Got Any Gum?

Bubble gum, that is.

Over the next few weeks as we march toward... March... Madness (damn it) we will be reviewing and evaluating some potential suitors for miss Cinderella's big ol' ball.  Which teams will make it, which teams will not, which teams give Doug Gottlieb the biggest boner, it's all here, folks!  And away we go:

1. Cal (18-9)

The Golden Bears have had a pretty mediocre season, but considering how pathetic the PAC-10 is, this mediocrity has somehow managed to separate them from their squalor-relegated opponents.  To be honest, the PAC-10 should only be sending one team to the Dance this year and Cal has done just enough to keep themselves in the hunt.  However, with ugly losses to both Arizona (13-13) and Oregon State (12-14), and no big wins against non-conference opponents, Cal cannot afford another loss, whether it be over the next week or in the PAC-10 tournament.

Verdict: In.  A trip to the PAC-10 final probably gets them in (along with their opponent), but a first round exit is a strong possibility either way.


2. Oklahoma State (19-8)

After starting the season with an 11-1 record, the Cowboys have been steadily unimpressive since going 8-7 in their next 15 games.  Not exactly the momentum that the selection committee is looking for.  With key wins over Baylor, Texas A&M, and K State, the Cowboys have certainly demonstrated how competitive they can be, but with losses to URI, Oklahoma, and Tulsa, it could be pretty easy to bounce this team from consideration, especially without a strong showing in the Big 12 tourament

Verdict: In.  But only because the Big 12 catches routine blowies from the committee.

3. UAB (22-5)

With conference like, I don't know, the PAC-10 looking downright dismissible at the moment, other, potentially "lesser" conferences could reap the benefits.  Conferences such as, the Conference of the United States of America: the second most patriotic conference in college basketball (The Patriot League ranks #1 in that department).  And if C-USA gets multiple teams on the dancefloor than UAB could very well be getting down come mid-March.  While the Blazers have had very little success against the better teams in the conference (UTEP, Memphis and Marshall), they have been utterly dominant against the weaker teams in their conference and out-of-conference (Georgia, Cincinnati, and Middle Tenn.).  But the big feather in the Blazers' cap has to be their victory over Butler. In fact, Butler hasn't lost since.

Verdict: In.  C-USA gets 4 teams in this year.  UAB being one of them.

4. URI (20-6)

Another conference hoping to reap the benefits of a lackluster performance by the Majors is the Atlantic 10.  While the Rams record looks impressive on paper, it must be noted that they are currently 6th in the A-10, which isn't all that impressive.  URI has gone out of conference and won a few impressive games (BC, OK St., and Providence), but they have been utterly useless against any decent teams in their own conference (losses to Temple (2), Richmond, SLU, and Xavier), which is not a great feature to post on your resume.

Verdict: Out.  Unless they win the A-10 tournament

Weekly Big East Gut Check!

5. Marquette (18-9)

The Golden Eagles might be the most frustrating team in the Big East... That is if UCONN were not in the Big East.  But side from that obvious anomaly, the Golden Eagles have had very few bad losses (two actually: Depaul and NC St.), that is if you do not consider close/blown games as bad losses.  And if you remove the loss to Wisconsin (#19), Marquette has lost 8 games by a total of 23 points.  Meaning, they're losing to teams like Villanova, West Virginia, and Syracuse by 3 points or less.  With one big win over Georgetown and another potentially big win over UCONN, Marquette is teetering on the edge of NIT-dom.

Verdict: In.  We're talking Big East here, folks.  But, if they lose to South Florida in their first game of the Big East tournament, then kiss their chances goodbye.