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Saturday’s Bubble Winners

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Big Winners

- Alabama: The Crimson Tide is rolling, as it looks like Anthony Grant has finally made it known: you do things my way, or you play somewhere else. With Tony Mitchell no longer on the team and JaMychal Green finally returning to the lineup, Alabama cruised to a 67-50 win over Mississippi State, solidifying their standing as fourth in the SEC pecking order and putting themselves in terrific position come Selection Sunday. With games left against Auburn and Ole Miss, all the Crimson Tide has to do is win the games they are supposed to win. They’ve now won three in a row and six of their last eight while wins over Purdue and Wichita State look better by the day.

- Purdue: The Boilermakers all but punched their ticket today as they went into Ann Arbor and knocked off No. 11 Michigan, 75-61. Terone Johnson went for 22 points and Robbie Hummel added 17 as Purdue picked up the marquee victory they so desperately needed. Coming in, Michigan was 15-0 at home and they had just beaten Ohio State in Crisler Arena. So yeah, this is a good win, their first against the top of the conference.

- St. Joseph’s: The Hawks still have some work to get done, but after beating No. 22 Temple on Saturday evening, Phil Martelli’s club is that much closer to completing the task. St. Joe’s needed a quality win desperately to help fill out their resume, and they got it, beating the Owls 82-72. They still have to go up to St. Bonaventure this week, a game that the Hawks probably should win if they want an at-large bid, because as of right now, St. Joe’s is right on the cut-line.

- Memphis: Two games ago, the Tigers lost to UTEP at home while blowing a 13 point lead. Josh Pastner made the decision to take the names off the backs of their jerseys, and that decision has worked. Memphis beat East Carolina by 23 points and followed it up on Saturday with a 20 point win at Marshall, a team that still had some slim hopes alive for making a run. Memphis should be in good shape, but its also Memphis; this team isn’t exactly known for their consistency.

- Iowa State: The Cyclones personified life on the bubble. Prior to Saturday’s game at Kansas State, there was discussion that, with losses to the Wildcats, Baylor and Missouri in their final three games, ISU could miss the NCAA Tournament. After beating K-State 65-61 on the road, not only are the Cyclones in excellent position for a bid, there is talk that a win in their last two games could vault them up to a six seed.

They helped themselves by not losing

- Drexel and VCU: The Dragons and the Rams both have slim hopes of actually getting an at-large bid. But with wins over Old Dominion and George Mason, respectively, both teams can keep hope alive that a trip to the CAA title game will be enough.

- Washington: The Huskies had to rally from an 11 point second half deficit to beat Washington State on the road, but the only thing that matters is that they won. A loss would have been disastrous.

- Xavier and Dayton: The Musketeers hung on to beat Richmond while Dayton blew out UMass at home. Xavier is probably barely on the right side of the bubble right now while Dayton still has some work to do. But hey, its better to be in the discussion than simply playing for seeding in your league tournament.

- Arizona: The Wildcats still have some hope alive for an at-large bid. They probably cannot afford another loss and may need to make a run in the NCAA Tournament if they want a bid.

- Texas: Texas avoided a disastrous loss by winning at Texas Tech. The Longhorns are still sitting right on that cut line.

- BYU: The Cougars are still in the picture, but they are going to probably have to beat Gonzaga or St. Mary’s in the WCC tournament to get an at-large bid.

- Southern Miss: The Golden Eagles have been puttering along down the stretch, and a close win over Rice doesn’t change that. But USM should feel pretty confident about their chances if they win out.

- Northwestern: The Wildcats have absolutely no margin for error, but as it stands right now, they are probably sitting on the right side of the bubble. Barely. And while a one point win -- one that may have been helped by a friendly whistle down the stretch that gave John Shurna two FT’s for the win -- at Penn State doesn’t say much for the team, Northwestern is still alive.