SI.com's Stewart Mandel gives the lowdown on who's in and who's out.
Consider Kyle Korver and Creighton a lock for the NCAAS. AP
The first-ever “Bracket Buster Saturday” was designed to help mid-majors improve their cases for the selection committee, and many teams did just that. The problem is, for most, it’s probably still not enough.
Here now, a look at several mid-majors with at-large aspirations and where they stand:
Creighton (24-3): With their 67-66 win over Fresno State, the Bluejays jumped to No. 34 in the RPI rankings and have pretty much assured they’ll be in no matter what. Which is good, because they still have to visit Missouri Valley co-leader Southern Illinois.
Butler (21-4): The Bulldogs sit in much the same position as last season, sporting a pretty record and nice RPI (39) but no marquee victories to speak of. As of now, at a half-game behind Wisconsin-Milwaukee in the Horizon, they get the last at-large berth in the field.
Gonzaga (20-7): The ‘Zags were sitting pretty before two bad losses this month to Loyola-Marymount and Portland. They should be all right but might want to go ahead and win that WCC tourney just in case.
Southern Illinois (19-5): Even with their 66-64 win over fellow bubble occupant Wisconsin-Milwaukee, the Salukis’ RPI is only 55 and they have no top 50 victories to date. Southern must win its rematch with Creighton to have a chance.
Hawaii (15-8): The Warriors boast impressive wins over Butler, Fresno State and at Kent State in Saturday’s event. But their 7-7 conference record and No. 79 RPI would keep them out as of now. Fortunately, their tough league will provide several more opportunities to improve.
Wisconsin-Milwaukee (21-6), Central Michigan (18-5), Kent State (18-6): Will probably have to win their conference tournaments.
Seeding the 65
No.
East
Midwest
South
West
1
Kentucky
Oklahoma
Florida
Arizona
2
Duke
Notre Dame
Texas
Marquette
3
Oklahoma St.
Wake Forest
Louisville
Kansas
4
Pittsburgh
Xavier
Stanford
Syracuse
5
Illinois
Georgia
Maryland
Utah
6
California
Wisconsin
Creighton
Mississippi St.
7
Connecticut
Alabama
Dayton
Purdue
8
Memphis
Cincinnati
BYU
Auburn
9
Oregon
Arizona St.
Missouri
St. Joe’s
10
Minnesota
Colorado
Indiana
Gonzaga
11
Tennessee
Wyoming
Seton Hall
Boston College
12
UW-Milwaukee
C. Michigan
Weber State
Butler
13
Manhattan
Penn
La.-Lafayette
Fresno State
14
Holy Cross
Valparaiso
UNC Wilmington
C. of Charleston
15
Wagner
Troy State
Sam Houston
UC Irvine
16
S.C. State/ Miss. Valley St.
Winthrop
Boston
Morehead St.
Compiled as if Selection Sunday was Feb. 23. Teams are not matched to locations.
If Selection Sunday were today: 3 Duke, Wake Forest, Maryland Virginia and N.C. State continue to head in the wrong direction. Oh, and you UNC fans, in light of that Maryland game, it’s time to stop complaining about your exclusion from this list. It’s not the NIT Bubble Watch.
Atlantic 10
Locks
On Bubble
Xavier (20-4)
St. Joe's (19-4)
Dayton (19-5)
Rhode Island (15-9)
If Selection Sunday were today: 3 Xavier, Dayton, St. Joe's With its sweep of Dayton and 11-game winning streak, Xavier is steadily improving its seeding.
Boston College (14-9)
Villanova (14-10)
Seton Hall (13-9)
If Selection Sunday were today: 6 Notre Dame, Pittsburgh, Syracuse, Connecticut, Boston College, Seton Hall BC and Seton Hall have shaky credentials at best but they're coming on strong, the Pirates winning eight of their last 10, the Eagles seven of 10. Villanova hurt itself last week with a loss at Providence.
Big Ten
Locks
On Bubble
Wisconsin (19-6)
Illinois (18-5)
Purdue (16-8)
Minnesota (16-7)
Indiana (16-9)
Michigan State (14-11)
If Selection Sunday were today: 5 Illinois, Wisconsin, Purdue, Minnesota, Indiana The Gophers are suddenly 8-4 in the Big Ten and moving closer to wrapping up a bid. Michigan State still has that win at Kentucky on its resume but has dropped three of four and fallen to .500 in-conference.
If Selection Sunday were today: 6 Oklahoma State, Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas, Missouri, Colorado The Buffs helped themselves tremendously with yet another big home win, this one over Missouri. The Red Raiders could bolster their case, or fall out of the mix entirely, with their next three games: Oklahoma State, Texas and Kansas.
Conference USA
Locks
On Bubble
Marquette (20-4)
Louisville (19-4)
Memphis (18-5)
Cincinnati (15-8)
UAB (15-8)
DePaul (14-9)
If Selection Sunday were today: 4 Louisville, Marquette, Cincinnati, Memphis Memphis and Cincinnati both helped themselves tremendously with wins over Louisville last week, though the Bearcats countered it with a home loss to St. Louis. DePaul is still on the outside looking in. Don’t be fooled by UAB’s record -- they’re 126th in the RPI.
If Selection Sunday were today: 2 Butler, Wisconsin-Milwaukee In reality, this will probably be a one-team league, especially if Butler beats Wisconsin-Milwaukee in their rematch March 1.
Mountain West
Locks
On Bubble
Utah (20-4)
Wyoming (19-6)
BYU (18-6)
UNLV (16-8)
Colorado State (14-11)
If Selection Sunday were today: 3 Utah, BYU, Wyoming Why is BYU not yet a lock? First, it must get through a three-game road swing to Utah, Air Force and New Mexico. Meanwhile, Wyoming is starting to distance itself from UNLV.
Pac-10
Locks
On Bubble
Arizona (21-2)
Stanford (21-6)
California (19-5)
Oregon (18-7)
Arizona State (17-8)
If Selection Sunday were today: 5 Arizona, Stanford, California, Oregon, Arizona State Oregon can’t afford to be losing to Washington if it wants to wrap this thing up. Arizona State can do just that if it sweeps the L.A. teams at home this weekend.
If Selection Sunday were today: 7 Florida, Kentucky, Auburn, Mississippi State, Georgia, Tennessee, Alabama Alabama got a much-needed win at Tennessee on Saturday, stopping the bleeding with its first road win of the season, a good one at that. The Vols, however, are teetering, having lost earlier in the week at South Carolina.
Consider Kyle Korver and Creighton a lock for the NCAAS.
