March Maddening: Will NCAA reward power conferences over mid-majors again?

It's that time of year when we're performing the headache-inducing task of checking out the list of bubble teams for the NCAA tournament and predicting how the ACC can get 11 teams into the field despite the fact that three of them have double-digit losses.

And again, we ask the same question: Should the NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Committee, the one that will offer the at-large invitations and set the brackets eight days from now, look past power conference teams having average seasons and bring in some mid-major teams that have played well?

Sports Illustrated's Pete Thamel had an interesting piece earlier this week that mentioned a 10-year study showing that the top six conferences, representing 21 percent of NCAA Division I membership, received 78.6 percent of the at-large bids. Last year, just three teams from outside power football conferences, the Big East and the AAC received invitations - VCU, Dayton and Wichita State.

Remember last year when Atlantic Ten Conference cochampion St. Bonaventure got snubbed despite a 22-9 record, prompting a statement from outraged commissioner Bernadette McGlade, who called it "a tremendous disservice and disappointment" to the school and the league? A similar case could have been made for Monmouth, which also wasn't invited.

There could be a similar scenario this year in the Atlantic 10, where 20-win Rhode Island (44th in the RPI) likely will need a good A-10 tournament showing to get in.

Eight other teams - Wichita State and Illinois State of the Missouri Valley Conference, along with UNC-Wilmington (CAA), Middle Tennessee (Conference USA), Texas-Arlington (Sun Belt), Nevada (Mountain West), Monmouth (MAAC) and Vermont (America East) - are in the top 50 of the RPI. Will any of these teams gain at-large berths if they fail to win their conference tournaments?

Judging from past history, it's not likely to happen against middling teams from the ACC, or Big 10, or Big 12, with their NCAA tradition.

As Rhode Island coach Danny Hurley told Thamel, "To be rewarded for going 17-14 and not doing anything in the nonconference makes no sense. There's logo bias."

We're coming up on the 25-year anniversary of arguably the greatest college basketball game ever played, Duke's overtime win over Kentucky in the NCAA East Regional final at the Spectrum, where Grant Hill threw a 75-foot inbounds pass and Christian Laettner hit the winning shot at the buzzer, all in the last 2.3 seconds.

Northwestern pulled off a similar miracle finish Wednesday night, with Nathan Taphorn throwing a 90-foot pass to Dererk Pardon for a layup in the final 1.7 seconds of the Wildcats' 67-65 victory over Michigan that likely punched their ticket to the Big Dance.

If it happens, this would be Northwestern's first NCAA tournament appearance ever. The Wildcats set a program record with their 21st victory and tied another mark with 10 Big Ten wins, something they hadn't accomplished since the 1932-33 season.

Three years must seem like forever to Kevin Ollie. In his first season as Connecticut's head coach, Ollie, a former 76er, led the Huskies to the 2014 national championship, knocking off Villanova along the way.

This season, UConn was clobbered in November with season-ending injuries to three players - two of them starters - and sputtered to a 14-15 record entering their regular-season finale against Cincinnati. The program hasn't had a losing season since 1986-87 and, unless they can win the AAC tournament on their home court in Hartford, will miss the NCAA tournament for the second time in three years.

It should be quite a scramble on this final Saturday in the Big East where four seeds in the conference tournament still remain up for grabs among Creighton, Providence, Seton Hall and Marquette.

The Bluejays can wrap up the No. 3 seed with a win at Marquette. If they lose, that spot will belong to Providence provided the Friars defeat St. John's. Seton Hall could finish as high as fourth or as low as sixth depending on its game at Butler, and the same scenario fits Marquette against Creighton.

We do know that Xavier, which was cruising along before the season-ending knee injury to Edmond Sumner, will have to play the tournament's first night - Wednesday - as a No. 7 seed against DePaul.

Former Delsea Regional High star Keith Braxton, a 6-foot-4 guard for St. Francis (Pa.), was named freshman of the year in the Northeast Conference. Braxton is the nation's top rebounder among freshman, pulling down 8.9 per game, and averages 13.3 points. He is shooting 52.7 percent from the field, 41.9 percent from three-point range and 77.8 percent on free throws. He had 22 points and 10 rebounds in the Red Flash's win over Bryant, advancing his team to the NEC tournament semifinals on Saturday.

Florida at Vanderbilt, Saturday at 2 p.m., ESPN: The Commodores blew a 19-point lead in a loss to Kentucky and with it, a chance to virtually secure an NCAA tournament invitation. Their only RPI Top 25 victory came Jan. 21 at Florida, and to beat the Gators again, this time at home, would be important.

Notre Dame at Louisville, Saturday at 2 p.m., CBS3: The Fighting Irish still have a chance to tie North Carolina for the ACC title with a win and a Tar Heels loss. The Cardinals lost in an upset at Wake Forest but have won seven straight at home, and want to generate momentum heading into the postseason.

Seton Hall at Butler, Saturday at 2:30 p.m., Fox29: The topsy-turvy middle of the Big East standings will be settled Saturday; the Pirates can finish as high as fourth place or as low as sixth depending on what they and three other teams do. The Bulldogs are locked into a No. 2 tournament seed.

Duke at North Carolina, Saturday at 8:15 p.m., ESPN: The Tar Heels were held Monday night by Virginia to 43 points - the fewest they have scored since Roy Williams took over as head coach in 2003. The Blue Devils are going for the sweep in the season series between the Tobacco Road archrivals.

Purdue at Northwestern, Sunday at 4:30 p.m., CBS3: The Wildcats' dramatic last-second win Wednesday night over Michigan appeared to clinch their first-ever NCAA berth, but any doubt would be erased for certain with a victory over the Boilermakers, who have clinched the Big Ten regular season.

Justin Jackson

North Carolina, G, 6-8, Jr., Tomball, Texas

Jackson, named a national semifinalist for the Naismith Trophy given to the college player of the year, tops the Tar Heels in scoring (18.4 points per game), three-point baskets (84), and minutes played (31.5 average). He has led North Carolina in scoring 17 times, with a season high of 34 last December against Kentucky. He has been his team's high scorer in nine of the last 11 games.

(Through games of Thursday)

1. Kansas (27-3)

2. UCLA (27-3)

3. Villanova (27-3)

4. Gonzaga (29-1)

5. Oregon (26-4)

6. Arizona (26-4)

7. North Carolina (25-6)

8. Kentucky (25-5)

9. Baylor (24-6)

10. Butler (23-6)

jjuliano@phillynews.com

@joejulesinq