By Andy Glockner
ESPN.com
College hoops at the highest level doesn't get much better than Sunday, when four of the top seven teams in the land lost, including previously perfect Illinois.
That being said, all of those teams are effectively in the NCAA Tournament already, so let's talk about who else is trying to get in.
Here is our latest assessment of the projected locks and bubble teams through games on March 6. If a conference isn't represented, it means it's likely a one-bid league.
Remember, there are 34 at-large bids available. Right now, the big seven conferences appear to have 21 "locks" for at-larges (28 teams in the lock category minus the seven auto bids), and look pretty likely for (at least) an additional six, meaning there are only seven at-large berths available for everyone else (others in those seven conferences and all schools outside).
Records are D-I only. RPI and SOS are as of March 6.
See ESPN.com's InsideRPI for daily RPI and SOS rankings.
(Note: Bubble Watch will be updated daily through Selection Sunday)
Atlantic Coast Conference
Work left to do: Maryland, Georgia Tech, Miami, N.C. State, Virginia Tech
We now have official bubble trouble. Terps look to be in major danger after loss at Va. Tech. Ga. Tech did what it needed to, barely. NC State missed a golden chance vs. Wake. Miami may be done after getting ambushed at Duke to finish under .500. Hokies get to .500, but profile still lacking.
Georgia Tech [17-10 (8-8), RPI: 38, SOS: 20] Staved off Clemson late to get to .500 for the ACC season. Maryland's loss definitely helps, but GT resume still very suspect. Best non-conference win is probably Air Force and, outside of Wake, other seven ACC wins are Miami (twice), FSU (twice), Clemson (twice) and Virginia. Got huge break when Wake beat NC State on Sunday night. Jackets avoid 6-seed (read: opening-round game and then Duke in quarters) and instead get Virginia Tech. NCAA eliminator for both? We'll see.
Maryland [16-11 (7-9), RPI: 49, SOS: 8] Terps in very big trouble now after loss in Blacksburg capped three-game slide to close regular season. Maryland fell to the 8-seed in the ACC tourney, meaning an opening-round game vs. Clemson and then Carolina in the quarters on no rest. Terps may very well need to win that game to get in.
Miami [16-11 (7-9), RPI: 56, SOS: 13] Canes blasted at Duke after crippling home loss to GT. Don't think 7-9 in the ACC will get it done, not with 0-5 mark vs. RPI Top 25. First step in postseason -- Virginia in the ACC's opening round.
NC State [17-12 (7-9), RPI: 88, SOS: 107] Let late lead get away and lost to Wake on amazing coast-to-coast buzzer beater by Chris Paul, which dumped State to 7-seed. Pack in serious at-large trouble. The loss forced them into an opening-rounder vs. feisty Florida State and, if they advance, they now get Wake again in the ACC quarters. Injury woes can be factored in but still won't cover the ground between Pack and a bid right now.
Virginia Tech [15-12 (8-8), RPI: 116, SOS: 119] RPI should improve off of Terps win, but still can't see it. Nonetheless, how can you leave a .500 ACC team off the watch? Kudos to Seth Greenberg for a great job this season. We'll see what the ACC tourney brings -- Hokies open with Georgia Tech.
Locks
North Carolina
Wake Forest
Duke
Big East
Work left to do: Notre Dame, West Virginia, Georgetown
This was moving day in the Big East ... and all the bubble teams moved away from bids. WVU fell at Seton Hall and G'town dropped its fifth straight, at home to Provy. Biggest comparative beneficiary? Notre Dame, despite the home loss to Pittsburgh and the bad home loss to UCLA.
West Virginia [18-9 (8-8), RPI: 65, SOS: 131] Crushing loss to Seton Hall really puts Mountaineers in tough bind. Still have six wins in last eight, including sweep of Pittsburgh, but 0-5 vs. RPI Top 25 is a problem. 3-0 vs RPI 26-50.
Notre Dame [17-10 (9-7), RPI: 75, SOS: 70] Didn't get it done at home vs. Pittsburgh, which gives Irish two late home losses for the committee to chew on. 9-7 Big East record a plus, but can't feel safe with very shaky RPI. Irish are the consummate high-major bubble team.
Georgetown [16-11 (8-8), RPI: 92, SOS: 79] Late-season collapse completed with devastating home loss to Providence. With five straight L's to close regular season and profile weakening rapidly, very well might have to win the Big East tourney now to get in.
