Men's NCAA Tournament bubble teams

Akron hopes to win the MAC Tournament because an at-large bid could be difficult. The Zips do rank in the top 60 in RPI, but they don't exactly have any impressive wins on their résumé. 

The Bulldogs are just outside the top 60 in RPI and have a losing record in the Big East. They're still in the Tournament conversation at 16-7, with big wins against Temple, Cincinnati, Purdue and Georgetown.

Can the West Coast Conference get three teams in this year? BYU is behind Gonzaga and St. Mary's in the conference standings, but the Cougars are 8-4 in the very competitive conference and have notable wins vs. Belmont, Gonzaga and St. Mary's.

Cal is in the top 40 in RPI but also in the bottom half of a so-so Pac-12 conference. Cuonzo Martin's squad had big wins against St. Mary's, Colorado, Utah and Arizona.

It would be quite a year for Clemson athletics if the basketball team can make the Tournament after the football team made the College Football Playoff Final. Clemson has a weak RPI rating outside the top 70, but the Tigers are 7-5 in the ACC and have some conference wins they can really brag about vs. Florida State, Syracuse, Louisville, Duke, Miami and Pitt.

Colorado is on a solid pace for a Tournament seat with a top 25 RPI rating and 17-6 overall record. All of its losses to this point have been to teams likely to make the Tournament, with the exception of SMU since Larry Brown's team is ineligible.

The Seminoles have a solid top 40 RPI rating, but they've had their share of struggles in the ACC at 6-5. Wins vs. VCU, Florida and Virginia are the best parts of their résumé.

The Hoyas have plenty of work to do. They're only rated No. 70 in RPI and got rocked in out-of-conference play for a 14-12 record. Losses against Radford, UNC Asheville and Creighton alone could keep them out of the Tournament.

The Colonials have a fine résumé with an 18-5 record and top 50 RPI, but the A-10 Tournament berths could be capped. They're fourth in the conference standings, but ugly losses vs. DePaul, Saint Louis and Richmond are major blemishes.

LSU has the consensus first overall pick in the 2016 NBA Draft in Ben Simmons, but that won't get the Tigers into the Tournament alone. They have an RPI rating outside the top 70, even as they lead the SEC standings. Six out-of-conference losses could doom them, including bad losses to Marquette, NC State, College of Charleston and Wake Forest.

The strength of Michigan's Big Ten schedule has it in the top 40 RPI, and the Wolverines still don't have a bad loss on their résum´. However, their notable wins have really been few and far between, the best against Texas and Maryland.

UNC Wilmington is likely to get an automatic bid as the leaders of the Colonial Conference, but it has an iffy case if it doesn't win the conference tournament. Their 18-5 record is impressive, but the Seahawks' RPI is outside the top 80.

Notre Dame really helped its case by beating North Carolina, as its only great wins to that point were vs. Iowa and Duke. Their late ACC schedule is an easier path, so hopefully the Irish don't slip up down the stretch.

The Aztecs are looking good with an 11-0 record in the Mountain West, but a relatively weak year for the conference could put their bid in question if they don't take care of business in the conference tournament. San Diego State is only 7-6 in its out-of-conference schedule, with losses vs. Arkansas-Little Rock, South Dakota and Grand Canyon.

The Pirates sit tied for third in the Big East, which might not be good enough to get in the dance. They have a top 50 RPI, with big wins vs. Wichita State and Providence.

The good: South Carolina got off to a 15-0 start and have a top 30 RPI. The bad: South Carolina has few wins to hang its hat on, with the most notable being Clemson, Memphis,and Vanderbilt. It's quite possible the Gamecocks won't have a win vs. a Tournament team going into Selection Sunday, which would cloud their likely impressive overall record.

The Bonnies have had a solid year thus far at 15-6 and fifth in the A-10. Their top 50 RPI is strong, but losses vs. Hofstra, Siena and Duquesne don't help their cause.

The Hawks have a strong case for the Tournament with a top 40 RPI and currently ranking third in the A-10. That said, it's hard to find an impressive win on their résumé, but they have the opportunity to add key wins down the stretch.

St. Mary's has successfully revitalized one of the most underrated basketball rivalries in the nation with its resurgence this season, standing neck and neck with Gonzaga in the WCC. The Gaels beat Gonzaga at home earlier this season, but an RPI outside the top 50 requires the them to stay on their game the rest of the way.

Syracuse is in the bottom half of the ACC standings, and its early season loss vs. St. John's stands as a major blemish. An RPI in the top 50 isn't bad, but the Orange could use a big win vs. Louisville or North Carolina down the stretch.

UConn sits in third place in the AAC, with an RPI barely in the top 50. While the Huskies don't have any bad losses on their résumé, the impressive wins are limited to Michigan, Ohio State, Texas and Georgetown.

Vandy's huge recent wins against Florida and Texas A&M can't be understated for the status of its Tournament hopes. The Commodores are only 13-10 but have the opportunity to impress the committee if they can win late in the season vs. Kentucky or at Texas A&M.

Some say Washington head coach Lorenzo Romar needs to make the NCAA Tournament to keep his job, and that status is up in the air. The team is 15-8 and trying to make up for some difficult losses early in the year vs. Oakland and UCSB.

It will be very difficult for the Colonial Athletic Conference to get multiple bids to the Tournament, but William & Mary could make it interesting if it's an at-large candidate. The Tribe stands at 17-6 but is top 40 in RPI after stacking its out-of-conference schedule with NC State, Dayton, Hampton, Old Dominion and Virginia.

It's been a difficult year for the Badgers with head coach Bo Ryan stepping down early in the season and five out-of-conference losses. The team has made major progress recently, getting huge wins vs. Michigan State, Indiana and Ohio State. A couple more big wins could get them into the NCAA Tournament and make interim head coach Greg Gard the permanent man.