Canes Basketball Bubble Watch: Feb. 27
With the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament less than three weeks away – games will tip off March 14 – team's chances to punch their ticket to "The Big Dance" or impresses the selection committee enough to get in are rapidly waning.
Previously, Miami was in the bucket of teams that was "on the bubble".
But with the Canes recent four-game winning streak, which includes wins over No. 18 ranked Virginia and a 55-50 home victory over No. 10 ranked Duke, Miami should be a virtual lock to earn a spot in the field of 68.
Jim Larrañaga and crew were rewarded for their recent success by earning the No. 25 spot in the latest USA Today Coaches Poll.
UM, which has won six of its past seven games, has two regular season games remaining – both on the road. Miami will visit Virginia Tech – which the Canes beat 74-68 two weeks ago – Monday and will travel to Tallahassee to face No. 19 Florida State on March 4.
If Miami can keep its streak going through the end of the regular season, it will enter the ACC championship tournament – which will take place March 7-11 at Brooklyn's Barclays Center – as one of the hottest teams in the country.
Winning a couple of games during the ACC tournament could improve the Hurricanes' seeding in the NCAA tourney. Better yet, Miami could earn the ACC's automatic bid into "The Big Dance" if it were to win the conference tournament championship.
Here's how the Canes currently stack up:
Record: 20-8
Conference (ACC) record: 10-6
Best win(s): DUKE (55-50; Feb. 25), UVA (54-28; Feb. 20), PITT (74-68; Feb. 8), UNC (77-62; Jan. 28)
Worst loss(es): SYR (70-55; Jan. 4)
RPI (Rating Percentage Index) Ranking: 35th (Up from 37th)
Strength Of Schedule: 46th (Up from 54th)
Latest CBS Bracketology Prediction: No. 8 seed in Midwest bracket
Latest ESPN Bracketology Prediction: No. 8 seed in West Bracket