Locks
Syracuse
Boston College
Pittsburgh
UConn
Villanova
Big 12
Work left to do: Texas A&M, Iowa State
Texas makes it five in the lock column for the Big 12 after ending OK State's home win streak. Can the league get six?
Iowa State [17-10 (9-7), RPI: 62, SOS: 88] Got crucial win at Colorado to back up crushing of Mizzou. 4-3 vs RPI Top 50 a plus. Another team right on the bubble -- suspect RPI but some great W's.
Texas A&M [17-8 (8-8), RPI: 67, SOS: 125] Got necessary win over Baylor but still probably needs a couple rounds in Big 12 tourney. A&M staff screaming about midstream RPI change that is going to hurt Aggies' chances (with powder puff nonconf schedule planned in advance).
Locks
Kansas
Oklahoma State
Oklahoma
Texas Tech
Texas Tech
Big Ten
Work left to do: Minnesota, Indiana
Four bids look almost certain with Gophers' 10 league wins. Does IU's 10 make it five? Hoosiers have one of the most interesting profiles in the country. How about surging Iowa? Back in the mix.
(Note: Ohio State is ineligible for this year's NCAA Tournament.)
Minnesota [20-9 (10-6), RPI: 46, SOS: 72] In typical fashion, Gophers hold off Penn State for possible bid-clinching W. 10-6 in league is probably enough for a bid, barring some disaster scenario during Championship Week (read: bad first-round loss and lots of small school upsets).
Iowa [19-10 (7-9), RPI: 51, SOS: 57] Look who's back in the mix after three straight W's to close the regular season. Yes, Hawkeyes finished under .500 in a weaker Big Ten, but they have a host of big non-conference wins (Louisville-N, Texas-N, Texas Tech-N, Iowa State, Northern Iowa, Air Force) to fall back on. May have played Illinois tougher than anyone (twice).
Indiana [15-12 (10-6), RPI: 66, SOS: 18) Ripped N'western to finish with 10 league wins after just missing at Wisconsin. Will buzzer-beater L's vs. Charlotte and Badgers send IU to NIT? Definitely looks NCAA-worthy on recent form, and history shows 10 Big Ten wins virtually a 100 percent lock for a bid. Very interesting Big Ten tourney opener against Minnesota on tap. Win that and how can you keep IU out?
Locks
Illinois
Michigan State
Wisconsin
Conference USA
Work left to do: DePaul, Marquette, Houston, TCU, UAB, Memphis
C-USA picture clearing up some. Marquette and Houston in critical condition. TCU falls off after losing at last-place So. Miss.
DePaul [18-9 (10-6), RPI: 58, SOS: 102] Close but no cigar in RPI-damaging home loss to L'ville, which leaves Blue Demons sweating more than a little. Definitely don't want to go out in C-USA tourney opener.
UAB [20-9 (10-6), RPI: 64, SOS: 147] Got all four to close season after edging Cougars in Houston. Computer profile still fairly weak -- just 1-4 vs RPI Top 50 -- but 10 wins in a good league is solid.
Houston [18-12 (9-7), RPI: 83, SOS: 94] Home loss to UAB plus 21-point loss at hobbled Marquette equals at-large doom. Like Marquette, probably needs to win C-USA tourney to get in.
Marquette [18-10 (7-9), RPI: 84, SOS: 3] Hideous 39-point effort in home loss to bottom-feeder Billikens leaves Golden Eagles with almost no chance for an at-large.
Locks
Louisville
Cincinnati
Charlotte
Pac-10
Work left to do: Arizona State
Basically no bubble left in the Pac-10. Stanford moves into lock status after dumping Washington at home. So does UCLA after weekend sweep of Oregon schools got it to 11-7 in league play. Arizona State's at-large hopes are basically dead after loss to Arizona.
Arizona State [18-12 (7-11), RPI: 63, SOS: 103] Getting swept in Washington and losing at home to Arizona basically sealed NIT fate without an auto bid. Sun Devils end up behind an Oregon State team that went winless on the road in league play.
