As the NCAA selection show approaches this Sunday Wichita State is still a mystery. Many think they’ll be in, many think they’ll be out. It should be noted that ESPN’s Joe Lunardi still has the Shockers firmly in the field as an No. 8 seed. Lunardi is widely regarded as the most trusted “bracketologist,” he has been more accurate than CBS and USA Today in recent years.

The Shockers are up against it with quite a few other bubble teams in question.

Wichita State

The Shockers are currently No. 11 in the KenPom rating and no team in the top 15 has ever missed the NCAA tournament. Monmouth’s loss to Iona Monday night didn’t help but the Shockers have 24 wins. Most other bubble teams do not. The Utah win is still very strong and with an RPI of 50 they should be able to squeeze their way in. The committee will likely take name recognition and VanVleet’s injury into account even if they say they will not.

Verdict: In

Monmouth

The Monmouth Hawks lost in the final of the MAAC tournament Monday which got Shockers fans worried once again. Monmouth finished 27-7 with two big quality wins against Notre Dame and USC. The MAAC now looks like a two bid league. Monmouth has a better résumé than plenty of bubble teams and although UCLA and Georgetown finished with sub-par seasons, Monmouth’s true road wins over the Bruins and the Hoyas are still impressive.

Verdict: In

Oregon State:

The Beavers are currently 18-11 and finished with just a 9-9 conference record entering a very difficult Pac 12 tournament in Las Vegas this weekend. Assuming the Beavers defeat Arizona State in the opening round they’ll meet California in the quarterfinal which will be no easy task. The Beavers have quality wins against California, Oregon, USC, Colorado and Utah. However, 9-9 in conference is not strong and USC has 20 wins while also being 9-9 in league play.

The committee should value USC over Oregon State as they played a tougher schedule out of conference. It’ll be tough for the Beavers to get in without a Pac 12 tourney run.

Verdict: Out

Syracuse

Syracuse is another case of 9-9 in league play that isn’t quite good enough. At 19-13 overall, a true road win over Duke is huge and the Texas A&M victory is also quite impressive. With one more conference win they would have been safe. Joe Lunardi has stated that the loser of Wednesday’s game between Syracuse and Pittsburg in the second round of the ACC tournament is out. Syracuse lost by one point Wednesday afternoon, failing to reach 20 wins.

 Verdict: Out

St. Bonaventure

The Bonnies are 22-7 entering the Atlantic 10 tournament with two great wins over St. Joseph’s and a win at Dayton. They have their fair share of bad losses against Ohio Siena and Duquesne but overall their résumé is pretty strong. It’s hard to see them getting snubbed with their quality wins and an RPI of 28.

Verdict: In

Connecticut

UCONN is a talented squad and Kevin Ollie is a proven coach. The enter the Aamerican Athletic Conference tournament at 21-10 overall with some solid wins over SMU and Texas. A No. 55 RPI isn’t the best but the Huskies have no bad loss. While the committee has shown in recent years that they value good wins over bad losses, someone from the AAC has to get in aside from the tournament champion, and possibly two or three more.

Verdict: In

Tulsa

Tulsa seems to be the odd man out in the AAC. They are 20-10. They have the quality win against Wichita State and a road win at Southern Methodist was a huge résumé booster. The problem is their résumé is too similar to other teams in the AAC but they have less name recognition. Frank Haith has done a great job with this program but it’s tough to see them get in with likely 11 losses by the end of the American conference tournament.

Verdict: Out

Florida

The Florida Gators have arguably the best win of any team on the bubble with a demolishing victory over West Virginia in Gainesville during the Big 12-SEC challenge. However, they failed to capitalize on any further opportunities to gain quality wins. They lost in nearly every matchup against the top tier in the SEC and finished with an 18-13 (9-9 conference) record overall. Florida needed a few more wins. They’ll have to make a serious run in the SEC tournament.

Verdict: Out

St. Mary’s

With the Gaels loss to Gonzaga Tuesday night they give the committee an extremely tough decision. St Mary’s only has five losses and two wins over now tourney bound Gonzaga. They pass the eye test and have a respectable RPI. The Gaels have what it takes to win games in the tourney. Ultimately, St. Mary’s deserves it much more than the likes of a Florida, Michigan or Ohio State.

Verdict: In

Pittsburgh:

With the Panthers huge win over Syracuse they are now 21-10 and have defeated Syracuse three times. Pitt has their share of quality wins over Duke and others in the ACC. One more win will assure the Panthers are dancing but they are on the inside of the bubble with their win Wednesday.

Verdict: In

Other notes

Ohio State and Michigan have played their way out of the tournament in the Big Ten. They need to do some serious work in the conference tournament. Other teams in strong conferences such as George Washington, Florida, and Oregon State could likely end up taking bids from teams like Wichita State, Monmouth, and St. Mary’s with good showings in their respective conference tournaments.