Archived: Six NCAA tournament bubble teams with momentum for March Madness run

UCLA. The Bruins (17-11, NET score of 76) are hot and have played themselves onto the bubble with five consecutive wins, including Quadrant 1 road victories at Arizona and Colorado. After a rough start in coach Mick Cronin’s first year, UCLA has found its identity at the right time and can still win the Pac-12 title. The last three games of the regular season won’t be easy, though, starting with a similarly hot team in Arizona State visiting Thursday.

Providence: The Friars (16-12, NET score of 48) have been on the outside looking in for a while. But they’re in the mix as a No. 11 seed or play-in seed thanks to three huge wins in Big East play, led by home victories against top-five projected seeds Seton Hall and Marquette. Providence’s credentials feature seven Quadrant 1 victories, more than any bubble team at this point.

Clemson: The Tigers (14-12, NET score 74) are starting to come on strong with three wins in a row, including a defeat of Louisville last week. They also own a win over Duke on their profile, but still has to play themselves in because of a December-January skid when they lost six of seven. The ACC has been down this year, meaning more than a few marquee wins will be necessary down the stretch.

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Memphis: Coach Penny Hardaway had a preseason top-15 team before NBA lottery pick James Wiseman left the team. The Wiseman-less version of the Tigers (19-8, NET score 61) has taken a while to come together and been largely inconsistent. But two wins last week appeared to signal a turn in the right direction, mainly a one-point defeat of league leader Houston. Precious Achiuwa (15.2 ppg, 10.1 rpg) gives Hardaway a dynamic playmaker to fuel a late-season push.

UNC Greensboro: The Spartans (23-6, NET score 62) have been overshadowed by East Tennessee State’s strong season (and at-large bid worthy profile) in the Southern Conference. But they could very easily play themselves onto the right side of the bubble as a No. 12 seed by winning out and reaching the Southern Conference tournament title game against ETSU. If UNCG does make it to March Madness, this is a team that played Kansas close back in November and beat Georgetown on the road.

Richmond: The Spiders (20-7, NET score 49) had a five-game winning streak snapped with a road loss to St. Bonaventure on Saturday, but are still in the mix to garner at at-large bid. The Atlantic 10 is a unique mid-major league with Dayton in line for a No. 1 or No. 2 seed. Rhode Island is also on the bubble as a projected No. 10 seed. If Richmond can put together another winning streak stretching into the A-10 tourney, its chances of hearing its name called on Selection Sunday are high.