Looking at another Mid-Major invasion in NCAA tournament

After Sunday night's first go-through, even with fairly generous standards of inclusion, there were still 10 at-large spots available. Yet, this week's bracket has only six teams from outside the BCS football conferences. And of those six, four are from the Mountain West and Atlantic 10, maybe half a step down in basketball financial commitment but no less ambitious.

That means two at-large spots went to true mid-majors: Saint Mary's (WCC) and William & Mary (CAA).

And here's the kicker: If the real bracket in March is anything like this, it's the mid-majors' fault.

Yes, it's well documented that mids get hosed in scheduling, but they also know the two parts of their side of the bargain: Take your shots when you do get them, and don't blow stupid games elsewhere. Now look at what some of the peripheral at-large candidates from mid-major leagues have done:

• Old Dominion: Won at Georgetown, but lost to Missouri, Mississippi State, Richmond and Dayton.

• Wichita State: Beat Texas Tech, but played a soft schedule, lost to Pitt and has dropped three games to teams that are currently 5-4 in Valley play.

• Tulsa: Pounded Oklahoma State, but lost to Missouri State, Nebraska and Nevada.

• Harvard: Beat William & Mary and Boston College, but missed at UConn and Georgetown, and lost at Army.

Even some of the teams positioned for automatic bids, like UAB, Cornell, Louisiana Tech and Siena, could be questionable at best if they don't win their league tournaments (or, in Cornell's case, outlast Harvard in the Ivy's round-robin), in large part because they missed on their biggest nonleague chances.

With the pool of mediocrity around the bubble, this should have been the year mids reversed the recent trend and grabbed a larger piece of the at-large pie. Now, unless strong favorites like Gonzaga, Butler and Northern Iowa lose in their league tourneys, it probably will be more of the same. It didn't have to be that way, but very few of the mid-majors took care of enough of their own business.

Remember, records listed are Division I only, per NCAA Tournament selection guidelines. All RPI and SOS data are from Sunday's collegerpi.com RPI report.

Send your very valuable feedback to bubblewatch@gmail.com or to @aglock on Twitter. All submissions are read; polite, fact-based ones stand the best chance of a response. Readers who claim their team's record is wrong because they failed to read the previous paragraph will be forced to watch a tape of every one of Oregon State's offensive possessions Thursday at Stanford.

Summary key:

GW: Good wins over top-50ish foes.

BL: Bad losses to teams outside top 100 or to direct bubble competitors.

Locks: Duke

The Blue Devils' bad night at N.C. State moves them further away from the 1-seed line, but they're still a 2 seed at this point. After that, the league's in chaos. Worth noting: the entire conference is in Pomeroy's top 70. It will be interesting to see how many teams get rewarded by the committee for getting wins over comparably good league foes, with very few chances to really impress.

SHOULD BE IN

Nice bounceback for Wake Forest (14-4, 4-2, RPI: 20, SOS: 22), which thumped UNC and then gave Virginia its first league loss. Most of its remaining bigger games are at home, which makes Thursday at Georgia Tech very impactful for both teams. GW: at Gonzaga, Xavier, Richmond, (for now) at UNC. BL: (both weakening) William & Mary, at Miami.

IN THE MIX

Clemson (15-5, 3-3, RPI: 29, SOS: 69) was edged at Georgia Tech and then whiffed at home against Duke, wasting its final chance for a marquee win. Softish next six should help see Tigers safely into the NCAAs, but questions remain. GW: Butler. BL: None, but fell to Texas A&M and Illinois.

For Georgia Tech (14-5, 3-3, RPI: 29, SOS: 33), Thursdays' Wake game is followed by a trip to Duke, so 3-5 is very much in play if the Jackets don't hold serve at home. Split a pair of two-point decisions this week, but getting swept by FSU could matter later. GW: Duke (and Siena?). BL: Nothing horrible, but too many

Florida State (15-4, 3-2, RPI: 47, SOS: 103) finished a sweep of Georgia Tech, which is important because those are FSU's two best wins of the season. Now the 'Noles get a shot at Duke for the marquee win they sorely lack. GW: Marquette (even though everyone edges them). BL: Routed at Florida (and Ohio State).

Should North Carolina (12-7, 1-3, RPI: 71, SOS: 15) even be in this week's bracket? Three straight losses, two at home, looking bad for large chunks of all of them. The Heels snuck in as an 11 seed on the strength of two high-quality nonleague wins and a rough schedule, but with three of their next four on the road before Duke visits, this is quickly becoming danger time. GW: Ohio St. (with Evan Turner), Michigan State BL: at College of Charleston.

