Canes Basketball Bubble Watch - Feb. 21
With the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament exactly three weeks away – games will tip off March 14 – teams are trying to put the finishing touches on their respective resumes so that they receive a ticket to "The Big Dance".
Like bucketful of other teams, Miami is considered one of those teams "on the bubble" – a team that's not a complete lock to be in the field of 68 and will need to impress the selection committee with big wins over the next 21 days.
Although, the Canes helped their case with a big win Presidents' Day – a 54-48 overtime victory over No. 18 Virginia – and now UM sits just 2.5 games back of ACC-leading North Carolina.
The win, which was essentially sealed by a cold-blooded three-pointer by freshman Bruce Brown, had the Canes feeling pretty good afterward.
Locker room is lit. pic.twitter.com/8uN6NDQP1q
— Canes Hoops (@CanesHoops) February 21, 2017
Miami (19-8), which is currently on a three-game winning streak and has won five of its past six games, has three regular season games remaining. UM's home finale against No. 10 Duke on Feb. 25, a Feb. 27 game at Virginia Tech – which the Canes beat 74-68 two weeks ago – and a regular season finale showdown at No. 19 Florida State on March 4.
The ACC tournament will take place March 7-11 at Brooklyn's Barclays Center – with the winner of the conference tournament receiving an automatic bid into the NCAA tournament.
Here's how the Canes currently stack up:
Record: 19-8
Conference record: 9-6
Best win(s): UNC (77-62; 1/28), UVA (54-28; 2/20), PITT (74-68; 2/8)
Worst loss: SYR (70-55; 1/4)
RPI (Rating Percentage Index) Ranking: 37th
Strength Of Schedule: 54th
Latest CBS Bracketology Prediction: No. 8 seed in South bracket (On The Bubble)