Locks
Arizona
Washington
Washington
Washington
SEC
Work left to do: Vanderbilt
Big moving week in SEC. We're going to move Florida and LSU into the locks and reinsert Mississippi State there as well after three-win week gets Bulldogs to 9-6 in league with sub-30 RPI. South Carolina falls off after two more losses, leaving only Vandy on the bubble.
Vanderbilt [18-12 (8-8), RPI: 60, SOS: 34] Loss at LSU basically means the Commodores need to win SEC tourney (or come darn close) to get in. Trip to finals leaves room for discussion.
Locks
Kentucky
Alabama
Miss. State
Florida
LSU
Other at-large contenders
Teams that should be in: Gonzaga, Pacific, Southern Illinois, Utah, Nevada Work left to do: Wichita State, Vermont, Miami (OH), St. Mary's, Old Dominion, Holy Cross, Akron, Buffalo, Northern Iowa, Davidson, UTEP, Wis.-Milwaukee, George Washington, Saint Joseph's, New Mexico
Southern Illinois still in despite surprising semis loss to SMS in MVC. Am really tempted to add St. Mary's to the lock list, but will wait until WCC semis win to be sure. Miami (OH) making things very hard on itself. Any Ark.-Little Rock hopes extinguished by Sun Belt tourney loss.
Vermont [23-6 (16-2), RPI: 23, SOS: 96] Downed early-round host Binghamton to bring the conference finals vs. Northeastern back to Burlington. RPI remains bulletproof because of unbeaten home record, but have a hard time seeing committee giving at-large to low-major-conference team that lost three of last six heading into the postseason. Seems unfair. This team can play. Now 3-3 vs RPI Top 50 with Northeastern sneaking in.
Miami (OH) [17-9 (12-6), RPI: 27, SOS: 52] Blew clincher for outright MAC title with awful loss at last-place Marshall, but still got solo title when every 11-6 team lost. Still, at-large status now much more murky. Has great RPI and solid record against RPI Top 50 win.
St. Mary's [22-7 (11-3), RPI: 31, SOS: 117] Won out to get to 11-3 in the WCC, which should be enough. They get a bye into the WCC semifinals. A win there makes them a lock. Even a loss and this team should be in.
Northern Iowa [20-10 (11-7), RPI: 34, SOS: 47] Despite very solid computer profile, Panthers almost certainly saw at-large dreams extinguished by surprising MVC quarterfinals loss to SMS. Very little way they can got a nod ahead of So. Illinois, Creighton and WSU now, and MVC's not getting four bids.
Buffalo [19-8 (11-7), RPI: 35, SOS: 101] Big win over Akron and losses by Miami (OH) and W. Michigan put Bulls back in the mix. Whopping 7-8 vs. RPI Top 100.
Wichita State [20-9 (12-6), RPI: 37, SOS: 104] Went down in MVC semis to Creighton and now will have a very long wait this week. Finished ahead of Northern Iowa and also went farther in conference tourney, so should be ahead of Panthers. Lost three times to Creighton, so probably third in MVC pecking order. Lost five of last six to close regular season.
Kent State [17-11 (11-7), RPI: 39, SOS: 32] Pounded Ohio to join about 20 other teams at 11-7 in MAC. 25-point loss at Miami (OH) still lingers. Still have better SOS than Akron (season sweep) or Buffalo (split series). Only 6-11 vs. RPI Top 100.
Old Dominion [25-5 (15-3), RPI: 40, SOS: 229] Rallied from nine down at half to cruise past Hofstra and into CAA finals vs. VCU. Profile is still strong -- only 1-0 vs RPI Top 50 but an impressive 8-3 vs. RPI 51-100. Monarchs should get a bid either way, but who knows...
Akron [17-9 (11-7), RPI: 41, SOS: 73] Smoked at Buffalo with a chance to get share of league title. Akron's still 6-6 vs. RPI Top 100.
Holy Cross [24-5 (13-1), RPI: 45, SOS: 204] Barely escaped Lehigh but moves on to host Patriot finals against Bucknell. 1-3 vs RPI Top 50 and 21 wins outside RPI Top 100 probably mean tourney title is needed, despite good RPI.
UTEP [22-7 (14-4), RPI: 48, SOS: 151] Two non-DI wins hurt resume. Got some more wins to close out regular-season. Could NCAA neg a 24-win second-place team from the WAC? Doesn't seem fair.
