Mid-majors aim to make final statements for NCAA selection committee ahead of league tournaments

By Canadian Press on February 24, 2025.

There are a handful of teams from mid-majors that could make life very stressful for programs from the power conferences come Selection Sunday, especially if they fail to win the automatic NCAA Tournament berth in their own league tourneys.

New Mexico and Utah State are nearly locks from the Mountain West, but San Diego State, Boise State and Colorado State are likewise clinging to NCAA aspirations. The Aztecs can help their cause against New Mexico on Tuesday night, the Broncos face Utah State on Wednesday night and Colorado State plays Utah State and Boise State down the stretch.

Boise State ranked 46th in the NET, the Aztecs were at 49 and the Rams were 61st on Monday.

VCU and George Mason could both squeeze into the NCAA tourney if they stumble in the Atlantic 10 Conference Tournament. The Rams beat the Patriots last week for their sixth straight win, one that ended George Mason’s 11-game winning streak. But if those two end up vying for one at-large spot, the Rams are in better shape according to analytics rankings by KenPom, Bart Torvik and Evan Miyakawa.

Then there’s the Big West, which hasn’t had two teams make the NCAA Tournament since Long Beach State and New Mexico State in 1993. But should UC San Diego, at 24-4 overall with a win at Utah State in December, falter in its league tournament, the Tritons just might give the Big West two representatives again — and steal a bid from someone else.

Bubble watch

Vanderbilt at No. 12 Texas A&M, Wednesday. The Commodores (18-9, 6-8 SEC, No. 43 NET) also play No. 14 Missouri on Saturday, which means they have two big chances this week to help their at-large case.

Oklahoma vs No. 17 Kentucky, Wednesday. The Sooners (17-10, 4-10 SEC, No. 51 NET) desperately needed their win over No. 24 Mississippi State on Saturday to snap a five-game skid. Now, they have a chance at back-to-back ranked wins.

West Virginia at No. 25 BYU, Saturday. The Mountaineers (16-11, 7-9 Big 12, No. 48 NET) need to get by TCU on Tuesday night before a big one against the red-hot Cougars that could decide their at-large fate.

Conference watch

Selection Sunday could have a lot to say about what the NCAA Tournament committee thinks of the ACC. No. 2 Duke, No. 13 Clemson and No. 19 Louisville are locks to make the field, but three more schools — Wake Forest and North Carolina and SMU — are teetering on the bubble. Those three are a combined 3-21 against Quad 1 opponents this season.

Key ratings

Georgia: The Bulldogs (No. 41 NET) have lost four straight and are 2-11 against Quad 1 opponents. But they could give their fading NCAA hopes a big lift by beating third-ranked Florida on Tuesday night.

Drake: The next set of Bulldogs (No. 58 NET) have won 13 of their last 14 games with only Evansville and Missouri State left in the regular season. Win both and Drake may not need to win the Missouri Valley tourney.

Yale: The final set of Bulldogs (No. 68 NET) are 11-0 in the Ivy League and hold the nation’s longest winning streak at 12 games heading to Dartmouth on Friday night. But early losses to UIC, Delaware and Rhode Island almost certainly dashed any at-large hopes.

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Dave Skretta, The Associated Press

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