As conference tournaments wind down and Selection Sunday approaches, plenty of teams are sitting on the bubble and awaiting their NCAA Tournament fate.
Of the 68-teams in the tournament field, 36 teams will receive at-large bids. And with the growing parity across women’s college basketball, more than one talented team will be left without a spot.
Bubble teams are scattered across conferences, from Kansas in the Big 12 to St. John’s in the Big East, from Oregon in the Pac-12 to Georgia in the SEC. Here are four more hopefuls whose fates hang in the balance heading into the final weekend of conference tournament championships.
Princeton (21-5)
The No. 1 seed in the Ivy League tournament, Princeton is listed as the Last Team In according to ESPN’s bracketology. If the Tigers make the Saturday’s championship game, they should lock up an at-large bid. But if they lose in Friday’s semifinal before that, they will remain on the bubble and could be waiting out the fates of other teams to determine whether or not they’ll keep playing in March.
Purdue (19-10)
The Boilermakers finished seventh in a stacked Big Ten this year, which puts them on the outskirts of the NCAA Tournament field. Also in the conversation from the Big Ten is Nebraska (16-14). Their conference credentials could help them sneak in — or their losses relative to some of the other bubble teams could hurt their chances, even if those losses came against quality opponents.
West Virginia (19-11)
If Princeton or Columbia falls in the semifinals of the Ivy League tournament, West Virginia could make the case to take that spot in the NCAA Tournament, even after a crushing last-second loss to Oklahoma State in Friday’s Big 12 Tournament quarterfinals.
Arkansas (21-12)
The Razorbacks won their first SEC Tournament game but ran into eventual champion South Carolina in the quarterfinals. While they’re looking pretty good as a bubble team, they likely would need some help from other conference tournaments in order to make their third consecutive March Madness appearance.