Cal Men's Basketball is First Team Out of March Madness: CBS & ESPN

Win or else.

Credit: Cal Men’s Basketball

After a disappointing loss to Pitt with ESPN’s bracketologist Joe Lunardi in attendance, the California Golden Bears now have to keep winning to get back to the Dance for the first time in a decade. Their Net Rank dropped significantly after the loss, and they will probably need to win their final two regular season games, then hope for help. More from justthebears on Twitter, who has been tracking Cal’s hopes week to week.

Cal also might be placed in the unenviable spot of the 8-9 seed even with a win-out, which would mean Duke if they were to get past their opening ACC tournament game. Now, an upset of Duke would likely get them in, but a true road game on a day’s notice against the national title favorites seems like a tall task.

But Cal’s win over SMU did keep the Bears breathing. Both ESPN and CBS list Cal as their first team out of March Madness, meaning with some wins and some help, they can play themselves back into this thing.

These are the other bubble teams to watch this week.

• Indiana (NET 40): The Hoosiers have faded to end the year, with four straight losses to put them at 8-10 in conference. They finish the season at home vs. Minnesota and on the road at bubble squad Ohio State, which is nearly a must-win.

• Santa Clara (NET 41): At 24-7 at the end of West Coast Conference play, have the Broncos done enough? Their win over St. Mary’s looks very good after they beat Gonzaga. A few wins at the WCC Tournament could be enough.

• Ohio State (NET 34): The Buckeyes landed a major win against Purdue this weekend to bolster their resume. Despite 11 losses, beating Indiana could put them on the right side of the bubble for good.

• Miami (OH) (NET 52): Miami sits at 29-0, but a MAC Tournament loss could see them lose it all, as they have only one Quad 1/2 win combined.

• TCU (NET 45): The Horned Frogs have come on strong, winning six of their last seven, including a major upset of Iowa State. Will that be enough to get them over the hump?

• Auburn (NET 38): This NET ranking should get most teams in with the strength of schedule Aburn has faced, but the Tigers are 15-14 and have lost six of seven games. They might not even have the chance to get in.

• VCU (NET 47). The Rams have that late-season momentum with 10 of 11 wins, but also are a bit light on resume.

Still, those NET rankings are high, and Cal’s sits in the 60s. The Bears need to win, and probably need to shock to get us into the tournament.

(Cal women’s basketball is in a much tougher predicament after a loss to fellow bubble team Clemson earlier last week, as they no longer sit on the last eight out. They will probably need to get to the ACC Tournament semifinals this week.)