Maryland (12-5, 3-1, RPI: 51, SOS: 47) is this week's Virginia, nabbing the automatic bid as the better-RPI'd one-loss team. The Terps' computer numbers look better than the actual profile. This isn't an at-large team right now; the OT loss at Wake could haunt them later. GW: None. BL: None, unless William & Mary continues to slide.

Virginia Tech (15-3, 2-2, RPI: 73, SOS: 232) isn't exactly making loud statements to distract you from its vacant profile. Edging BC at home is better than a loss, but that's about it. Still a good team with a suspect profile. GW: None (Seton Hall? Georgia?). BL: None. (Chance of Seth Greenberg howling when Tech is sent to the NIT after finishing 22-9 (9-7) with no top-50 wins: High.)

N.C. State (13-7, 2-4, RPI: 86, SOS: 83) beat Duke and has a better profile than a couple of other teams here, so despite being two games under in ACC play, the 'Pack edge onto the watch. GW: Duke, Marquette, FSU.BL: None, but way too many to mediocre big-name teams.

Virginia (12-5, 3-1, RPI: 93, SOS: 159) is not the auto-bid team this week and is not really in the at-large picture, either. GW: Georgia Tech, UAB. BL: A bunch to bad BCS-league squads.

Miami's (14-4, 1-4, RPI: 100, SOS: 249) slide continues with a home loss to BC that wraps a season sweep by the Eagles. Schedule now gets nasty, too. 'Canes are in massive trouble. GW: Minnesota. BL: BC (twice).

Locks: Kansas, Texas, Kansas State

Texas' first two losses cost them a No. 1 seed but not its lock status. After the league's top three, things remain very up for grabs.

SHOULD BE IN

None.

IN THE MIX

Missouri (15-4, 3-1, RPI: 45, SOS: 106) handled Nebraska ahead of a national TV shot at Kansas on Monday night. The Tigers could use more marquee wins. K-State is great, but the Tigers' nonleague results (good and bad) are weakening.GW: K-State, at Texas Tech, Old Dominion (neutral). BL: at Oral Roberts (plus at-large rivals Richmond and Vandy, if that matters).

Texas A&M (13-5, 3-2, RPI: 37, SOS: 38) held off Oklahoma and Colorado in less-than-convincing fashion at home. Now Wednesday's trip to Stillwater looks awfully fun. Note: A&M gets Kansas, Texas and Oklahoma State at home all in the final six games. Big wins will be available. GW: Clemson (neutral), Minnesota (neutral).BL: None.

Baylor (13-3, 2-2, RPI: 31, SOS: 100) gave it a go, but fell short at Kansas in the first of its unholy league trilogy. K-State at home and at Texas are next after taking a break to pound a bad UMass team. The Bears still have road games at Texas, A&M, both Oklahoma schools and Texas Tech. Nasty. GW: Xavier (neutral), at Arizona State, Oklahoma State. BL: Nothing egregious.

A week after Oklahoma State (15-4, 3-2, RPI: 28, SOS: 62) made the bracket and then tanked, the Pokes handled improved Colorado and then went into Manhattan and beat K-State. Great win, and very much needed. GW: at K-State.BL: at Tulsa, vs. URI (as both are possible bubble buddies).

Also, back from the dead (for now) is Texas Tech (14-5, 2-3, RPI: 32, SOS: 36), which won home games against Iowa State and Oklahoma that the Red Raiders absolutely had to get. Why (besides the 0-3 league start)? Check out their next eight games: at Texas, at A&M, Oklahoma State, at OU, A&M, at Baylor, Texas and Kansas. Good luck. GW: None (Washington or Oklahoma?).BL: at Wichita State and New Mexico (fellow bubblers).

Oklahoma (11-8, 2-3, RPI: 87, SOS: 50) remains the nation's biggest flop (although a couple other teams are making strong pushes). Very fringe at-large candidate at this point. GW: Oklahoma State, Missouri.BL: San Diego (neutral), Houston (neutral), UTEP (neutral).

