Wednesday Night Bubble Results

Wednesday Night Bubble Results

Winners

Ohio State- The Buckeyes won at Penn State  and avoided their first bad loss of the season. Ohio State's resume surprisingly lacks quality wins and is not as good as some may think. Their lone Top 50 win is against Maryland. However, with no bad losses and a regular season finale against Wisconsin remaining, the most bad losses the Buckeyes could have is maybe one from the Big Ten tournament. This means the Buckeyes are now a lock to make the NCAA tournament.

Richmond- The Spiders are a long shot. However, there is a slight chance if things fall in their favor that the Spiders could sneak in. They took care of business on the road at UMass picking up another Top 100 win. Richmond has a lot of work to do and will likely need to win out until the A-10 Finals to have a realistic chance at an at-large bid.

Miami (FL)- The Canes won a must win game on the road at fellow bubbler Pittsburgh. Miami (FL) has been hard to figure out all season and have the most bizarre profile of any bubble team this season. The Canes end their regular season with a trap game at Virginia Tech, which is a no win situation. They must win this game and do some damage in the ACC tournament to increase their not so good odds of dancing that they currently have.

Michigan State- The Spartans avoided losing their third straight and defeated Purdue. The odds are good that the Spartans will be in, but it is not a sure thing yet. With only two Top 50 wins and a couple of bad losses, Sparty does not need to chance anything.  They travel to a reeling Indiana team that is starving for a win. To erase any doubt, one more win will be enough.

Oklahoma State- The Cowboys beat the Horned Frogs preventing a bad home loss. Ok State is in pretty good shape with a high quantity of Top 50 wins. They visit West Virginia on Saturday. A win there will lock them up for good. A loss there and a loss in their first game of the Big 12 tourney could put them in a dicey spot. It is recommended to win one more game to breathe easy on Selection Sunday.

Cincinnati- The Bearcats had struggled down the stretch, but came out with a huge win on the road at AAC leader Tulsa. This gives the Bearcats six Top 50 wins, which is a great number for a bubble team. Memphis comes to town Saturday and then the AAC tourney follows. Two more wins should be enough to secure a bid. If not, Cincy fans may be sweating it out.

St. John's- The Red Storm won at Marquette and likely have punched their ticket to the dance. They will likely be the 5 seed in the Big East Tournament, which will only give them more opportunities to enhance their resume and not pick up any questionable losses. The Red Storm are now in the safety zone.

UCLA- The Bruins beat their rivals, USC, in a game they could not afford to lose. UCLA will likely be sweating it out on Selection Sunday unless they win the Pac-12 tourney. Up next is the Pac-12 quarterfinals where they will likely face Stanford. That game is a must win for the Bruins.

Colorado State- The Rams took care of business on the road against Nevada. Up next: on the road at Utah State. Stew Morrill is retiring at the end of the season, which means this could be his final game at the Smith Spectrum. The Rams need to win this game.

Oregon- The Ducks won their 5th straight last night defeating rival Oregon State in Corvallis. The Ducks should be in regardless of what they do in the conference tourney. A quarterfinal win will lock them in for good as they Ducks have a chance to enhance their seed in the Pac-12 tourney.

Boise State- The Broncos kept San Jose State winless against Division 1 teams last night. Fresno State is up next. Win and the Broncos will be the 1 seed in the Mountain West Tourney. They likely need to reach the conference championship, since they likely won't face San Diego State or Colorado State til the Championship. Losing to anyone else will give them another bad loss.

Illinois- The Illini kept their tourney hopes alive defeating the Cornhuskers. They now head to Purdue for a bubble showdown. Both teams can enhance their resume with the win. A win will put the Illini in better position. Regardless, they will need to do some work in the Big Ten Tourney.

Bubble Losers

LSU- The Tigers suffered a bad home loss to Tennessee and now head to Arkansas for the season finale. If they lose to Arkansas, they can't afford to lose the first game in the SEC Tourney. Two more losses will have the Bayou Bengals sweating on Selection Sunday. Win at Arkansas and the Tigers will likely be safe.

Purdue- The Boilermakers lose their 2nd straight game, this time to the Spartans. Purdue now hosts Illinois in a huge Big Ten Bubble Showdown. A win is needed to stay on the right side of the bubble.

Pittsburgh- In the ACC Bubble Showdown, the Canes went in to Pittsburgh and beat the Panthers. Pitt ends the season at Florida State and can't afford to pick up another bad loss. With no margin of error left, the Panthers need to beat FSU and make a run in the ACC Tourney to have a chance. Another bad loss will likely send this team packing for the NIT.

Tulsa- The opportunity for a marquee win not named Temple was there, and the Golden Hurricane swung and missed. They now head to SMU where a win is needed. A win will land Tulsa the AAC regular season championship. If they lose, Tulsa will probably need to at least reach the AAC finals.