Bracketology Bubble Watch: Duke has played itself into NCAA Tournament consideration; last call for Ole Miss

Syracuse lost 85-71 at Duke on Monday in a game that was not as close as the score would indicate. The Orange dropped to 0-5 vs. Quad 1 opponents and 2-6 away from home this season. They only have games left with Georgia Tech and UNC, so they will likely have to make a splash in the ACC Tournament to get an at-large bid.

Four games ago, Duke was running out of time. The Blue Devils needed to get hot and stay hot. They have done the "get hot" part. They have won four consecutive games, are now above .500 in Quad 2 games and join the bubble for now. However, they still do not have a better tournament resume than Michigan State at the moment. Fortunately, they also do not have Michigan State's schedule, which includes six games against teams in the bracket, four of which are against Michigan, Ohio State and Illinois.

Oregon took a tough loss at USC in a game in which the Ducks were not terribly competitive. So far, their only win over a team in the current bracket came at home against Colorado, which is the second-to-last team in. They have a home-and-home split with the Buffaloes. Oregon is done with USC and Colorado and will not play UCLA at all in the regular season unless a game gets rescheduled.

Tuesday's bubble games features huge contests in the Big East and A-10, as well as a last-ditch effort in the SEC.

Here are the bubble teams in action Tuesday. All times Eastern

Tuesday's 'double-bubble' game

Team	Game	Time (TV)	Bubble breakdown
	SAINT LOUIS	6 p.m. (CBSSN)	This is huge for both teams. The Billikens have played their way down and almost out of the field with three bad losses, the most recent of which came on Friday in a 23-point loss at Dayton. This is an opportunity for their first road win of any significance this season.
	AT VCU		For VCU, this is a chance to bounce back from a bad loss as well. The Rams lost to George Mason at home on Saturday but lost more than that. Their best player, Bones Hyland, will miss tonight's game and maybe more due to a sprained foot suffered late in the loss to GMU. VCU needs to find a way to win without him.

Other bubble teams in action Tuesday 

Team	Game	Time (TV)	Bubble breakdown
	ST. JOHN'S at Villanova	8 p.m. (CBSSN)	The Red Storm used a seven game winning streak, including a victory over Villanova, a No. 2 seed, to push for a spot in the bracket. They have fallen back to earth since then, losing two of their last three and those are St. John's worst losses of the season. The Johnnies are about out of time and chance to build their resume to bracket worthiness.
	UCONN at Georgetown	9 p.m. (FS1)	The Huskies have reached the part of the schedule where most of the games can only hurt them. After Tuesday, they have home games with Marquette and the Hoyas sandwiched around a trip to Seton Hall. Beating the Hall would be good, but it won't matter if they can't avoid the potential bad losses getting there.
	MISSISSIPPI at Missouri	9 p.m. (SECN)	Mississippi is another team about to fall off the bubble. Mississippi State ended the Rebels' four-game winning streak the last time out, and that loss hurts primarily because it was at home. They beat Mizzou at home the first time they met, but a win on the road would be their best win of the season.