The NCAA Tournament bubble is as soft as ever this year, a product of the relatively weak resumes of the final teams fighting for at-large bids. It's created a nerve-racking Selection Sunday for many teams as those on the bubble wait for the 2011 NCAA Tournament brackets to be revealed on the NCAA Selection Sunday show at 3 p.m.
USC, St. Mary's and others have been a point of disagreement ahead of Selection Sunday, with bracketologists arguing over who belongs in and who should be out. Check out our roundup of where some of the bubble teams lie as we could down the time to the NCAA Tournament Selection Show.
USC: The Trojans are firmly on the bubble after winning their quarterfinal game in the Pac-10 Tournament before falling in the semifinals. USC finished fourth in the Pac-10, behind NCAA Tournament locks Washington, UCLA and Arizona with a record of 19-14, including a 10-8 conference record. Joe Lunardi has the Trojans in, Jerry Palm has them out and SB Nation has USC in as a play-in team.
St. Mary's: Gonzaga prevented St. Mary's from taking the WCC automatic bid with a 75-63 win in the WCC Tournament championship. The loss knocked the Gaels onto the bubble, making for a nervous Selection Sunday for St. Mary's fans. Joe Lunardi has the Gaels in as a play-in team, SB Nation also has St. Mary's in as a play-in team and Jerry Palm agrees with both. It's not idea for the Gaels, but at least many of the bracketologists agree.
Harvard: In the Ivy League one-game playoff, Harvard captured the hearts of America while sliding onto the bubble, as well. The Crimson came just inches from taking the Ivy's automatic bid, falling to Princeton on a last-second shot. With that shot, any chance of an NCAA Tournament bid appears to have gone out the window as Harvard is listed among the bubble teams, but is not in any of the bracket projections out there. Close, but not quite for the Crimson, who appear to be headed for the NIT.
Selection Sunday kicks off at 3 p.m. on CBS as the NCAA Tournament bracket is revealed to the world. Check back with our Selection Sunday StoryStream for the latest leading up to, and throughout, the show.