With conference tournaments getting underway and the NCAA Tournament around the corner, plenty of college basketball teams are looking to strengthen their tournament portfolios.
Two of those teams are the VCU Rams and the Boise State Broncos. Let’s examine their respective conference tournament paths and resumes.
Bubble Watch: VCU Looks to Pad Its Case
The VCU Rams are currently the top-seeded team in the Atlantic 10 Tournament. They finished the regular season with an overall record of 25-5 (15-2 in conference play). If the season ended today, the Rams would most likely be in the NCAA Tournament, but they’ll need to win at least a couple of tournament bids to secure a bid.
While they have wins this season over well-known teams like Boston College and Miami, they don’t have any significant, ranked wins.
If they want to feel confident about their chances of making March Madness, they should hope to reach at least the semifinals or championship game of the Atlantic 10 Tournament.
Bubble Watch: Where Boise State Sits
Much like VCU, the Boise State Broncos could be a possible First Four team or a 12-seed, which means they are firmly on the bubble.
Sitting at an overall record of 22-8 (14-5 in conference play), the Broncos are in fourth place in the Mountain West. Now, they have a top-15 win over the Clemson Tigers and another top-25 win against St. Mary’s.
This team has a chance to make a statement in the Mountain West Tournament if they play complete basketball and shoot well. If they do so, they could strengthen their resume enough before Selection Sunday to get a bid.
Each Team’s Plan of Action
Both of these teams must first be given access to the NCAA Tournament field in order to make it deep into March.
For VCU, they need to make it far into their conference tournament to prove that they are a capable team that can string wins together in a major tournament.
MORE POTENTIAL CINDERELLAS: UC San Diego’s Fairytale Run — How a Former D-II Team Became a March Madness Threat
For the Boise State Broncos, they need to try and do the same in the Mountain West Tournament.
They need to back up those key earlier-season wins with strong performances ahead of Selection Sunday on March 16.
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