With Selection Sunday less than a week away, teams have one final chance to boost their resumes. Here are four teams that could really benefit from deep conference tournament runs:
Florida
The SEC regular-season champions have won eight of their last nine and risen to No. 12 in the country. Florida has nonconference victories over Florida State, Kansas State and Xavier, but losses to Central Florida and Jacksonville could cost them a top-3 seed. With the 11 teams ranked ahead of the Gators representing only five conferences, an easier path to a conference title may actually benefit Florida. Which is more deserving of a No.?2 seed: The SEC regular-season and tournament champ or a team that’s coming off a loss in its conference tournament?
Boston College
The Eagles have company on the bubble with fellow ACC foes Virginia Tech and Clemson. Boston College defeated the Hokies twice during the regular season and will have a chance to avenge a loss to Clemson if it defeats Wake Forest in the first round of the ACC tournament. But the Eagles need to reach the conference semifinals to make a case for a bid. They are 1-5 against the RPI top 50 with their only signature win coming in November against Texas A&M.
Texas
There might not be a more talented team than Texas, but the Longhorns lost three of their last five games. They once had a solid case for a No. 1 seed but can only get as high as a No. 2 seed now. What happened to the team that won its first 11 conference games? The Big 12 tournament will either solidify Texas as one of the handful of Final Four contenders or add even more questions to its late-season collapse.
Georgetown
Chris Wright broke his non-shooting hand in a loss to Cincinnati, and Georgetown lost its final two games without the starting point guard. The team expects to get Wright back before the end of the season, but the Hoyas need to convince the selection committee they can win without Wright in the conference tournament. But it won’t be easy in the deep Big East. The Hoyas will likely play Connecticut in their first game after their bye. Georgetown was a solid No. 3 seed a couple weeks ago, but now the Hoyas could be as low as a No. 7 or No. 8 seed if they can’t win at least one conference tournament game.
