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In a few days the month of February mercifully ends and we can finally start to enjoy sports again with March Madness on the horizon. Over the final three weeks of the college basketball season we'll be sizing up those teams on the bubble and let you determine who should be in or out. Up next: Lunardi's very own St. Joseph Hawks
Why they could get in
Overall Record: 17-8 (8-4, 2nd place in A-10) - The fact they're currently second in a solid Atlantic-10 is by far the biggest positive going for the Hawks. However, they're just a game away from falling to 5th or 6th.
Key Wins: @ UMass 98-92, vs Villanova 77-55, vs UMass 81-77, @ Rhode Island 90-83 - Not exactly an overwhelmingly impressive list, but several wins against bubble teams always helps.
Last 10: 7-3 - This has been as big a factor as any, however the Hawks have Dayton and Xavier to end the season.
Why they would be left out
Key Losses: 69-72 at Syracuse, 66-71 vs Holy Cross, 66-70 at Charlotte, 88-102 at Duquesne, 89-90 vs LaSalle
RPI: 44
Strength of Schedule: 86 - That's not going to help despite all this "tough" A-10 talk.
Conclusion
Joe Lunardi is fairly accurate with these predictions, but I'm a little stunned his has his alma mater so easily penciled in as a 10-seed. What above would point to that? Those are some bad losses. I have a hard time believing St. Joe is one of the best 34 at-large teams heading into the dance when comparing them to teams like Syracuse who may not even get in themselves. Sorry Lundardi, they're out.
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