NCAA March Madness Bubble Watch
The NCAA Tournament is fast-approaching, and as always, there are a lot of teams sitting on the bubble that are trying to position themselves in a good spot to make the Big Dance. Here are some of the teams which are making some moves in recent times, and are needing a push as the season winds down.
Team Trending Up: Wake Forest Demon Deacons
Wake Forest is sitting on the bubble, but are trending in the perfect direction to qualify for the NCAA Tournament this year. After dropping three-straight, the Demon Deacons have won back-to-back games, including a 92-85 win over conference foe North Carolina on Tuesday night.
The Demon Deacons are getting great play from senior guard Tyree Appleby, who is willing his team to the finish line. Appleby scored a game-high 35 points against the Tar Heels, while also dishing out 11 assists and grabbing seven rebounds.
Appleby’s numbers have been great all year for the Demon Deacons, and along with the opportunities to get quality wins in the ACC, expect Wake Forest to continue to build that resume and get to the NCAA Tournament.
Team to Watch: Wisconsin Badgers
Wisconsin has been looking for some consistency this year, and might be able to find their stride as they are finally getting healthy. The Badgers had struggled heading into February, but with the return of Tyler Wahl to 100%, and the strong play of Steven Crowl and Chucky Hepburn makes them a dangerous team throughout the rest of the season.
Wisconsin got a huge win over Penn State on Wednesday on the road, defeating the Nittany Lions 79-74 in overtime. The Badgers had four different players score in double-figures, and knocked down 11 triples on the road.
Wisconsin’s biggest issue this season has been their offense, but they looked phenomenal inside the BJC, scoring their most points since Dec. 3 when they defeated Marquette. If the Badgers can continue their offensive success that they found at Penn State, Wisconsin could be the team to make a late push to the NCAA Tournament come March.
Team Trending Out: Penn State Nittany Lions
Just a few weeks ago, Penn State defeated Michigan by 22 points at home, and appeared to be moving in the right direction to qualify for the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2011. Since that win, the Nittany Lions have struggled on both ends of the floor, and have lost three straight games at the wrong time.
The losing streak started with a 20-point loss to top-ranked Purdue, before traveling to Lincoln and falling to Nebraska 72-63. Those two losses put the Nittany Lions in an extremely important game against Wisconsin on Wednesday, and were unable to close that game out at home.
Penn State has received great performances from Jalen Pickett, Seth Lundy and Andrew Funk, but the lack of a consistent fourth option and defensive issues are hurting coach Micah Shrewsberry’s squad in February. If Penn State wants to turn their season around, they need to answer those questions quickly and start winning games in the tough Big Ten conference.
Adam Sheetz is a junior majoring in broadcast journalism. To contact him, email ads360@psu.edu.