Wis.-Milwaukee [21-5 (14-2), RPI: 52, SOS: 226] Easy semifinal W for Horizon League regular-season champs. Upheaval ahead of them opened the at-large door a crack, but still rather unlikely with very weak SOS and a whole mess of teams ahead of them. Better beat Detroit for auto bid.
Creighton [22-10 (11-7), RPI: 53, SOS: 86] Got third win of year over Wichita State, which is huge. Bluejays got break, sort of, with So. Illinois losing. Probably an easier foe for the auto bid, but a loss to SMS will send an unexpected team through and won't look as good as a loss to the Salukis would have. 5-3 vs. RPI Top 50 (all wins in MVC).
Ohio [17-10 (11-7), RPI: 54, SOS: 100]: Blistered by Kent State with MAC regular-season title share on the line. Have swept Buffalo and split with Miami (OH) (won by four, lost by two). Was swept by Akron, so may need to finish ahead of the Zips. Impressive 8-5 vs. RPI Top 100.
Davidson [18-8 (16-0), RPI: 61, SOS: 110] This year's poster child for not having conference tourneys. A perfect 16-0 in SoCon regular season and bounced in tourney semis by UNC Greensboro. On list now in memorium -- no chance for an at-large bid. No RPI Top 100 wins (0-4).
Saint Joseph's [17-10 (14-2), RPI: 78, SOS: 105] Hawks clinched overall A-10 regular-season crown with strong W at GW, but loss to awful Rhode Island team probably eliminated any at-large talk. A-10 pretty likely to be a one-bid league.
George Washington [19-7 (11-5), RPI: 80, SOS: 195] Walked over Rhode Island, but may be too little, too late after getting pounded at Xavier and by Saint Joe's.
New Mexico [22-6 (10-4), RPI: 87, SOS: 298] Rolled past Colorado State to keep dream alive. Lobos are 22-3 with star Danny Granger healthy, and one of those was to Wake Forest. Beat Utah for a marquee W. Hideous SOS could be a major issue, but Lobos probably deserve a long look if they make the MWC finals.
Western Michigan [17-10 (11-6), RPI: 89, SOS: 89] Loss to Ball State probably eliminates at-large hopes. Now 6-9 vs. RPI Top 100.
ESPN.com
College hoops at the highest level doesn't get much better than Sunday, when four of the top seven teams in the land lost, including previously perfect Illinois.
That being said, all of those teams are effectively in the NCAA Tournament already, so let's talk about who else is trying to get in.
Here is our latest assessment of the projected locks and bubble teams through games on March 6. If a conference isn't represented, it means it's likely a one-bid league.
Remember, there are 34 at-large bids available. Right now, the big seven conferences appear to have 21 "locks" for at-larges (28 teams in the lock category minus the seven auto bids), and look pretty likely for (at least) an additional six, meaning there are only seven at-large berths available for everyone else (others in those seven conferences and all schools outside).
Records are D-I only. RPI and SOS are as of March 6.
See ESPN.com's InsideRPI for daily RPI and SOS rankings.
(Note: Bubble Watch will be updated daily through Selection Sunday)
Atlantic Coast Conference
Work left to do: Maryland, Georgia Tech, Miami, N.C. State, Virginia Tech
We now have official bubble trouble. Terps look to be in major danger after loss at Va. Tech. Ga. Tech did what it needed to, barely. NC State missed a golden chance vs. Wake. Miami may be done after getting ambushed at Duke to finish under .500. Hokies get to .500, but profile still lacking.
Georgia Tech [17-10 (8-8), RPI: 38, SOS: 20] Staved off Clemson late to get to .500 for the ACC season. Maryland's loss definitely helps, but GT resume still very suspect. Best non-conference win is probably Air Force and, outside of Wake, other seven ACC wins are Miami (twice), FSU (twice), Clemson (twice) and Virginia. Got huge break when Wake beat NC State on Sunday night. Jackets avoid 6-seed (read: opening-round game and then Duke in quarters) and instead get Virginia Tech. NCAA eliminator for both? We'll see.
Maryland [16-11 (7-9), RPI: 49, SOS: 8] Terps in very big trouble now after loss in Blacksburg capped three-game slide to close regular season. Maryland fell to the 8-seed in the ACC tourney, meaning an opening-round game vs. Clemson and then Carolina in the quarters on no rest. Terps may very well need to win that game to get in.
