The college basketball regular season has reached the home stretch. As the NCAA Tournament creeps closer, some teams are clinging to a bid, while others are still hoping to slide into the field of 68.
So, what can these squads do to secure a spot in the dance?
Indiana Hoosiers (15-7, 6-5)
Current Stance: In
Indiana’s football team isn’t the only program seeing success in Bloomington.
After four straight losses, the Hoosiers have won three straight games, including a victory over rival No. 12 Purdue. Despite seven losses, Indiana has a strong case to be in the field, especially since four of those setbacks came against top-12 opponents.
The Hoosiers challenge fellow bubble team USC on Tuesday, a perfect chance to move up in the seeding. However, tough matchups against No. 9 Illinois, No. 12 Purdue again, No. 7 Michigan State and Ohio State await.
Indiana’s season could easily get off track by the end, making it important for the Hoosiers to notch at least one upset to maintain a strong argument.
Texas Longhorns (13-9, 4-5)
Current Stance: Out
Texas has been one of the more difficult teams to track this season.
The Longhorns suffered losses against Arizona State and Mississippi State but also own wins over No. 23 NC State, No. 13 Alabama and No. 10 Vanderbilt. That inconsistency has left them on the wrong side of the bubble, though a path to the tournament remains.
Texas just knocked off Oklahoma, and its next four games feature South Carolina, Ole Miss, Missouri and LSU, all winnable contests. If the Longhorns string along four more victories, they’d be 17-9 entering the final few weeks, with opportunities against No. 19 Florida, Texas A&M and No. 15 Arkansas likely to be the deciding factor.
Texas’ odds may be low, and it’ll be hoping zero mid-major programs steal a bid through conference tournaments, but the path is there.
New Mexico Lobos (18-4, 9-2)
Current Stance: In
The Mountain West has separated itself from other mid-major conferences by putting multiple programs in the tournament recently. New Mexico aims to be one of those teams for the third consecutive year, even with first-year HC Eric Olen.
The Lobos possess a strong 18-4 record and only have one bad loss at New Mexico State. However, this conference can become unpredictable by March, and New Mexico still has dates with Grand Canyon, San Diego State and Utah State twice.
If the Lobos don’t manage to win at least one or two of those four contests, they could quickly find themselves on the outside looking in, desperate for a run in the MWC Tournament.
Seton Hall Pirates (16-6, 6-5)
Current Stance: Out
For a while, Seton Hall was comfortably in the dance as the Pirates were 14-2 at the start of January.
Since then, they’ve lost four of their last six games, including close ones to No. 2 UConn and St. John’s. Outside of defeating NC State in November, Seton Hall lacks signature wins.
The Pirates defeated Marquette on Saturday, and their recipe for getting in the tournament is simple: win the games they’re capable of winning. Getting swept by the Huskies and Red Storm is manageable, but Seton Hall can’t afford being outplayed again by teams such as Butler and DePaul.
If the Pirates do so, they’ll find their way into the dance barring chaos in mid-major conference tournaments.
