NCAA Tournament Bubble Watch: Games on March 2 that will determine who’s in and out

Fans of bubble teams should be tracking college basketball games throughout the day and night over the next couple weeks till the bracket is finally revealed. Below is a look at some of the important bubble games to track on Thursday.

We’ll use Joe Lunardi’s latest ESPN Bracketology as the reference point.

Bubble Games to watch on March 2

Purdue vs. Wisconsin

Time: 9:00 p.m. ET
TV: FS1

The Purdue Boilermakers are flirting with No. 1 seed status, so this is about the Wisconsin Badgers. Coming off a heartbreaking overtime loss to the Michigan Wolverines on Sunday, the Badgers are slotted in the “last four in” category in the latest update. Wisconsin will return home but could be without leading scorer Chucky Hepburn, who went down with an injury against Michigan.

Michigan vs. Illinois

Time: 7:00 p.m. ET
TV: ESPN

The Illinois Fighting Illini should be a lock for the NCAA Tournament, but Michigan needs wins. After the thrilling win over Wisconsin, the Wolverines will enter Thursday’s college hoops slate among the “first four out.” The Wolverines have really struggled against good teams with a 3-10 record against Quad 1 opponents, so they’re running out of time to prove themselves.

Arizona State vs. UCLA

Time: 9:00 p.m. ET
TV: ESPN

The UCLA Bruins are a No. 1 seed candidate, but the Arizona State Sun Devils will look for their good fortune to continue on Thursday night. Desmond Cambridge Jr. splashed the game-winning shot from behind halfcourt in the Sun Devils’ 89-88 road win over the Arizona Wildcats last weekend. That shot could be the reason the Sun Devils make the big dance as they enter Thursday as a “last four in” team, though they’re double-digit road dogs against one of the top teams in the country.