Selection Sunday is just a few weeks away, and numerous bubble teams around the country are looking for ways to improve their NCAA Tournament resume as the regular season winds down. Here are three teams that we believe will do enough to punch their ticket to the Big Dance:
UCLA Bruins
The Bruins only have one win over a ranked team all season (over Utah 69-59 on Jan. 29), and their struggles in conference play have put them firmly on the bubble. Close losses to Gonzaga and Arizona have boosted their profile to No. 47 in the RPI, but they still need something to get them completely over the hump.
UCLA finishes the regular season with three very winnable home games against Washington, Washington State, and USC. Assuming they take care of business, they'll hold firm while other bubble teams inevitably lose and fall off the bubble. Plus, it's hard to imagine UCLA will be left out of the field if they're on the bubble because of their prestige.
NC State Wolfpack
NC State has only won three of their last eight games, but big wins over Duke and Louisville have boosted their RPI to No. 48. The Wolfpack have also missed out on three other opportunities for big wins, losing to UNC, Virginia, and Notre Dame by a combined nine points. They have three of their last four games on the road, but they're only underdogs against North Carolina in Chapel Hill.
NC State has already done enough to be in as long as they don't lose to another unranked team the rest of the way. If they do happen to lose, they'll need another win over a ranked team - something they'll have plenty of opportunities to do in the ACC Tournament - to secure a bid.
Boise State Broncos
Boise State is on the outside looking in because of a four-game losing streak at the start of conference play, but they've won 10 of their last 11 games and are playing as well as anyone in the Mountain West.
The Broncos will face No. 24 San Diego State on the road on February 28, and if they can pull the upset, they'll be in the tournament. However, if they lose, they'll need to win the conference tournament - something this team is very capable of given their recent surge.
Their RPI (No. 43) is higher than the other teams on this list - their resume is just missing a big win, and they'll get that over the next few weeks.
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