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Bubble watch: Who's feeling great after Saturday's action

Rick Osentoski-USA TODAY Sports

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With a week left in the regular season, it's officially crunch time in the college basketball world.

A number of teams entered play on Saturday in desperate need of a win to impress the selection committee and strengthen their case for an at-large bid.

Unfortunately for some, Saturday likely marked the end of the road in their quest to book a spot in the Big Dance.

Here's who should be feeling great after Saturday's results, and who should probably be making other plans for the month of March.

Feelin' great

Michigan

Michigan fans should cancel any plans they had for March 16 and 17, because the Wolverines are definitely going to be in the NCAA Tournament after Saturday's win over Purdue. John Beilein's program connected on 11 3-pointers in the win, and never looked threatened by the 14th-ranked Boilermakers. With strong shooting and an offense that almost never turns the ball over, the Wolverines are not a team anybody wants to see in March.

Wichita State

At 25-4, the notion that Wichita State wouldn't make the NCAA Tournament if it didn't earn the Missouri Valley Conference's automatic bid is ludicrous, but apparently that's the world we live in. The Shockers have absolutely ripped through their conference over the last 12 games, winning every contest by an average of 23 points. Saturday's beatdown of Missouri State showed the committee that Wichita State should be included in the field of 68, regardless of its conference tournament showing.

Rhode Island

Rhode Island desperately needed a win Saturday against VCU, and got one with a 10-point triumph. While the Rams certainly didn't clinch a spot in the field of 68 with the victory, they took a step in the right direction. Whether Rhode Island needs to win the A-10 Tournament to qualify for the NCAA Tournament remains to be seen, but Saturday's win likely got the Rams a look they wouldn't have otherwise.

Feeling awful

Clemson

Stop me if you've heard this one before, but Clemson lost a close game on Saturday. With the two-point loss to Florida State, the Tigers have now dropped eight games this season by five points or less. That inability to close out contests has now cost the Tigers any chance at an at-large bid for this year's tournament. Even with wins against NC State and Boston College to end the season, Clemson will need a near-impossible run in the conference tournament to make the field.

Kansas State

Thanks to West Virginia's last-second win over TCU, Kansas State moved into the field of 68 in most bracket projections. The Wildcats celebrated the news by getting completely housed by the Big 12's worst team in Oklahoma. The 81-53 final is about as ugly as it gets for Wildcat fans, as Kansas State now has no chance of making the NCAA Tournament unless it wins the Big 12 tournament. The starting lineup combined to shoot a dreadful 7-for-33 from the field, which isn't good enough to win against anybody.

Marquette

Marquette entered Saturday's game at Providence likely needing one win in its last three games to lock up an NCAA Tournament bid. Despite holding a 12-point lead in the second half, the Golden Eagles couldn't finish the job and suffered a crushing loss. Xavier and Creighton remain on Marquette's schedule, and both are headed to the NCAA Tournament, so getting at least one win out of those two will be a tall task.

(Photos courtesy: Action Images)

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