Missouri basketball’s shot to impact its Selection Sunday status is up. The Tigers are sitting and waiting like the rest of us, now.
But as many conferences around the country wind toward their semifinal and title games, the Tigers’ spot in March Madness isn’t settled. There are still three races that Mizzou fans should pay particularly close attention to before the field is announced Sunday, March 15.
Mizzou (21-12) is currently widely projected as an NCAA Tournament team, even though the Tigers will ride a three-game slide into Selection Sunday, capped with a 78-72 loss to Kentucky that meant a one-and-done trip to the SEC Tournament.
There isn’t a single forecast, either from the national media landscape or among independent bracketologist, that has Mizzou outside of the field.
But, some outlets have Missouri in the First Four, meaning a de-facto play-in game in Dayton, Ohio.
The more optimistic outlooks, if you have a Columbia lean, have MU occupying one of the final byes into the Round of 64 with a 10- or 11-seed. That’s still close enough to create some Sunday anxiety.
So, as the games roll on elsewhere Saturday and Sunday, who should Missouri fans cheer for?
Here are the three conference races Mizzou fans should keep an eye on:
Who does Missouri want to win the SEC? Anyone but the 15-seed
The last thing Mizzou needs is a bid thief in its own conference.
And Ole Miss is currently making a pretty remarkable run that the Tigers would prefer to end sooner rather than later.
The 15-seeded Rebels will take on 3-seed Arkansas at 2:30 p.m. Saturday in Nashville, Tennessee, after rolling through Texas, Georgia and Alabama in Music City.
As it stands, 10 SEC teams are projected to make the field, and that’s with Oklahoma widely projected to miss out on an at-large berth. Mizzou and Texas are the final SEC teams into the field at present, so you really don’t want the Rebels stealing a spot at the last moment.
Arkansas and Florida/Vanderbilt stand in the way of a major SEC Tournament upset. It doesn’t matter which one, but the Tigers want one of those three teams to cut down the nets in Nashville.
Root on the home-state team in the A-10
ESPN and CBS Sports both have the same projected matchup in their latest bracket projections.
Mizzou versus VCU as First Four teams in Dayton, Ohio.
VCU will play Saint Joseph’s in one A-10 semifinal at 2:30 p.m. Saturday in Pittsburgh. In the other, earlier semifinals matchup, Saint Louis takes on Dayton at noon Saturday.
Missouri would be best served if SLU goes ahead and wins this the Atlantic-10 title.
First, that would eliminate the possibility for a bid stealer in Dayton or Saint Jo’s. That’s obviously ideal for MU and the bubble.
Second, it would give the Tigers the best chance at remaining ahead of VCU if it came down to those two teams for a spot in the Round of 64 or the First Four. You want every advantage you can get, and a conference title for the Rams would not help that cause.
Eyes on the Mountain West
As it stands, it looks like the Mountain West Conference might be a one-bid league. That changes if Utah State loses its conference title game.
The Aggies, who remain the last team Missouri has beaten in the NCAA Tournament since 2013, take on San Diego State in the Mountain West title game at 5 p.m. CDT in Las Vegas.
SDSU beat New Mexico State in a battle of bubble teams Friday, and the only way the Aztecs can guarantee a spot in the field is with a conference championship.
Utah State is a lock, and if it wins its conference then there’s a chance the MWC only sends one team to the Big Dance. That’s good for Mizzou.
This article originally appeared on Columbia Daily Tribune: Rooting interests for Missouri basketball fans before Selection Sunday