Bubble Battles - January 9th & 10th

Here are the top ten games that will impact the bubble this weekend.

10) Creighton-Wichita State(Sunday): The Shockers went into Springfield, MO on Wednesday to play Missouri State and came away with an important road victory. They face the Bluejays hoping to avoid a letdown.

9) Marquette-Villanova(Saturday): Last weekend's 4-point win by the Wildcats in Milwaukee won't be forgotten by the Golden Eagles, who are coming off a 62-59 win over Georgetown. A win here and the Golden Eagles could be very close to the cut line on Monday, albeit on the wrong side.

8) William & Mary-Drexel(Saturday): Both the Tribe and Dragons are part of a 5-Way tie for 1st in the hotly Colonial and the winner could still be in a tie for the top after Saturday's action. For the Tribe, a victory here is essential for staying above the cut line for an at-large and preferably for Tony Shaver's club, a big win at that. All four of the Tribe's Colonial results have been by a point.

7) Kansas-Tennessee(Sunday): With Tyler Smith and three others out due to arrests made after the New Year's Eve game in Memphis, the Vols, after winning with six men against Charlotte, entertain Kansas in Knoxville. A loss won't hurt the Vols, but a win would help justify a high seed come March 14th.

UPDATE: as of today, Tyler Smith has bee dismissed from the team. Melvin Goins, Cameron Tatum and Brian Williams(No, not THAT one) are still on
indefinite suspension. One now has to feel that if all these players are unable to set foot on a collegiate court this season, the Vols are sunk.

6) Wake Forest-Miami(FL)(Saturday): A really bad OOC schedule kept the Hurricanes out of my projections this week, despite a gaudy record. Beating the Demon Deacons would erase a lot of doubts.

5) Ohio State-Minnesota(Saturday): Evan Turner makes his return to the starting lineup for the Buckeyes as they hit Williams Arena. The Gophers must be careful to avoid losing two in a row, if they do so, they will likely fall out of the projections next week.

4) Mississippi State-Mississippi(Saturday): After several losses to non-BCS 6 teams, the Bulldogs are teetering on the edge of the cut line. The Rebels hope to be the ones to push them off.

3) Southern California-California(Saturday): This is how bad the Pac-10 has gotten ladies & gentlemen. A loss by the Golden Bears on their home court and their place in line could be lost, leaving only Washington as a likely at-large team.

2) Duke-Georgia Tech(Saturday): The good for the Yellow Jackets, coming off a 73-66 loss to rival Georgia, is that they're playing at home. The bad news is that the Blue Devils are coming. Lose here, and their spot in the field is lost for next week.

1) St. John's-Louisville(Saturday): It's as simple as this for a battle of Big East bubblers. Winner is in, Loser is out(although the Cardinals may have played their way in before the game).