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Nine potential bid stealers to monitor during Championship Week

This is March!

That means it’s time to identify some potential bid stealers to monitor prior to Championship Week.

Check out our list of nine below:

American Athletic Conference

Memphis: The Tigers have Top-25 caliber talent and are 11-3 since Evansville transfer DeAndre Williams was ruled eligible by the NCAA. Prior to that, Memphis was just 4-3. Penny Hardaway’s team can make an early statement today when it faces Houston (Noon ET, CBS).

ACC

Duke: It’s absolutely surreal to think of the Blue Devils as a potential bid stealer. The ACC is as wide open at the top as it’s ever been and the team that won the league’s regular season title — Virginia — was beaten by Duke just a few weeks ago. This may be a .500 team, but it still has major talent on its roster with guys like DJ Steward, Wendell Moore, Matthew Hurt, and Mark Williams.

Big East

St. John’s: This is all contingent on whether or not the Red Storm can get freshman point guard Posh Alexander back from a thumb injury. If that happens, St. John’s could be in business this week at Madison Square Garden. It feels like the majority of the Big East will limp into the World’s Famous Arena this week for the Big East Tournament and St. John’s could be in position to take advantage. Mike Anderson’s style won’t be an easy thing for opponents to deal with a short turnaround. Executing that style at the highest of levels is contingent on a healthy Alexander, who has missed the past few games.

Big 12

TCU: It’s highly unlikely that anyone will win the Big 12 Tournament other than any of the seven teams — Baylor, Kansas, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, West Virginia, Texas, and Texas Tech — that are projected to make the NCAA Tournament. TCU is simply in this position by default. 

Big Ten

Penn State: Similar to TCU above, the Nittany Lions are in this spot by default. A week ago, both Indiana and Minnesota would have looked like potential big stealers in the Big Ten, but both teams have spiraled downward. Penn State interim coach Jim Ferry has done a solid job with this veteran team and has led Penn State to wins this season over Maryland, Wisconsin, Rutgers, and Virginia Tech.

Mountain West

Utah State: Craig Smith has led the Aggies to back-to-back Mountain West Conference Tournament titles and a third straight triumph could very well be in the cards. Utah State has arguably the sport’s most underrated power forward/center combo in Justin Bean and Neemias Queta as well as a slew of capable role players. This is the team to watch this week in Las Vegas.

Pac-12

Stanford: This hinges on the health of Oscar da Silva. Stanford’s star big man hasn’t played since Feb. 20th due to a lower extremity issue and needs to be ready for the Pac-12 Tournament in Las Vegas if this team is going to have a chance to steal a bid. Personnel issues have lingered all season for the Cardinal, who have seen three other key players in addition to da Silva — Ziaire Williams, Daejon Davis, and Bryce Wills — miss extended periods of time. 

SEC

Kentucky: Can a 9-15 team get hot and run the table to qualify for the NCAA Tournament with a losing record? Yes, if that team is Kentucky. John Calipari’s squad has played well enough to beat both Alabama and Arkansas this season — the two best teams in the SEC. It has also beaten LSU, Tennessee, and Florida — three other teams in the SEC that are projected to make the NCAA Tournament. Never say never.

WCC

Pepperdine: Star power matters in March and the Waves have one in veteran guard Colbey Ross. Talented forward Kessler Edwards is another dynamic talent. Pepperdine nearly beat both UCLA and San Diego State earlier this season and already owns a win over BYU — who it will face on Monday night in the semifinals of the WCC Tournament.

Leftovers: