Bubble watch

While technically not in first place, Penn looks to be the favorite to represent the Ivy League in the NCAA Tournament. And if they can manage a third-straight Ivy crown, who from Philly will join them?

The three Atlantic 10 squads -- Saint Joseph's, Temple and La Salle -- can barely see the bubble off in the distance, and will need to come out of Atlantic City as the conference tournament champion come March.

Drexel and Villanova, however, have legitimate chances of getting into the field of 65. As of now, the Wildcats are likely in, while the Dragons are on the outside looking in.

Villanova (16-7, 4-5 Big East) has an RPI of 20 (probably will raise a spot after last night's win over St. Joe's in the Holy War for the Big 5 title) and has beaten a number of quality teams, including Texas, Notre Dame and Georgetown. But Villanova's main obstacle is its 4-5 Big East record. If the Wildcats can get to or above .500, they're a tournament team, but perhaps not if they don't win half in the league. The promising part is that their seven remaining opponents have a 27-35 combined conference record, and four of the games are at home. Winning at Marquette will be tough, but there's a very good chance they'll win four or more of the other six.

Drexel (17-6, 9-4 CAA, 59 RPI), on the other hand has a good deal of work to do to get back into the tourney picture. After a blistering midseason run, the strong Colonial Athletic Association has cooled their fire, and the Dragons now sit right on top of the bubble. Drexel went on the road to beat Villanova and Syracuse, but is a combined 0-4 versus the three teams ahead if it in the league standings -- VCU, Hofstra, and Old Dominion twice. Drexel has a big game at Hofstra (77 RPI) today that will have huge implications. A game at Creighton (25 RPI) will be real tough, but provides a great opportunity to impress the tournament committee. Bruiser Flint's squad must win at least one of these games and beat the other four weaker teams on the schedule to stop its bubble from bursting.