Miami [16-11 (7-9), RPI: 56, SOS: 13] Canes blasted at Duke after crippling home loss to GT. Don't think 7-9 in the ACC will get it done, not with 0-5 mark vs. RPI Top 25. First step in postseason -- Virginia in the ACC's opening round.
NC State [17-12 (7-9), RPI: 88, SOS: 107] Let late lead get away and lost to Wake on amazing coast-to-coast buzzer beater by Chris Paul, which dumped State to 7-seed. Pack in serious at-large trouble. The loss forced them into an opening-rounder vs. feisty Florida State and, if they advance, they now get Wake again in the ACC quarters. Injury woes can be factored in but still won't cover the ground between Pack and a bid right now.
Virginia Tech [15-12 (8-8), RPI: 116, SOS: 119] RPI should improve off of Terps win, but still can't see it. Nonetheless, how can you leave a .500 ACC team off the watch? Kudos to Seth Greenberg for a great job this season. We'll see what the ACC tourney brings -- Hokies open with Georgia Tech.
Locks
North Carolina
Wake Forest
Duke
Big East
Work left to do: Notre Dame, West Virginia, Georgetown
This was moving day in the Big East ... and all the bubble teams moved away from bids. WVU fell at Seton Hall and G'town dropped its fifth straight, at home to Provy. Biggest comparative beneficiary? Notre Dame, despite the home loss to Pittsburgh and the bad home loss to UCLA.
West Virginia [18-9 (8-8), RPI: 65, SOS: 131] Crushing loss to Seton Hall really puts Mountaineers in tough bind. Still have six wins in last eight, including sweep of Pittsburgh, but 0-5 vs. RPI Top 25 is a problem. 3-0 vs RPI 26-50.
Notre Dame [17-10 (9-7), RPI: 75, SOS: 70] Didn't get it done at home vs. Pittsburgh, which gives Irish two late home losses for the committee to chew on. 9-7 Big East record a plus, but can't feel safe with very shaky RPI. Irish are the consummate high-major bubble team.
Georgetown [16-11 (8-8), RPI: 92, SOS: 79] Late-season collapse completed with devastating home loss to Providence. With five straight L's to close regular season and profile weakening rapidly, very well might have to win the Big East tourney now to get in.
Locks
Syracuse
Boston College
Pittsburgh
UConn
Villanova
Big 12
Work left to do: Texas A&M, Iowa State
Texas makes it five in the lock column for the Big 12 after ending OK State's home win streak. Can the league get six?
Iowa State [17-10 (9-7), RPI: 62, SOS: 88] Got crucial win at Colorado to back up crushing of Mizzou. 4-3 vs RPI Top 50 a plus. Another team right on the bubble -- suspect RPI but some great W's.
Texas A&M [17-8 (8-8), RPI: 67, SOS: 125] Got necessary win over Baylor but still probably needs a couple rounds in Big 12 tourney. A&M staff screaming about midstream RPI change that is going to hurt Aggies' chances (with powder puff nonconf schedule planned in advance).
Locks
Kansas
Oklahoma State
Oklahoma
Texas Tech
Texas Tech
Big Ten
Work left to do: Minnesota, Indiana
Four bids look almost certain with Gophers' 10 league wins. Does IU's 10 make it five? Hoosiers have one of the most interesting profiles in the country. How about surging Iowa? Back in the mix.
(Note: Ohio State is ineligible for this year's NCAA Tournament.)
Minnesota [20-9 (10-6), RPI: 46, SOS: 72] In typical fashion, Gophers hold off Penn State for possible bid-clinching W. 10-6 in league is probably enough for a bid, barring some disaster scenario during Championship Week (read: bad first-round loss and lots of small school upsets).
Iowa [19-10 (7-9), RPI: 51, SOS: 57] Look who's back in the mix after three straight W's to close the regular season. Yes, Hawkeyes finished under .500 in a weaker Big Ten, but they have a host of big non-conference wins (Louisville-N, Texas-N, Texas Tech-N, Iowa State, Northern Iowa, Air Force) to fall back on. May have played Illinois tougher than anyone (twice).
