Will Ncaa Tournament Tickets be Available for your “bubble” Team?

It’s that time of year when college basketball fans all over the country wonder if they’ll have a need for NCAA Tournament tickets. Every season brings intrigue to Selection Sunday, and every tournament field creates much controversy. Below is a look at a few more “bubble” teams that may have some work to do to ensure themselves of a bid to the “Big Dance.”

Purdue gets first mention here. Generally, if you’re in a power conference like the Big Ten and you win 20 games, you should assume that you’ll be invited to the tournament. Purdue has done that, but most experts remain hesitant to call them anything but a bubble team. The reason is that Purdue has posted a lot of solid wins, but no “signature” wins that will get them noticed. They have a 9-7 conference record, and also have beaten the likes of Virginia, Missouri and Oklahoma, but their overall resume is not a slam-dunk for a tourney invite yet. At least one win in the Big Ten Tournament should secure a birth.

Kansas State, under first year Coach Bob Huggins, are another team that plays in a power conference and has posted more than 20 wins. However, the Big 12 is perceived as down this year, and the Wildcats have a strength of schedule rating of only 95. They’ve beaten teams in their conference such as Oklahoma and Texas, but only USC even somewhat stands out in regards to their non-conference slate. Like Purdue, if Kansas State gets at least one win in the Big 12 Tournament, fans in Manhattan could be scooping up NCAA Tournament tickets for the first time in quite awhile.

Alabama is a surprise entry on this list for many. It’s shocking to consider the fact that some experts labeled the Crimson Tide as a potential national championship contender before the season, but here they sit on the bubble at the end of the regular season. The Tide have won 20 games, but they have a losing record in a conference division that’s considered weak by most, and they really don’t have a big-time win to their credit. They’ll need to make at least a slight run in the SEC Tournament to get an invitation to the tournament, or else this season of high expectations will be seen as a disaster.

Missouri State is one of those mid-major teams that no one wants to play. The Bears have won 21 games and have their signature win over Wisconsin, but they are only 1-7 overall against the strongest teams they’ve played, including three losses to in-conference rival Creighton. This is also a team whose conference, the Missouri Valley, may not get enough respect to give the Bears an at-large bid, which is what they’ll need after being routed in their conference tournament.

So far, the favorites have generally won their conference tournaments, which is good news for all of the teams above. However, there are only a few at-large spots left, so those teams that still have conference tournaments to play will need to turn it on in order to give their fans a chance to secure NCAA Tournament tickets.