Saturday's Bubble winners and losers

We are to the point in the season where win and every loss by every team somewhere in the middle of the pack is analyzed through the lens of the bubble. Its even more important this year. With the parity across the country and the mediocrity that is this year's bubble, getting into the tournament is much more important than where you get seeded.

Winners:

• Michigan State: The Spartans came into this weekend losers of six of their last eight, but in a win against Pen State and a loss to Ohio State last week, they looked like a different team. Their 61-57 win over Illinois on Saturday probably keeps them in most of Monday's projections, but they are still not in by a comfortable margin. With games at Minnesota and Purdue next week, the Spartans have a chance to do that next week.
  


• Utah State: The Aggies desperately needed their 75-65 win over St. Mary's on Saturday night. They came in without a marquee win -- their best win on the season had been Long Beach State. The Aggies are far from a lock, however, given how weak their conference is. USU probably cannot afford to lose another game, but if they win out and avoid a first round knockout in the WAC Tournament, they should be fine.
  

• George Mason: The Patriots went into Cedar Falls on Saturday and knocked off Northern Iowa, 77-71. It was the 13th straight win for Mason, the longest such streak in the country. They have an RPI in the top 20 and a full two game lead in the strong CAA. Barring a collapse, this team has played their way off the bubble and into the tournament.
  


• Georgia: The Bulldogs picked up a huge, 69-63 road win against Tennessee on Saturday. Mark Fox's team has struggled in close games this season, costing them some nice wins at home. The Bulldogs needed to get at least of their roadies against UT, Florida, and Alabama if they wanted to seriously be considered. They got it Saturday.
  


• Alabama: The Crimson Tide has been very good in SEC play, but they were so bad during the non-conference that they cannot afford another loss to a team not headed to the tournament. Beating Arkansas isn't that important. Not losing to Arkansas is.
  

Losers:

• Missouri Valley: Wichita State lost at home to VCU. Northern Iowa lost at home to George Mason. Indiana State lost at home to Morehead State. Missouri State got smacked at Valpo. They needed the opposite to happen to have a chance at getting a second bid.
  


• Colorado State: The Rams have a poor enough non-conference resume that they need every win they can get in MWC play. The damage this loss did can be erased if CSU can knock off either SDSU or BYU on the road this season.
  


• Illinois: Including Saturday's 61-57 defeat at Michigan State, Illinois has lost seven of their last 11 and are now 17-10 on the season and 7-7 in the Big Ten. Making matters worse, they have now lost five of their last six on the road. The struggles of the Illini have been well publicized. They better show up ready to play when they travel to Ohio State and Purdue.


• St. Mary's: The Gaels loss to Utah State on Saturday probably wouldn't hurt as much as it does if they hadn't dug themselves a hole with a loss to San Diego, who is sub-300 in the RPI, on Wednesday. Not only have the Gaels cost themselves in regard to their NCAA Tournament standing, they now have to beat Portland and Gonzaga next week if they want to avoid sharing the WCC title. And if they don't win both? They will need to win the WCC Tournament to earn a bid.
  


• Virginia Tech: Virginia Tech lost to Virginia 61-54 on Saturday, which means that the Hokies were swept by the 'Hoos. Tech is an interesting case. They've lost a couple of ugly road games and are just 1-5 against the RPI top 50. The Hokies may need to beat Duke at home next Saturday on Gameday if they want to lock up an at-large bid.


• Baylor: Baylor is in big time trouble. They’ve now lost to Texas Tech at home and Oklahoma in league play, they have no quality wins outside Texas A&M, and they are at .500 in league play. The good news? They play Missouri, Texas A&M, and Texas down the stretch, so there are opportunities to play their way in.