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Bubble Banter: Who hurt their tournament chances?

St. Louis U. v La Salle

La Salle guard Tyrone Garland is defended by Saint Louis players, from left, Cory Remekun, Randy Glaze and Jake Barnett as he tries to shoot during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game in the semifinals of the Missouri Valley Conference tournament, Saturday, March 9, 2013 in St. Louis. (AP Photo/St. Louis Post-Dispatch, Chris Lee) EDWARDSVILLE INTELLIGENCER OUT; THE ALTON TELEGRAPH OUT

AP

SATURDAY’S FIVE BIGGEST BUBBLE LOSERS

La Salle: La Salle had a chance to pick up the kind of win that they could lock up an NCAA tournament bid on Saturday ... and they missed. By a lot. The Explorers were crushed by St. Louis, losing 78-54, hanging around with the Billikens for about 25 minutes before getting run off the court down the stretch. La Salle has some good wins and just one loss, and while they may feel comfortable right now, they’ll want to avoid losing early on in the A-10 tournament to feel safe.

Minnesota: The Golden Gophers have a profile that is strong enough that, even if they lose in the first round of the Big Ten tournament, is probably deserving of an at-large bid. The issue with Minnesota is that, after losing to Nebraska and Purdue in the final week of the regular season, is that they have just been so bad for long late in the season that it’s tough to remember what they did in November and December. they probably deserve a bid, but that doesn’t mean they are one of the top 37 teams.

Oklahoma: The Sooners looked to be sitting pretty after lighting up Iowa State last Saturday, but that was before they went and lost to TCU, which is about as bad of a loss as a team in a major conference can suffer during league play. The interesting thing about Oklahoma’s profile is that they are a long way from feeling comfortable. A loss in the first round of the Big 12 tournament will make for a long weekend heading into Selection Sunday.

Xavier and Providence: The Musketeers and the Friars both had a chance to play their way into the dance with a big road win (at Butler and at UConn, respectively) and a couple wins in their league tournament. They both lost.

Louisiana Tech: The Bulldogs are going to need to earn the WAC’s at-large bid. They had a slight chance before this week, but after getting drubbed by both New Mexico State and Denver on the road, LTU has no shot of dancing without the autobid.

Other Bubble Losers: San Diego State, Oklahoma, Colorado, Arizona State, Providence

You can find Rob on twitter @RobDauster.