Locks: Syracuse, Villanova, Georgetown, West Virginia, Pittsburgh

Feeling generous, we'll leave Pitt here for now, even after Sunday's surprise drop at Seton Hall. The overall profile remains very strong and the schedule looks very likely to get the Panthers to at least 11 Big East wins, which will be plenty with who they have beaten. West Virginia jumps back in after a really impressive nonleague sweep of dangerous in-state rival Marshall (something like 10 of the last 12 in the series have been decided by six points or fewer) and Ohio State after a big second-half rally.

After that? There's plenty of time for a number of teams to slot in as Big East team No. 6.

SHOULD BE IN

None.

IN THE MIX

All Connecticut (13-6, 3-3, RPI: 17, SOS: 1) needed to do was get away from its Hall of Fame head coach to realize its full potential! Easy jokes aside (as Jim Calhoun's health certainly isn't a laughing matter), roaring back to topple Texas after beating St. John's was really big. Now the Huskies have a marquee nonleague W and can get back to business. GW: Texas. BL: at Michigan.

If Cincinnati (13-7, 4-4, RPI: 44, SOS: 25) were a blackjack player, you'd see some wild cash swings because the Bearcats are splitting everything. In bubble land, though, 1-1 weeks keep you in neutral. Providence on Saturday is basically a must-get. The back half of the league slate is brutal. GW: Vandy (neutral), Maryland (neutral).BL: None, but at Seton Hall and St. John's are disappointing, and tough ones to Gonzaga (OT) and Xavier (2OT) could be costly misses.

Louisville (13-7, 4-3, RPI: 48, SOS: 10) broke its three-game slide by topping Cincy at home, but losing at Seton Hall is the latest bite out of the Cardinals' diminishing wiggle room. Simply put, their at-large profile is empty at this point. They are at WVU next and need to start beating someone good. They still have 'Cuse and UConn twice each and Georgetown at home, so the chances will be there. GW: None.BL: Charlotte, Western Carolina (plus at Seton Hall and UNLV, for bubble comparisons).

Notre Dame (14-4, 3-2, RPI: 62, SOS: 111) couldn't handle Syracuse at home. Beating DePaul was a no-win situation. GW: West Virginia.BL: Loyola Marymount, Northwestern (neutral), for bubble purposes.

If Marquette (11-8, 2-5, RPI: 79, SOS: 19) doesn't recover to make the NCAAs, remind me to pick them to win the NIT. The Golden Eagles' luck this season has been insanely bad, with a buzzer-job loss at DePaul (shouldn't have been in that position) and a five-point loss to Syracuse the latest acts of unkindness. For those still counting, seven of Marquette's eight losses are by a total of 16 points. GW: Xavier. BL: at DePaul, although the sheer number is a huge issue now.

If UConn just "needed" a coaching change, did Seton Hall (12-6, 3-4, RPI: 65, SOS: 18) just need a new AD (or at least reports indicating Joe Quinlan's on his way out)? The pair of three-point home Ws over Louisville and Pitt are huge. The Hall really needed both, as the Pirates lack good nonleague wins and seven of their final 11 are on the road, including the next three. GW: Pitt, at Cornell.BL: None, but too many.

St. John's (12-5, 2-3, RPI: 58, SOS: 17) couldn't get it done at UConn or vs. Villanova and is very fringe now. The Red Storm need some big league wins.GW: Temple, Siena. BL: Cornell (for bubble purposes), Providence.

Locks: Michigan State

The Spartans, at 7-0, are all but in the NCAAs, so let's lock them up. The next three in the pecking order should comfortably join them.

SHOULD BE IN

Purdue (16-3, 4-3, RPI: 12, SOS: 26) stopped its slide with a pair of Ws and remains comfortably in the mix for protected seeding in the NCAAs. Now the Boilers host Wisconsin and should be favored over a Badgers team that is struggling offensively without Jon Leuer. GW: Tennessee (neutral), Wake, West Virginia.BL: at Northwestern (nominally).

Wisconsin (16-4, 6-2, RPI: 10, SOS: 12) avoided a really bad home loss on Sunday, coming from 16 down in the final 11 minutes to escape Penn State in OT. The Badgers are really limited in scoring pop without Leuer, their second-leading scorer, and that might bite them at Purdue this week. The Milwaukee subregional remains in play. GW: Duke, Purdue, Ohio State (albeit without Evan Turner), Maryland.BL: at Wisconsin-Green Bay.

