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The wait is nearly over.
Xavier, which has spent the last six weeks on the NCAA Tournament bubble, will find out Sunday if it will go dancing or be left out of March Madness for the sixth time in seven seasons.
More: Selection Sunday: The case for, against Xavier Musketeers making NCAA Tournament
The 68-team field is far from decided, though, and Xavier's chances of securing an at-large bid will be altered by a pair of conference championships Sunday afternoon just a few hours before the selection show.
More: 'We desperately want to be a part of the tournament.' What's next for Xavier Musketeers?
More: Has anyone ever had a perfect March Madness bracket? The odds are staggering
There's a lot of talk about bid-stealers during conference tournament week. A bid-stealer is a team that does not have the resume for an at-large bid to March Madness but punches an automatic ticket to the dance by winning its conference tournament.
When that happens, a conference that was projected to have a certain number of teams in the NCAA Tournament suddenly has an additional bid, thus taking a spot away from the bubble.
Colorado State was on the outside looking in before winning the Mountain West Championship on Saturday over Boise State, 69-56. That sends the Broncos to the bubble. There was a chance at another bid-stealer late Saturday night in the Big West Championship in Henderson, Nevada. However, No. 1 seed UC San Diego pulled away from UC Irvine, 75-61.
Xavier will keep its eye on the Atlantic 10 and American Athletic Conference championship games Sunday.
VCU vs. George Mason − 1 p.m. CBS
The Musketeers would like top-seeded VCU to secure the automatic bid. If George Mason wins, VCU heads to the bubble and has an at-large case. VCU is an 8.5-point favorite, and the total (over/under) is set at 127.5 points, according to BetMGM Sportsbook. VCU beat George Mason by 16 at home Feb. 22.
No. 16Memphis vs. UAB − 3:15 p.m., ESPN
Every bubble team is pulling for Memphis to win the American. Why? Memphis is a projected No. 8 seed in the NCAA Tournament. Win or lose, the Tigers are in the dance. If Memphis falls, UAB is a true bid-stealer and will knock out a bubble team.
Memphis survived a scare in Saturday's semifinal, hanging on to defeat Tulane, 78-77, despite missing 15 free throws and going just 5-of-23 from three-point range. Memphis will likely be without its top two guards in Dante Harris (ankle) and Tyrese Hunter (foot), who got banged up Saturday.
Memphis is a 4.5-point favorite, and the total is set at 160.5 points. UAB has made the NCAA Tournament twice in four seasons under Andy Kennedy, who was Bob Huggins' replacement at UC for one season (2005-06) before the Mick Cronin era began.
Memphis beat UAB, 100-77, at home Jan. 30 and 88-81 on the road March 2.
Those conference matchups will have an impact, but it will still boil down to how the Selection Committee views Xavier compared to other bubble teams.
In a Saturday night update, ESPN bracketologist Joe Lunardi listed Xavier as the penultimate team making the field. Xavier was just ahead of Indiana and behind Vanderbilt and San Diego State in the "Last Four In" category.
Boise State, North Carolina, Texas and Ohio State were Lunardi's "First Four Out."
Remember, the bubble would shrink by a spot if UAB beats Memphis. VCU has a decent at-large resume and would join the bubble if they fall to George Mason.
Here's a look at how Xavier compares to the other bubble teams in some of the metrics used by the committee.
*VCU would join the NCAA Tournament bubble with a loss to George Mason Sunday.
The 12-person committee will reveal its 68-team field on Selection Sunday beginning at 6 p.m. on CBS.
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: These Selection Sunday games will decide Xavier's NCAA Tournament fate
Continue reading...
Xavier, which has spent the last six weeks on the NCAA Tournament bubble, will find out Sunday if it will go dancing or be left out of March Madness for the sixth time in seven seasons.
More: Selection Sunday: The case for, against Xavier Musketeers making NCAA Tournament
The 68-team field is far from decided, though, and Xavier's chances of securing an at-large bid will be altered by a pair of conference championships Sunday afternoon just a few hours before the selection show.
More: 'We desperately want to be a part of the tournament.' What's next for Xavier Musketeers?
