Throughout the season we'll look at bubble teams and assess whether they have a better chance of ending up in the NIT or NCAA Tournament.Team: University of Alabama-Birmingham Blazers
Record: 21-8 (11-3 C-USA)
Good Wins: Cincinnati, Kentucky, Houston
Bad Losses: at South Florida, at Wichita State, at Marshall, at Southern Miss
Comments: The gaudy win total is negated somewhat by the litany of losses to teams going nowhere this season. Those losses are in turn mitigated by the fact that none of their eight losses were by more than 10 points. The win over Houston makes them the second-best team in the C-USA and the near-miss against Memphis shows they can hang with the very best.
Other Views: They are 53rd in RPI, 130th on Basketball State, 54th in Pomeroy Ratings and 61st in Sagarin Ratings.
Outlook: I was surprised to see that both Joe Lunardi and the folks at Bracketology 101 have UAB in the tournament right now. Yes, they've done well in conference but that's a mixed blessing given the bottom feeders that make up most of the C-USA. Unless they beat Memphis in the season ender, teams like Dayton, Western Kentucky and Creighton have done just as much or more without getting the theoretical bid. The conference does have the 10th-best RPI in the country, though, and whichever of UAB or Houston plays Memphis in the tourney final will probably nab a second bid.
