Here are Joe Lunardi’s bubble teams as of Saturday morning.

Last Four In

* Virginia Tech
* Illinois
* Washington
* Rhode Island

First Four Out

* Minnesota
* Mississippi State
* Ole Miss
* Seton Hall

Next Out

* Arizona State

Illinois, Washington, Rhode Island, Minnesota and Mississippi State are all play today in their respective conference tournaments so they can help or hurt their chances. Minnesota beat Illinois in Champaign, and the two teams otherwise have similar resumes, so it seems like the Gophers should get the nod over the Illini, assuming both teams fare about the same today. Washington doesn’t have a signature win, but neither does Mississippi State (though they played Kentucky tough) or Rhode Island. The Rams’ resume might be the least impressive: 9-7 in the Atlantic 10, 0-3 against the top 25, 1-4 against the top 50.

For those that are arguing for tournament expansion, this is a reason to keep things the way they are. None of the teams that are on this list are great teams. While they are certainly capable of making some noise, they’ve all had plenty of opportunity to play themselves into a bid and haven’t yet secured a spot. If expansion does indeed happen, all of these teams would all have already secured bids, so it will reduce the importance of the regular season and conference tournaments. These teams are playing with a sense of urgency that has made this week far more exciting.

Be sure to check back on Monday evening for my annual bracket column. It’s going to be a fun few weeks.