More: Has anyone ever had a perfect March Madness bracket? The odds are staggering
Beware of the bid-stealer
There's a lot of talk about bid-stealers during conference tournament week. A bid-stealer is a team that does not have the resume for an at-large bid to March Madness but punches an automatic ticket to the dance by winning its conference tournament.
When that happens, a conference that was projected to have a certain number of teams in the NCAA Tournament suddenly has an additional bid, thus taking a spot away from the bubble.
Colorado State was on the outside looking in before winning the Mountain West Championship on Saturday over Boise State, 69-56. That sends the Broncos to the bubble. There was a chance at another bid-stealer late Saturday night in the Big West Championship in Henderson, Nevada. However, No. 1 seed UC San Diego pulled away from UC Irvine, 75-61.
Xavier will keep its eye on the Atlantic 10 and American Athletic Conference championship games Sunday.
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VCU vs. George Mason − 1 p.m. CBS
The Musketeers would like top-seeded VCU to secure the automatic bid. If George Mason wins, VCU heads to the bubble and has an at-large case. VCU is an 8.5-point favorite, and the total (over/under) is set at 127.5 points, according to BetMGM Sportsbook. VCU beat George Mason by 16 at home Feb. 22.
No. 16Memphis vs. UAB − 3:15 p.m., ESPN
Every bubble team is pulling for Memphis to win the American. Why? Memphis is a projected No. 8 seed in the NCAA Tournament. Win or lose, the Tigers are in the dance. If Memphis falls, UAB is a true bid-stealer and will knock out a bubble team.
Memphis survived a scare in Saturday's semifinal, hanging on to defeat Tulane, 78-77, despite missing 15 free throws and going just 5-of-23 from three-point range. Memphis will likely be without its top two guards in Dante Harris (ankle) and Tyrese Hunter (foot), who got banged up Saturday.
You must be registered for see images
Memphis is a 4.5-point favorite, and the total is set at 160.5 points. UAB has made the NCAA Tournament twice in four seasons under Andy Kennedy, who was Bob Huggins' replacement at UC for one season (2005-06) before the Mick Cronin era began.
Memphis beat UAB, 100-77, at home Jan. 30 and 88-81 on the road March 2.
How does Xavier's resume match up to other teams on the bubble?
Those conference matchups will have an impact, but it will still boil down to how the Selection Committee views Xavier compared to other bubble teams.
In a Saturday night update, ESPN bracketologist Joe Lunardi listed Xavier as the penultimate team making the field. Xavier was just ahead of Indiana and behind Vanderbilt and San Diego State in the "Last Four In" category.
Boise State, North Carolina, Texas and Ohio State were Lunardi's "First Four Out."
You must be registered for see images attach
Remember, the bubble would shrink by a spot if UAB beats Memphis. VCU has a decent at-large resume and would join the bubble if they fall to George Mason.
Here's a look at how Xavier compares to the other bubble teams in some of the metrics used by the committee.
| Team | NET | Torvik | KenPom | BPI | Q1 | Q2 | Q3 | Q4 |
| Vanderbilt | 47 | 42 | 49 | 56 | 5-9 | 4-3 | 3-0 | 8-0 |
| SDSU | 52 | 54 | 46 | 54 | 3-6 | 5-2 | 4-1 | 8-0 |
| Xavier | 45 | 37 | 43 | 39 | 1-9 | 8-2 | 5-0 | 7-0 |
| Indiana | 54 | 55 | 47 | 52 | 4-13 | 5-0 | 6-0 | 4-0 |
| Boise State | 43 | 50 | 50 | 48 | 3-5 | 5-2 | 5-1 | 10-1 |
| North Carolina | 36 | 36 | 33 | 25 | 1-12 | 8-0 | 7-1 | 6-0 |
| Texas | 39 | 47 | 44 | 34 | 7-10 | 3-5 | 2-0 | 7-0 |
| Ohio State | 41 | 41 | 38 | 37 | 6-11 | 3-4 | 2-0 | 6-0 |
| VCU* | 31 | 29 | 30 | 33 | 3-1 | 4-4 | 5-0 | 13-1 |
The 12-person committee will reveal its 68-team field on Selection Sunday beginning at 6 p.m. on CBS.
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: These Selection Sunday games will decide Xavier's NCAA Tournament fate
Continue reading...
