While the month of February is winding down, the race to March is eating up in college basketball.
With plenty of teams looking like they are comfortably in the field of 68 for the NCAA Tournament, some teams on the edge are looking to theoretically punch their tickets to the dance.
Updated NCAA Tournament Projections: Who’s In?
Starting with teams that look bound for March, Champaign, Illinois, is a great place to start.
The Illini are coming off an impressive 20-point win at Iowa on Tuesday night. With an overall record of 18-11 (10-8 in conference), Brad Underwood’s team is trending in the right direction. With ranked wins over Wisconsin and Missouri, Illinois is in a good spot but must continue to win the games that they are supposed to win.
Another team that could be in, especially if they continue to win the games that they need to win, is Xavier. While the Musketeers are 18-10 overall (10-8 in conference play), they have key Big East wins over Marquette and UConn, and they have played St. John’s tough, too. Sean Miller’s team is still in good shape despite losing three of their last five games.
Other bubble teams that look like they could be in the field of 68 as of now include West Virginia, Indiana, and Nebraska.
Who’s Out?
Those teams above that could be in as of now have made way for a few teams to be sitting outside of the dance.
Starting with the North Carolina Tar Heels, Hubert Davis has led his team to four consecutive wins. With the team from Chapel Hill playing well, they are by no means a lock at this point.
Yes, they are 18-11 overall (11-6 in conference), but they don’t have any ranked wins. Lucky for the Tar Heels and their fans, they will have a chance to pick up a ranked win against Duke at home to end the regular season.
KEEP READING: College Basketball Upset Alert
Another team currently outside the tournament picture is Texas. The Longhorns are just 5-9 in Big 12 play and 16-11 overall, which is not the most tournament-ready record. While they do have three ranked wins, Rodney Terry’s team needs to continue to add wins to the pile, or they won’t be going anywhere.
Baylor, Ohio State, and Oklahoma are the other teams that do not appear to be in the dance as of now.
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