And that just about does it

It's not March yet.

But bubble talk and the hand-wringing associated with it in College Park is nowhere to be found.

And it's not going to be.

Maryland, at 20-7 overall and 10-3 in the ACC, effectively extinguished nearly any lingering doubt about whether it will play in the NCAA tournament next month with last night's 88-79 defeat of Clemson.

It's still plausible, in a hypothetical sense, that Maryland could miss the tournament if it lost out. That huge game-changing, impossible-to-ignore victory wouldn't be there to save the Terps, and Maryland would have to take a loss at a fading Virginia team for that to happen.

But it is strictly hypothetical. Because at this stage, a collapse just doesn't seem like it is lurking around the corner. Strange as it sounds, a loss at Virginia doesn't seem to be lurking around the corner.

Would another victory remove all questions? Yep. But with how Maryland is playing, a few more wins leading into Selection Sunday feel as inevitable as an NCAA tournament invitation did for more than a decade.

Comments

[Todd]

Come on Patrick, you see how week this bubble is! Even if the Terps lose the last three and their first game in the NCAA they are making the tournament! Not saying they will lose their next 4 games but if they do they are still in a 20-11 and 10-6 in the ACC.

[D1scourse]

Lets suppose Butler loses in the Horizon League tournament.

And Gonzaga loses in the WCC tournament.

And BYU, New Mexico or UNLV doesnt win the Mountain West tournament

And (just humor me for a minute here, OK?) Northern Iowa doesnt win the Missouri Valley tournament.

And then completely random teams from off the radar win a bunch of the major conference tournaments.

Suddenly, the bubble isnt so weak.

Is it likely to happen?

No.

Could it happen?

Yes.

So instead of making a brainless and bombastic pronouncement, Ive considered the remote possibility of something crazy occurring and have presented it accordingly. If you dont like it, too bad.

[Todd]

Im just saying there is NO way a MD with its current postion and at WORST 10-6 ACC conference record is NOT going to be in the tournament...THEY ARE A LOCK!

[Jay]

Why are you such a #*@$ to your readers? Sheesh

[Aaron]

Todd, let's just say, hypothetically that all those things happen that Patrick discussed, and Maryland loses to VT, Duke and UVA by 20+ each game. Then in the ACC tournament they lose to a GT or Clemson by 20+. There would be a shot MD would be left out for such an epic collapse. Obviously it's not likely, but it is hypothetically possible.

[Brooklyn Dave]

I have to say, if the Terps drop the next four, the narrative will change dramatically, and the Terps will be on the bubble again. They'd still have a good shot at getting in, given that no ACC team with 10 wins has ever missed the tourney, but I don't think they'd be a lock. One more win, either reg season or ACC tourney, and they are in for sure.