Indiana [15-12 (10-6), RPI: 66, SOS: 18) Ripped N'western to finish with 10 league wins after just missing at Wisconsin. Will buzzer-beater L's vs. Charlotte and Badgers send IU to NIT? Definitely looks NCAA-worthy on recent form, and history shows 10 Big Ten wins virtually a 100 percent lock for a bid. Very interesting Big Ten tourney opener against Minnesota on tap. Win that and how can you keep IU out?
Locks
Illinois
Michigan State
Wisconsin
Conference USA
Work left to do: DePaul, Marquette, Houston, TCU, UAB, Memphis
C-USA picture clearing up some. Marquette and Houston in critical condition. TCU falls off after losing at last-place So. Miss.
DePaul [18-9 (10-6), RPI: 58, SOS: 102] Close but no cigar in RPI-damaging home loss to L'ville, which leaves Blue Demons sweating more than a little. Definitely don't want to go out in C-USA tourney opener.
UAB [20-9 (10-6), RPI: 64, SOS: 147] Got all four to close season after edging Cougars in Houston. Computer profile still fairly weak -- just 1-4 vs RPI Top 50 -- but 10 wins in a good league is solid.
Houston [18-12 (9-7), RPI: 83, SOS: 94] Home loss to UAB plus 21-point loss at hobbled Marquette equals at-large doom. Like Marquette, probably needs to win C-USA tourney to get in.
Marquette [18-10 (7-9), RPI: 84, SOS: 3] Hideous 39-point effort in home loss to bottom-feeder Billikens leaves Golden Eagles with almost no chance for an at-large.
Locks
Louisville
Cincinnati
Charlotte
Pac-10
Work left to do: Arizona State
Basically no bubble left in the Pac-10. Stanford moves into lock status after dumping Washington at home. So does UCLA after weekend sweep of Oregon schools got it to 11-7 in league play. Arizona State's at-large hopes are basically dead after loss to Arizona.
Arizona State [18-12 (7-11), RPI: 63, SOS: 103] Getting swept in Washington and losing at home to Arizona basically sealed NIT fate without an auto bid. Sun Devils end up behind an Oregon State team that went winless on the road in league play.
Locks
Arizona
Washington
Washington
Washington
SEC
Work left to do: Vanderbilt
Big moving week in SEC. We're going to move Florida and LSU into the locks and reinsert Mississippi State there as well after three-win week gets Bulldogs to 9-6 in league with sub-30 RPI. South Carolina falls off after two more losses, leaving only Vandy on the bubble.
Vanderbilt [18-12 (8-8), RPI: 60, SOS: 34] Loss at LSU basically means the Commodores need to win SEC tourney (or come darn close) to get in. Trip to finals leaves room for discussion.
Locks
Kentucky
Alabama
Miss. State
Florida
LSU
Other at-large contenders
Teams that should be in: Gonzaga, Pacific, Southern Illinois, Utah, Nevada Work left to do: Wichita State, Vermont, Miami (OH), St. Mary's, Old Dominion, Holy Cross, Akron, Buffalo, Northern Iowa, Davidson, UTEP, Wis.-Milwaukee, George Washington, Saint Joseph's, New Mexico
Southern Illinois still in despite surprising semis loss to SMS in MVC. Am really tempted to add St. Mary's to the lock list, but will wait until WCC semis win to be sure. Miami (OH) making things very hard on itself. Any Ark.-Little Rock hopes extinguished by Sun Belt tourney loss.
Vermont [23-6 (16-2), RPI: 23, SOS: 96] Downed early-round host Binghamton to bring the conference finals vs. Northeastern back to Burlington. RPI remains bulletproof because of unbeaten home record, but have a hard time seeing committee giving at-large to low-major-conference team that lost three of last six heading into the postseason. Seems unfair. This team can play. Now 3-3 vs RPI Top 50 with Northeastern sneaking in.
Miami (OH) [17-9 (12-6), RPI: 27, SOS: 52] Blew clincher for outright MAC title with awful loss at last-place Marshall, but still got solo title when every 11-6 team lost. Still, at-large status now much more murky. Has great RPI and solid record against RPI Top 50 win.
St. Mary's [22-7 (11-3), RPI: 31, SOS: 117] Won out to get to 11-3 in the WCC, which should be enough. They get a bye into the WCC semifinals. A win there makes them a lock. Even a loss and this team should be in.
