This is do-or-die for every college basketball team in the nation and two programs near the Bay Area have put themselves in good position for the 2012 NCAA Tournament with less than a month remaining until Selection Sunday. In the most recent bracket projections, the California Golden Bears and Saint Mary's Gaels were both projected for decent seeds.
We have a look at the bracket and a few potential scenarios after the page jump.
In Joe Lunardi's latest rounded of Bracketology, he has the Gaels earning a six seed in the Midwest Region. Lunardi believes SMU has slipped a bit in recent weeks, especially after the shellacking they received from Loyola Marymount earlier in the week. The Gaels would be matched up with the Long Beach St. 49ers in the first round, with a potential showdown against Marquette looming in the second round.
Lunardi has the Golden Bears as a No. 9 seed playing Southern Miss in the first round in the 8/9 game. Should they win, the team would have a rematch against the top-seed Missouri Tigers in the second round. Yikes.
There is still plenty of basketball left to be played, but it appears both of these teams have assured themselves a spot in March Madness this year.