As conference tournaments begin this week, teams near the infamous tournament bubble have a lot to prove to end the season.

With Syracuse on the far outside looking into the bubble, here is where the last four teams in according to ESPN’s Bracketology rank ahead of champ week compared to the Orange.

Record: 17-14 (10-10 Big East)

NET Ranking: 32

Quadrant Facts: 4-10 in Q1, 6-1 in Q2

KenPom SoS: 13th

After dropping an important bubble game against Seton Hall, Villanova ended the season losing to Creighton at home by 2. This loss does not hurt them too much, but the Wildcats could use another win outside first round opponent DePaul on Wednesday in the Big East Tournament.

Villanova has big wins against North Carolina and Creighton earlier in the season, and is favored on the bubble thanks to their high strength of schedule. Despite the back and forth season lead by senior forward Eric Dixon, the Wildcats lead their in-conference bubble rival St. Johns in NET.

Nova could use at least two wins in the MSG during the Big East Tournament to sleep calmly heading into Selection Sunday.

Record: 22-9 (10-8 in Mountain West)

NET Ranking: 29

Quadrant Facts: 2-6 in Q1, 19-3 in Q2-4

KenPom SoS: 86th

New Mexico enters Championship Week in hopes to make the NCAA Tournament for the first time in 10 years. Lunardi currently has them in the Final Four In, and the Lobos should have no issues hanging on to the spot if they handle business against Air Force first round of the MWC tournament and in the quarterfinal against Boise State.

Ranked fifth in the country in average tempo, New Mexico plays fast and could be a disruption for any team in the tournament.

The Lobos finished sixth in the Mountain West but rank third highest in the conference in NET ranking. Nevada and No. 22 Utah State are both locks in the tournament and below New Mexico in these rankings.

In arguably the most competitive conference in the country this season, New Mexico has the ability to make their mark this week to stray from the bubble scene.

Record: 19-12 (11-9 in Big East)

NET Ranking: 38

Quadrant Facts: 3-9 in Q1, 6-2 in Q2

KenPom SoS: 39th

St. John’s rollercoaster season behind new head coach Rick Pitino has taken a turn for the better with its bubble hopes after winning the last five games of the season. The biggest win of the season coming during this stretch with a 14 point home win against Creighton.

The Red Storm look to test the NCAA Committees commitment to not favory recency bias, as they have been a completely different team late in the season. Still, their mediocre 3-9 in Q1 and median efficiency metrics put them still on the outside looking in.

With conference rivals Villanova, Seton Hall, and Providence all also on the bubble, it is almost impossible for all four to get in. St. John’s could use another win in the Big East Tournament to boost their resume. They play Seton Hall first round who is currently projected with a Last Four Bye.

Record: 22-9 (13-7 in ACC)

NET Ranking: 51

Quadrant Facts: 2-6 in Q1, 14-0 in Q3&4 combined

KenPom SoS: 77th

In an inconsistent season, Virginia finds themselves in unfamiliar territory on the bubble despite finishing third in the ACC. They have won when they needed to, going undefeated in Quadrants 3 and 4. Still, the Cavaliers lack big wins with their best being against Clemson and Texas A&M.

Losing three of their last five conference games, Virginia has some of the wildest splits that truly define their style. The Cavaliers are eighth in the country in defensive efficiency, but 189th in offensive efficiency.

To no surprise, Tony Bennett has been able to implement a dominant defensive scheme this season to stay afloat in the ACC. The stretches of abominable offense are the sole reason why the Cavaliers are where they are.

With Wake Forest and Pitt as bubble teams not projected in the tournament but ahead of UVA in the NET, the Cavaliers could use a ACC Tournament win this week. They have to wait until the quarterfinals to play Clemson, Miami, or BC.

Record: 20-11 (11-9 in ACC)

NET Ranking: 79

Quadrant Facts: 2-8 in Q1, 4-2 in Q2

KenPom SoS: 35th

Winning five of their last seven games including the best win of the year at home against UNC, Syracuse finds themselves winning more than 10 conference games for the first time since 2014.

In an unusual down year for the conference, this achievement still has the Orange far on the outside of the bubble. Syracuse's main resume problem comes from their NET ranking. 79th is nearly 30 spots behind Virginia, which, as I mentioned above, is barely an NCAA Tournament team at the moment.

Although playing well down the stretch, at 2-8 in Q1 and 4-7 on the road, Syracuse lacks enough big wins to stand out in a packed bubble. The Orange play the winner of Louisville and NC State in the second round of the ACC Tournament.

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