Ohio State (14-6, 4-3, RPI: 46, SOS: 58) pounded Northwestern and then had West Virginia on the ropes but couldn't close it out. Huggins' guys are a handful with a full bench; when three of your starters play 40 minutes, tired legs will follow. Preservation could explain the abundance of 1-3-1 zone, but OSU couldn't keep WVU off the glass late. Reminder: OSU with Evan Turner is 11-3, 4-1 Big Ten. For those still eagerly awaiting the expanded Turner exploration, it's coming Wednesday. GW: Cal (neutral), at Purdue, Wisconsin.BL: at Michigan (sans Turner).

IN THE MIX

Beating Illinois helped Northwestern (14-5, 3-4, RPI: 55, SOS: 68) take the sting off of the trouncing at Ohio State. A split of the tough week ahead, at Minnesota and at Michigan State, would be huge. After that, seven of the Cats' final nine league games are against its four worst teams (IU, Iowa, Penn State twice each and Michigan at home). NCAAs still very much in play. GW: Purdue, at N.C. State.BL: None.

In March, Minnesota (12-7, 3-4, RPI: 63, SOS: 22) might end up looking back at the last two games (OT loss at Indiana and letting MSU escape at home) as what cost it an NCAA bid. The Gophers have two good wins and a lot of meh. GW: Butler, Ohio State (with Turner).BL: Portland (neutral), at Indiana, at Miami?

Illinois' (12-8, 4-3, RPI: 77, RPI: 27) 4-0 league start is a distant memory after the Illini couldn't sweep Northwestern. They better do some serious work in the next three (at PSU, IU, at Iowa) because a brutal four-game stretch follows.GW: at Clemson, Vandy.BL: Utah, Bradley, Georgia.

Locks: None

This league is still a mess and remains strongly in contention to end up a one-bid league. It really could happen. In fact, let's call it now: it's going to happen. Just like in a mid-major league, when teams with mediocre profiles beat up on each other in conference play, no one wins.

SHOULD BE IN

None.

IN THE MIX

The good: California (13-6, 5-2, RPI: 27, SOS: 3) won twice and remains the league's best (only?) hope for an at-large should the Golden Bears not win the Pac-10 tourney. The bad: They have played five of their first seven league games at home. The next four, and six of the next eight, are away. This might not end well, as the Bears' nonleague profile is barren. GW: None. BL: UCLA.

Arizona State (14-6, 4-3, RPI: 80, SOS: 99) celebrated its surge into at-large discussion by getting outscored 67-38 by Arizona, at home, over the game's final 32 minutes. Awesome. If the Sun Devils beat Cal at home on Thursday, it may do the league more harm than good. GW: None. BL: at UCLA.

Who else should even be mentioned at this point? Washington (12-7, 3-5, RPI: 74, SOS: 42) has one asterisked nonleague win over Texas A&M and is in eighth place in a bad league. Washington State (14-6, 4-4, RPI: 97, SOS: 152) has less than that going for it. No one else has a prayer at an at-large.

Locks: Kentucky

With Texas' reverse two-step, Kentucky moves ever closer to locking up a 1 seed in the NCAAs. The Cats will find some road tests down the stretch of the season, but as the other competitors for the top line slide, they're starting to compile some room for error, too.

SHOULD BE IN

Tennessee (15-3, 3-1, RPI: 15, SOS: 39) got the first half of its two-game trip before getting ripped at Georgia. Now the Vols face an interesting test vs. Vandy on Wednesday. The back half of the SEC slate is much tougher, with Kentucky twice and four other difficult road games. GW: Kansas, Mississippi. BL: None.

IN THE MIX

Vanderbilt (14-3, 4-0, RPI: 25, SOS: 52) probably could bump up a level; if it gets a split at Tennessee and Kentucky, it will. Nine wins in a row, but no real marquee one yet. GW: Missouri, at Saint Mary's.BL: None terrible, but all three are against borderline NCAA at-larges.

Alabama's not bad, but if Mississippi State (15-4, 3-1, RPI: 54, SOS: 132) fancies itself a true contender, it's a road game it should win. Three of the next four are also away. The Bulldogs lack nonconference punch, so they can't afford that many modest missteps in league play. GW: Old Dominion, at Ole Miss.BL: Rider.

Mississippi (15-4, 3-2, RPI: 30, SOS: 66) took care of two league stragglers and is right back in the West mix. That side of the league is not all that good, so the schedule's there for the Rebels to make a move. GW: K-State (neutral), (UTEP with Derrick Caracter is valid, too). BL: None.

