Miami coach Jim Larranaga knows all about the NCAA tournament bubble from his days coaching George Mason.
And he likely knows that one big win can weigh heavily on the minds of those on the selection committee in March.
The Hurricanes (14-7, 5-3 ACC) got that signature win with an upset of Duke on Sunday and jumped into the Big Dance discussion.
Notre Dame is another team that picked up a resume-changing win. The Irish (15-8, 7-3 Big East) handed Syracuse its lone loss of the season in late January. That victory, combined with wins over Marquette and Connecticut, have put Notre Dame into many projected NCAA tournament brackets. But the Irish play in the Big East. Can they stay in the discussion? Regardless of their finish, that win over Syracuse will matter.
The big win factor also plays a role at the mid-major level. Davidson (18-5, 12-1 Southern) is cruising in its conference. But should the Wildcats lose in their league tournament, a win over Kansas in December will be key for an at-large bid.
– Scott Gleeson