Northern Iowa [20-10 (11-7), RPI: 34, SOS: 47] Despite very solid computer profile, Panthers almost certainly saw at-large dreams extinguished by surprising MVC quarterfinals loss to SMS. Very little way they can got a nod ahead of So. Illinois, Creighton and WSU now, and MVC's not getting four bids.
Buffalo [19-8 (11-7), RPI: 35, SOS: 101] Big win over Akron and losses by Miami (OH) and W. Michigan put Bulls back in the mix. Whopping 7-8 vs. RPI Top 100.
Wichita State [20-9 (12-6), RPI: 37, SOS: 104] Went down in MVC semis to Creighton and now will have a very long wait this week. Finished ahead of Northern Iowa and also went farther in conference tourney, so should be ahead of Panthers. Lost three times to Creighton, so probably third in MVC pecking order. Lost five of last six to close regular season.
Kent State [17-11 (11-7), RPI: 39, SOS: 32] Pounded Ohio to join about 20 other teams at 11-7 in MAC. 25-point loss at Miami (OH) still lingers. Still have better SOS than Akron (season sweep) or Buffalo (split series). Only 6-11 vs. RPI Top 100.
Old Dominion [25-5 (15-3), RPI: 40, SOS: 229] Rallied from nine down at half to cruise past Hofstra and into CAA finals vs. VCU. Profile is still strong -- only 1-0 vs RPI Top 50 but an impressive 8-3 vs. RPI 51-100. Monarchs should get a bid either way, but who knows...
Akron [17-9 (11-7), RPI: 41, SOS: 73] Smoked at Buffalo with a chance to get share of league title. Akron's still 6-6 vs. RPI Top 100.
Holy Cross [24-5 (13-1), RPI: 45, SOS: 204] Barely escaped Lehigh but moves on to host Patriot finals against Bucknell. 1-3 vs RPI Top 50 and 21 wins outside RPI Top 100 probably mean tourney title is needed, despite good RPI.
UTEP [22-7 (14-4), RPI: 48, SOS: 151] Two non-DI wins hurt resume. Got some more wins to close out regular-season. Could NCAA neg a 24-win second-place team from the WAC? Doesn't seem fair.
Wis.-Milwaukee [21-5 (14-2), RPI: 52, SOS: 226] Easy semifinal W for Horizon League regular-season champs. Upheaval ahead of them opened the at-large door a crack, but still rather unlikely with very weak SOS and a whole mess of teams ahead of them. Better beat Detroit for auto bid.
Creighton [22-10 (11-7), RPI: 53, SOS: 86] Got third win of year over Wichita State, which is huge. Bluejays got break, sort of, with So. Illinois losing. Probably an easier foe for the auto bid, but a loss to SMS will send an unexpected team through and won't look as good as a loss to the Salukis would have. 5-3 vs. RPI Top 50 (all wins in MVC).
Ohio [17-10 (11-7), RPI: 54, SOS: 100]: Blistered by Kent State with MAC regular-season title share on the line. Have swept Buffalo and split with Miami (OH) (won by four, lost by two). Was swept by Akron, so may need to finish ahead of the Zips. Impressive 8-5 vs. RPI Top 100.
Davidson [18-8 (16-0), RPI: 61, SOS: 110] This year's poster child for not having conference tourneys. A perfect 16-0 in SoCon regular season and bounced in tourney semis by UNC Greensboro. On list now in memorium -- no chance for an at-large bid. No RPI Top 100 wins (0-4).
Saint Joseph's [17-10 (14-2), RPI: 78, SOS: 105] Hawks clinched overall A-10 regular-season crown with strong W at GW, but loss to awful Rhode Island team probably eliminated any at-large talk. A-10 pretty likely to be a one-bid league.
George Washington [19-7 (11-5), RPI: 80, SOS: 195] Walked over Rhode Island, but may be too little, too late after getting pounded at Xavier and by Saint Joe's.
New Mexico [22-6 (10-4), RPI: 87, SOS: 298] Rolled past Colorado State to keep dream alive. Lobos are 22-3 with star Danny Granger healthy, and one of those was to Wake Forest. Beat Utah for a marquee W. Hideous SOS could be a major issue, but Lobos probably deserve a long look if they make the MWC finals.
Western Michigan [17-10 (11-6), RPI: 89, SOS: 89] Loss to Ball State probably eliminates at-large hopes. Now 6-9 vs. RPI Top 100.
arty:
