Mid-major bubble is easy to burst

Conference tournaments can make NCAA tournament dreams come true for some teams -- just ask three mid-majors that could secure their spot in March Madness on Monday.

But even if your team doesn't come out a champion, that doesn't necessarily mean its Big Dance dreams have been dashed.

A handful of mid-major teams will receive consideration for at-large bids after strong work during the regular season, particularly given the under-performance of some of their major-conference brethren down the stretch. For those mids -- Saint Mary's, Old Dominion, Wichita State and Siena among them -- a conference crown isn't a must. Instead, our data shows that a single win in the conference tournament may do the trick.

To see why our data shows that the bubble schools in the A-10 and Conference USA likely need at least one win in their conference tournaments, you need to be an ESPN Insider.

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