Mid-major upset wreaks havoc on bubble teams

This is the week when the Cinderellas discover if the slipper fits or the glass shatters on their dreams. For three and a half months the premier teams are given marquee prominence nightly on ESPN, while many of the mid-major teams get no TV exposure. The week before tournament selection week is a time for the Davids of college basketball to step into the spotlight as America watches their attempt to bring national recognition to their universities.

Teams are given a fresh slate to their season. Any team in the nation, with the exception of Ivy League teams, can run the table in their conference tournament and get invited to the NCAA Tournament. A team could come in with a 2-14 conference record and get an invitation this Sunday.

There is so much good basketball to watch this week. Sunday night you could have watched Steve Nash's alma mater, the Santa Clara Broncos, take the number three Gonzaga Bulldogs to the wire. While a conference championship was on the line for the Bulldogs, their season was not. Santa Clara had much more to lose, because for them it was lose and go home till next season.

On Monday night, the Southwest Missouri State Bears battled the Northern Iowa Panthers in two overtimes in the Missouri Valley Conference Tournament championship game. The Panthers escaped with a 79-74 victory and a trip to the NCAA Tournament. Across the country, the Virginia Commonwealth Rams, coached by former Duke star Jeff Capel, beat the George Mason Patriots, 55-54, to win the Colonial Athletic Championship.

And who wouldn't want to see a match-up between the Sam Houston St. Bearcats and the Stephen F. Austin Lumberjacks? This Southland Conference tournament game certainly features one of the odder name match-ups of the week. Somewhere, Bob Jones University is itching to get in on the name game.

Everyone's favorite real Cinderella from the late 90's, the Valparaiso Crusaders, are back and ready to cause some trouble. On Monday night, the Crusaders beat the IUPUI Jaguars to get into the big dance. With coach Homer Drew back at the helm after a year off, look for this potential number 13 seed to be a possible bracket buster.

This can also be a stressful time for bubble teams around the nation. At the same time, bubble teams are sweating over their RPIs, strengths of schedule, and records against top-25 and 50. Some of the small conference teams are making them sweat even more. Once again, there are 34 at-large bids for the NCAA Tournament. Assuming that there are about 25 near "locks" for the tournament, that leaves only about nine slots open for debate.

Teams like Southwest Missouri State beating the 15th ranked Salukis of Southern Illinois (RPI 21) are a bubble team's worst nightmare. Despite being a mid-major team, the Salukis had an outstanding season worthy of an at-large bid to the NCAA's.

Yet, by losing in the semi-finals in the Missouri Valley Conference Tournament they have opened the door for another team that would not have gotten in without winning the tournament. This loss will force one of the teams in the middle of the ACC, Big 12, or the Big East to be left out of the dance.

As of Thursday morning, fourteen automatic bids have already been handed out with 17 more on the way before Sunday's selection announcement. This group includes the LA-Lafayette Ragin' Cajuns (Sun Belt), Ill-Chicago Flames (Horizon), Princeton Tigers (Ivy League), Central Florida Knights (Atlantic Sun), Liberty Flames (Big South), Manhattan Jaspers (MAAC), Murray State Racers (Ohio Valley), East Tennessee State Bucs (Southern), Eastern Washington Eagles (Big Sky), and the Monmouth Hawks (Northeast) in addition to the teams mentioned previously.

Championship Week is a time for the smaller schools of college basketball to grab the national headlines for once. At the same time, bubble teams that fall short of winning their conference tournaments better hope that the favorites win their conference titles. For every non-favorite that wins a conference tournament, there is one fewer bid for a major conference school to get into the Big Dance.

Come Sunday, we will see who gets their tickets punched, and those who are left crying at the foot of the door.