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It has been a frustrating season for both the Indiana Hoosiers and Ohio State Buckeyes, a pair of perennial Big Ten contenders who are closer to the cellar this season. With the NCAA tournament seemingly out of reach for either one, they will face off this week in a game low on hype.... 

The Baylor Bears have suffered through an inconsistent finish to the regular season, and with the Big 12 tournament and March Madness right around the corner, they want to get right. They will have every opportunity to find some rhythm in a matchup this week against the Texas Longhorns.... 

The Akron Zips are in the driver’s seat to make the NCAA tournament out of the MAC, but need to turn it back on to secure a bid. Akron sits atop the conference despite losses in three of its past four games and needs to gain some confidence in the regular season finale against the Kent State Golden Flashes.... 

The West Virginia Mountaineers’ last two big matchups didn’t go as planned. After beating both Kansas and Baylor earlier this season, the team lost both rematches, falling in overtime to the Jayhawks on February 14 and then succumbing to a late Bears run on Monday and losing 71-62.... 

Smaller conferences have already begun their tournaments. The big boys get started next week. The field looks to be wide open this year with no truly dominant team. That makes it all the more exciting to hit the futures market early knowing full well a team can came come from out of nowhere to make a deep run. The purpose of this article is to find some value with teams on the “Bubble”, so let’s dig in and see if we can uncork a couple squads with a deep run in them.... 

The Wisconsin Badgers are losing steam after a strong start to the season and need to get it turned around as March Madness beckons. They will aim to pick up a much-needed victory in a matchup against the Iowa Hawkeyes this week.... 

The Cincinnati Bearcats lost a critical conference matchup last time out and now don’t have the inside track for the American regular season crown. They need to win both of their games down the stretch to have that chance, first up in a tough one against the Houston Cougars.... 

Can the Texas Tech Red Raiders overcome a terrible conference record in order to make the NCAA Tournament? According to Joe Lunardi, the Red Raiders are well outside of the picture right now, but wins over the Texas Longhorns and the Kansas State Wildcats in their last two would go a long way to giving the committee something to think about on Selection Sunday. However, Texas already beat Texas Tech once this season and would love nothing more than to play spoiler in this lost season of theirs.... 

The Iowa State Cyclones are likely in the dance barring anything totally bonkers happening in the conference tournaments. A road win at Kansas was probably enough, but beating Baylor at home last weekend helped seal the deal. Now, the Cyclones have two big tests in their final two games of the regular season and both will affect their positioning before the Big 12 tournament. In the last week, they must travel to Morgantown and face a tough WVU team, but before that they will host the Oklahoma State Cowboys on Tuesday.... 

It’s been a really disappointing season for Tom Crean and his Indiana Hoosiers. Fans and alumni have gotten increasingly frustrated with him this year as what started off so promising has totally run off the rails. Now, Indiana is on the outside looking in at the NCAA Tournament and needs as many wins as possible in order to make the Big Dance. The Hoosiers got a big win against Northwestern on Saturday to keep their hopes alive, but a win over their in-state rival, the Purdue Boilermakers, is really what they need.... 

The SEC might not have many marquis out-of-conference wins, but this conference has given us quite a few 20-game winners that have already punched their ticket to March Madness. Two of those teams will be squaring off in Gainesville on Wednesday night when the Arkansas Razorbacks visit the Florida Gators. Florida is likely to be a decent-sized favorite, but Arkansas is 8-2 in its last 10 SEC road games and looking for one more win.... 

It’s a stretch to think the Vanderbilt Commodores are a NCAA Tournament team, but they are making a late season run to be included in the conversation. The Commodores will take a season-best four game winning streak to Rupp Arena for a confrontation with the SEC’s top team Kentucky Wildcats on Tuesday. A win over UK and run through the conference tournament might be enough to propel Vandy to the Big Dance, but the Commodores haven’t had much success against UK lately.... 

For as good as the Florida State Seminoles have been this season, and they still have a shot at claiming a tie for the ACC regular season title, they can look back at their road struggles and kick themselves. FSU likely would have won the title outright if not for a poor 3-5 record away from Tallahassee during conference play. Now, the Noles have to play in one of the most devastating road venues in the entire country when they take on the Duke Blue Devils on Tuesday.... 

