March Madness 2017: 3 Teams with Work to do

Selection Sunday may be only a month or so away, but the picture of which teams will make this year’s March Madness, and which will be left without an invitation to the Big Dance, isn’t getting that much clearer.

There are several big names in the bubble who still have work to do before March, from Syracuse Orange, who have shot into the bubble thanks to their impressive recent run, to Indiana Hoosiers, whose form has tailed off following a raft of injuries.

ESPN Bracketologist Joe Lunardi believes the bubble this year is particularly weak, largely because teams with overall double digit losses are predicted to be in the field at present, but this doesn’t mean a bubble team couldn’t go far in March Madness itself.

The fate of the following three teams still hangs in the balance; let’s look at what remains of their schedules and see who could do enough on the home stretch of the regular season to make this year’s NCAA Men’s Division I Basketball Tournament.

Syracuse Orange

After losing six from ten between the end of November and the start of January in a run that included blowout losses and ground out wins against lesser lights, Syracuse’s March Madness hopes should have been dead and buried, but four straight wins since then has put them back in the running.

A huge victory on the road against North Carolina State Wolfpack seems to have put Jim Boeheim’s team back on the right track, and home games against Louisville Cardinals and Duke Blue Devils, plus a meeting with Georgia Tech Yellow at McCamish Pavilion, look to be key to Cuse making the Big Dance.

Indiana Hoosiers

The Hoosiers March Madness aspirations are headed in the opposite direction to those of the Orange, but it’s fair to say this is due to bad luck rather than poor performances. Few teams could overcome injuries to key players like James Blackmon Jr and OG Anunoby, and Tom Crean’s team hasn’t proved to be one of them, losing three out of the last four.

While Indiana’s remaining schedule is relatively easy going, apart from two games against Caleb Swanigan’s Purdue Boilermakers – predicted to be one of the less fortunate team’s when it comes to March Madness itself, according to this infographic by Cool Cat casino – it’s still going to be difficult for them without their two best players.

California Golden Bears

California have had an impressive season, but they’ve still got work to do to make March Madness. While the Golden Bears haven’t suffered any big losses, they haven’t notched up any landmark victories either, and these are crucial when it comes to building a successful profile for the Big Dance ahead of Selection Sunday.

Cuonzo Martin’s team has two of the most difficult games Pac-12 has to offer remaining, at Arizona Wildcats and versus Oregon Ducks, and winning one of them would give their Selection Sunday hopes a big boost. The three-headed scoring attack of Ivan Rabb, Jabari Bird and Charlie Moore gives the Golden Bears a good chance of securing the signature win they need.