Sayonara Suckers

Championship week is heating up and its safe to say that a few teams have played their way out of the bubble and straight into the NIT.

Syracuse- after losing to Villanova in the first round there is no way the Orange get in to the big dance and for the second straight year.

Maryland-Gary Williams picked a bad week to stop sniffing glue because his team threw away their tournament hopes with collapses against Virginia and Boston College.

Florida- Alabama put a hurting on the Gators to ruin Billy D and the boys chances of getting into the discoteca

Oregon-they're out, but we'll never forget....Ducks fly together.

Temple is doing the opposite of all these teams as they face Charlotte in the A-10 semifinal giving the sun a chance to shine in Philadelphia again. In some dark room, John Chaney smiles.

Meet the Bubble Teams: Ohio State

With March Madness just around the corner, we felt this was a great time to look at some of the teams on the proverbial bubble this time of year.

Mascot: Buckeyes. Apparently, this is a giant acorn according to those car commercials for the Heisman in 2006. We like to think of the Buckeye as the Patron Saint of Blowing it in National Championships.

Famous Alumni: 1. Richard Lewis- best known as Larry David's friend/foe in Curb Your Enthusiasm, Richard also claims to have originated the phrase "(insert term) from hell." Such as, "Bill Simmons' Sports guy column is the column from hell." Richard also claims to have coined the phrase "hola" and has petitioned the Mexican government for copyright of the term.

2. Jack Buck- legendary broadcaster and father to gay son Joe.

3. R.L. Stine- writer of the famed Goosebump series.

Head Coach: Thad Matta- Thad's parents were known acid abuser in the 60's before they gave him his name.

White guy on the bench: Danny Peters-another former manager turned basketball version of Rudy has the most comfortable spot on the bench for the Buckeyes. Peters has seen so little time that Matta actually let him have a La-z-boy chair for all home games so he can "relax with a beer and watch the game." Seen below in what looks like a elementary school game, but is apparently a high school game, Peters is known for his hustle and lack of talent. Mike Conely Jr. said last season of his teammate: "Shit, he's actually on the team? I thought he was still just the manager."

Outlook: Tuesday's overtime win over Purdue was huge for the Buckeyes, but if they lose to Michigan State Sunday, they'll be left at 18-13 in an average-to-belowaverage Big Ten. They will probably need a run in the Big Ten tourney if they have any chance to make to the big dance.

If You Cant Stand the Heat...

There's only a few days left before tournament week. Only a few more days to pad the RPI, beat a top 50 team or win one on the road. A lot of teams are in (i.e UNC, Memphis, and Kansas). A lot of teams are out, see New Jersey Institute of Technology. Here's a list of teams that are still on that proverbial bubble:

1. Maryland- 20 point lead at home with your tourney chances on the line? Perfect time for a collapse. Now Gary Williams and his team needs to rebound and come up big after Sunday's loss to Clemson

2. Syracuse- Not to be outdone by the Terps Syracuse decided Saturday was a great time to give up a late lead and blow one at home. Paul Harris can say he got fouled but he exposed himself to that steal.

3. Ohio State- last year's runner up is hangin by a thread after Tubby Smith and Minnesota rolled over the Buckeyes.

4. Texas A&M- 10 points in a half? Is this the Boys and Girls club team we coach or a D-1 team?

5. Oregon- the Ducks have lost 8 of their last 12 and really don't deserve a shot at the tourney, but if they can win their last 2 games and then make a run in the PAC-10 tourney they may have a chance.

6. Florida- the two-time defending Champs needed a win on Saturday and came up small at home. They play Tennessee on Wednesday and should lose, meaning Saturday's game against Kentucky will probably decide which team goes dancing.

7. St Joe's- They need a win at Xavier and Dayton to close out the season to have any hope. Big 5 rival Temple scored late to beat the Hawks and could be the lone, and surprising, Big 5 rep in the tourney if they keep winning.

8. New Mexico- who cares what theyre record is (its 22-7 though), the Lobos have the best nickname in basketball, the best arena in "The Pit," and have Steve Alford, a national champion and gold medalist, as their coach. They're in.

Yea, none of these teams did anything to help themselves out this week, but they all still have shots, as long as they stop shooting themselves in the foot. We'll be giving you a run down of these teams in the coming days so check back to find out all you need to know about these teams.