This Big Monday tilt between the North Carolina Tar Heels and Virginia Cavaliers would have had a bit more luster to it had the Wahoos not gone on an end of season swoon never before seen under Tony Bennett’s watch since making the move to Charlottesville. Be that as it may, the Cavs will no doubt take to their home hardwood determined to avenge the ugly beating they absorbed to the Heels nearly 10 days ago in Chapel Hill.... 

Both the Miami Hurricanes and Virginia Tech Hokies will be out to prove they’re both viable threats for anyone that matches up with them in the ACC tourney when the team’s close out their regular season rivalry on Big Monday. The first meeting between these teams was very evenly matched with the Canes going on to victory due to forcing more turnovers. You can bet your bottom dollar Seth Allen and company will take better care of the rock this time around.... 

It was a glorious time for the Baylor Bears. After starting the season with 15 straight wins, the program reached No. 1 in the AP poll for the first time ever. Making their debut as the top ranked team in the country last month, Baylor was demolished by the West Virginia Mountaineers in a game that wasn’t as close as the 21-point margin. Maybe the players were nervous over their lofty ranking, or maybe the Mountaineers are simply the better team. Baylor has an opportunity to avenge that earlier thumping while getting a leg up on second place in the Big 12.... 

Others have tried and come close. In fact it was the Oklahoma Sooners who put a scare in the Kansas Jayhawks’ string of regular season Big 12 titles last season. But OU couldn’t overcome Kansas and the dynasty just continues to roll along. Kansas clinched its 13th straight Big 12 regular season title last week while the Sooners, one season after contending for the top spot, are at the bottom of the conference standings.... 

The Miami Hurricanes are coming into a matchup against the No. 10 Duke Blue Devils on a high note after upsetting No. 18 West Virginia on the road Monday. The Hurricanes, who are 2-4 against ranked teams this season, will try to make it two upsets in a row as they host the Blue Devils on Saturday.... 

The Gonzaga Bulldogs have a chance to make history this weekend. The No. 1 ranked team enters its last regular season matchup against the BYU Cougars with a record of 29-0 and are now just one win away from capturing Gonzaga’s first ever undefeated season.... 

The No. 16 ranked Wisconsin Badgers were unable to build off their big win over the Terps on Thursday night in Columbus, and because of it, likely kissed any chance of winning the Big Ten goodbye. The Michigan State Spartans never truly had a realistic shot to win the conference this season, but they’ve been nothing short of money when at home making this a huge test for a Badgers side limping into tourney time.... 

The Butler Bulldogs are gunning for a Top Four seed in the NCAA Tournament next month. Butler can essentially lock itself into the No. 2 seed in the Big East tournament with a win on Sunday against the Xavier Musketeers, and use that as a springboard for their goal. As for Xavier, the Musketeers can consider themselves in the tournament with another win, and this would be the sweetest one. Butler knocked off Xavier earlier in the season and revenge in Cincinnati would be a nice treat.... 

The Syracuse Orange were written off too soon. Syracuse has made a habit of struggling in the middle of the season before turning it on late in the last few years, and is looking to make this year no exception. After losing three in a row against Pittsburgh, Louisville, and Georgia Tech, the Orange got a huge season-saving win against No. 10 Duke on Wednesday night and are squarely on the bubble. A win against the Louisville Cardinals on Sunday would likely erase any doubt about whether or not they will go dancing.... 

Under former head coach Rick Barnes, the Texas Longhorns became a perennial contender in the Big 12 and annual participant in the NCAA Tournament. His failure to get the Longhorns a deep tournament run ultimately cost him his job, however. Texas went after the biggest name available two years ago, hiring Shaka Smart after several successful years at VCU. Smart was supposed to be the guy to lead the program to the Promised Land. Now, he’s just trying to keep Texas out of the basement and a matchup with the Kansas Jayhawks will push them closer.... 

All good things must come to an end, as the old saying goes. And for the Villanova Wildcats that good thing was a four-year long home court winning streak. Nova has just three losses on the season now, following another defeat at the hands of Butler on Wednesday. It doesn’t change the Wildcats’ situation, they’ll still win the Big East regular season title, but their ranking could take a hit and that winning streak which reached 48 games at the cozy Pavilion must start anew against the Creighton Bluejays on Saturday.... 

A recent swoon has dropped the Maryland Terrapins from atop the Big Ten standings, and now they are a longshot to win the conference. Maryland must be perfect down the stretch and then hope for some help to win the regular season crown....