If Florida (14-5, 3-2, RPI: 61, SOS: 85) makes the NCAAs, Chandler Parsons will be the reason. His second buzzer-beater of the season, this time from more conventional distance, turned back South Carolina after the Gators got the job done at Arkansas. If they look ahead to the Vols, Georgia could get them this week. GW: Michigan State. BL: South Alabama (and maybe Richmond, if the Spiders fade)

Locks: Temple

The Owls took out the league's other unbeaten, Xavier, in Philly in the teams' only meeting. Despite that, the X-Men may be solidifying their position as other teams drop behind them.

SHOULD BE IN

None.

IN THE MIX

Xavier (13-6, 5-1, RPI: 14, SOS: 2) took a good whack at Temple before losing by five, and maybe more important, then beat Rhode Island at home. Combine that with the win over Dayton, and that's a nice 2-1 stretch, as the Musketeers need a strong league finish to offset some of their tough, close nonleague losses. They also get a shot a Florida in mid-February. GW: Dayton, Rhode Island.BL: None.

Richmond (15-6, 4-2, RPI: 40, SOS: 59) might have a bunch of good nonleague wins, but the Spiders have to be disappointed at 4-2 in A-10 play. They only lost by 12 at home to Charlotte, the only contending team they faced. They have five games left in which they'll be a favorite and five that will be tough. Depending on who they beat, would 10-6 leave the Spiders in a sticky spot? GW: Missouri (neutral), Mississippi State (neutral), Old Dominion, Florida (neutral).BL: at St. Louis.

Dayton (14-5, 3-2, RPI: 38, SOS: 64) had a huge slipup, losing at struggling St. Joe's by a point, and now really needs to hold serve at home against URI, kicking off three games in four at home against NCAA contenders. GW: Georgia Tech (neutral), Old Dominion.BL: at Saint Josephs.

Rhode Island (15-3, 3-2, RPI: 18, SOS: 48) dropped the front end of the rough Ohio road swing at Xavier and now gets a shot at Dayton on Tuesday. The Rams need some quality wins. The victory over Oklahoma State is improving, but despite better computer numbers, they're behind Richmond and Dayton in resume depth. GW: Oklahoma State (neutral).BL: None.

Charlotte (14-5, 4-1, RPI: 50, SOS: 111) had a very good week, winning at Richmond and La Salle to move into third place. Now Temple comes in to provide a chance at a win to pair with the romp at shorthanded Louisville in December. GW: at Louisville, at Richmond.BL: None, but lost by 30-plus at Duke and Old Dominion.

Locks: None

An interesting bubble debate has arisen as William & Mary lost twice and dropped to fourth in the league, two games behind the top three, which includes two teams (George Mason and Northeastern) that are not at-large hopefuls. VCU really isn't one either at this point after its fourth league loss.

SHOULD BE IN

None.

IN THE MIX

The bubble may be bursting for William & Mary(14-5, 6-3, RPI: 43, SOS: 76), which got ripped at VCU and then dropped a last-minute home decision to Old Dominion. Now the Tribe are in the at-large pool and, for this week at least, stay in the bracket as a 10 seed on the strength of three quality nonleague wins. They don't have much more room for error, though. GW: at Wake, at Maryland.BL: UNC-Wilmington.

Old Dominion (16-5, 8-1, RPI: 35, SOS: 81) is surging, winning seven straight after beating William & Mary on the road. The Monarchs need to handle Georgia State at home before a three-game gauntlet -- trips to Northeastern and VCU sandwiched around the return game with the Tribe. Nonleague misses vs. Missouri and Mississippi State (in South Padre) and at Richmond and Dayton may ultimately be costly. GW: at Georgetown.BL: at George Mason by 16.

Locks: None

BYU continues to impress and is a win at New Mexico away from really putting a chokehold on the conference. If the Cougars win the league by too many games and win the auto bid, could the MWC possibly get shut out in the at-large pool?

SHOULD BE IN

BYU (18-1, 4-0, RPI: 21, SOS: 126) got the front end of the two-team tester at San Diego State and now heads to The Pit on Wednesday before coming home to host archrival Utah. This time next week, the Cougars could be locked up.GW: Arizona State, San Diego State, some other OK ones. BL: Utah State (rivalry game).

IN THE MIX

New Mexico (18-3, 4-2, RPI: 19, SOS: 38) routed Air Force and Colorado State to get ready for BYU's visit. The Lobos have the best nonleague resume in the league and are second in the pecking order at the moment, despite losing at home to UNLV. GW: Cal, Texas A&M, Dayton. BL: at Oral Roberts.

