Northwestern's NCAA Tournament chances are coming down to the wire.
By now, you know the story: the Wildcats are the only major conference team never to make the NCAA Tournament, and their performance this season has put them squarely on the bubble. Northwestern lost a heartbreaker this week to Ohio State, and will likely need to win its final regular season game against Iowa and one victory in the Big 10 Tournament to solidify its spot.
As of right now, SB Nation's Chris Dobbertean says the Wildcats are in the field of 68.
Northwestern (17-12, 7-10 Big Ten, RPI: 50, SOS: 10, non-conf. SOS: 12)
If Greg Gumbel fails to read Northwestern's name out on Selection Sunday, the nightmares of Wildcat fans will likely feature a loop of a pair of close losses to Michigan and Wednesday's game-winning bank shot by Ohio State's Jared Sullinger for the foreseeable future. By all rights, the Wildcats should currently be far from the cut line, but results elsewhere see them barely hanging on, thanks primarily to wins over Michigan State and Seton Hall, excellent computer numbers, and an absence of bad losses. (Seriously, very few teams can claim such a spotless mark against teams from outside of the RPI Top 100 this season.) Unfortunately for the Wildcats, that selling point is in real danger. That's because they close the regular season at Iowa -- a team that's already swept Minnesota and Wisconsin -- this Saturday.
For more on Northwestern basketball, visit SB Nation's Northwestern blog Sippin On Purple. For more news and notes from around the country, visit SB Nation's men's basketball news hub.