth betting on, but neither do the Tigers. Clemson did beat Boston College at home early last month, but let's not forget that the Eagles definitely made a game of it.

If Clemson goes down, they're out, and the Eagles are probably in no matter how they do against (what will likely be) North Carolina.

4. Georgia Bulldogs

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NASHVILLE, TN - MARCH 11: Travis Leslie #1 of the Georgia Bulldogs goes up for a dunk attempt against Julysses Nobles #23 of the Arkanasas Razorbacks during the first round of the SEC Men's Basketball Tournament at the Bridgestone Arena on March 11, 2010

Despite the fact the Alabama Crimson Tide have a first round bye in the SEC tourney, they are hardly a lock for the Big Dance. They have some good conference wins under their belt, but their non-conference SOS is pretty weak, and the fact that they dropped a couple games in said schedule doesn't help.

If the Georgia Bulldogs beat the Auburn Tigers in the first round of the SEC tourney, they will be do for a matchup with Alabama. The Bulldogs are also on the bubble, but the thinking is that the Tide is much more in need of a win in their matchup.

Now, Alabama did beat Georgia in their one and only meeting this last Saturday, but that was Georgia's only loss outside the top 50. The rough translation is that they're better than their 20-10 record indicates.

3. Kansas Jayhawks

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LAWRENCE, KS - MARCH 02: Markieff Morris #21 of the Kansas Jayhawks salutes the crowd prior to the start of the game against the Texas A&M Aggies on March 2, 2011 at Allen Fieldhouse in Lawrence, Kansas. (Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images)

The Kansas Jayhawks aren't quite fighting for their NCAA Tournament lives in the Big 12 tourney, but the Nebraska Cornhuskes sure are.

Of course, the correlation between the two teams is that they will be matched up in the quarterfinals if the Cornhuskers can dispatch Oklahoma State in the first round. Even if they do, the thinking is that the win won't be enough for them to punch their ticket to the Big Dance.

Translation: they're going to have to beat Kansas.

This is not altogether impossible. Nebraska does boast wins over Texas and Missouri, so they definitely have the capacity to pull off the upset.

But will they? I think not.

2. Washington State Huskies

Despite the fact the Washington Huskies didn't do themselves any favors by losing to USC this past weekend, they're still in pretty good shape as far bubble is concerned. If they beat Washington State in the second round of the Pac-10 Tournament, they should be fine.

However, as they say, therein lies the rub. The Huskies dropped both of their meetings with the Cougars this season, and a third loss could prove devastating.

In case the Huskies were holding out hope that Washington State forward Klay Thompson, the Pac-10's leading scorer, wouldn't be playing in the tournament because of the suspension he got for marijuana possession on Saturday, this is not going to be the case. His suspension was lifted on Monday, and he's going to be good to go against Washington on Thursday.

1. Milwaukee Panthers

Because the Butler Bulldogs were the surprise runner-ups in last year's NCAA Tournament, they have a little bit of leeway heading into tonight's Horizon League final against the Milwaukee Panthers, which is to say that they don't need the tournament's automatic bid in order to make it back.

The Panthers, on the other hand, do need the win in order to make it to the tourney, and an upset is definitely in the cards. They beat Butler twice on the season, and the added incentive of taking out a high-profile team (sounds silly, I know) like Butler should only help.