That said, UNLV (15-4, 4-2, RPI: 33, SOS: 69) remains best positioned to finish second, which may be very crucial. The four-game stretch between Feb. 6-17 -- BYU, New Mexico, at San Diego State, at Utah -- should determine the Rebels' fate. GW: Louisville, at New Mexico.BL: Utah.

San Diego State (14-6, 3-3, RPI: 41, SOS: 64) won at Utah by a deuce but then tossed back that equity with a two-point home loss to BYU and now is fairly fringe, even with OK computer numbers. GW: None.BL: at Pacific, at Wyoming.

Locks: None

In a blow to the league's two-bid hopes, Northern Iowa lost at Wichita State and then the Shockers turned around and were handled at Drake.

SHOULD BE IN

Northern Iowa (18-2, 8-1, RPI: 23, SOS: 96) couldn't put a virtual wrap on the league in Wichita, but then got a huge boost from Drake and retains a two-game lead. Now a home win over Wichita State on Feb. 3 should basically do it, with everyone else at least three games back. The nonleague slate is pretty barren, with BC, Iowa and Iowa State being the "highlights." GW: None.BL: DePaul (neutral).

IN THE MIX

Despite a good record, Wichita State (16-4, 6-3, RPI: 52, SOS: 155) probably needs at least a share of the league title to be a strong at-large candidate. Losing at Drake after beating Northern Iowa was a big misstep. The Shockers did beat Texas Tech (and Iowa) out of conference, but the overall strength of schedule is poor. GW: Texas Tech, Northern Iowa.BL: at Illinois State.

Locks: None

UAB continues to be the best hope for an at-large, and the Blazers took another step toward that level of insurance this week.

SHOULD BE IN

UAB (16-2, 4-0, RPI: 26, SOS: 124) got a really big road win at Marshall and is a quarter of the way through the midseason C-USA gauntlet. Now they get fellow 5-0 Tulsa and 4-1 UTEP at home before visiting 4-1 Memphis. GW: Butler, Cincy.BL: at Kent State.

IN THE MIX

Tulsa (15-3, 5-0, RPI: 76, SOS: 208) has the chance it wants: at UAB, on Tuesday night. The Golden Hurricane's profile is much weaker than UAB's, so they need the game more. Tulsa has crushed Oklahoma State and gets a late-season shot at Duke at Cameron. GW: Oklahoma State.BL: at Missouri State.

Marshall (13-4, 4-1, RPI: 67, SOS: 141) deserved better last week, but didn't get anything from strong efforts against West Virginia and UAB. This makes Wednesday's home date with Memphis a must-win.GW: None.BL: None, but missed every big chance.

Memphis (14-5, 4-1, RPI: 91, SOS: 150) still has two cracks at UAB and Tulsa, plus a game with Gonzaga on Feb. 6. The Tigers have very little good in their profile right now. GW: None.BL: at UMass

UTEP (13-5, 4-1, RPI: 90, SOS: 147) also is sitting on the edge of relevance, having won at Memphis and also beaten Oklahoma.GW: Oklahoma.BL: None terrible, but too many.

Locks: None

SHOULD BE IN

Gonzaga (15-3, 5-0, RPI: 23, SOS: 42) eased past Pepperdine and Loyola Marymount at home to stay perfect in WCC play and is firmly in control with St. Mary's still having to come to Spokane. GW: Wisconsin (neutral), Cincinnati (neutral), Oklahoma (neutral), at St. Mary's.BL: None, but lost by 35 to Duke.

Butler (14-4, 7-0, RPI: 24, SOS: 49) survived a major scare at Loyola-Chicago but stayed unbeaten in the Horizon. If the Bulldogs get past the two UWs on the road next, it's quite possible they'll finish the season that way. GW: Xavier, Ohio State (w/o Turner), Northwestern (for bubble purposes).BL: None.

IN THE MIX

Saint Mary's (16-3, 4-1, RPI: 35, SOS: 83) beat San Diego at home, but still lacks a name win. If the Gaels can't beat Gonzaga in Spokane (or in Vegas for the WCC auto bid), will they get in? They won at Utah State (BYU couldn't) and Oregon (everyone does these days) and also beat San Diego State. GW: San Diego State.BL: None.

ON THE PERIPHERY (if an at-large is needed)

Siena (MAAC), Cornell (Ivy), Louisiana Tech (WAC).