Still recuperating from your midweek bar crawl? Are you nostril deep in term paper research? Have no fear, fellow bracketeers. As a companion to the Bracket Big Board , the I.D. is here to highlight all the college hardwood action from the week that was and preview the most pivotal matchups of the weekend. Unlike McLovin's fake Hawaiian driver's license, there's nothing fake about this I.D. … On several high-major campuses across the country, the feeling of unrest is palpable. Hoops fanatics in traditional powerhouse locales such as College Park, Waco, Cincinnati and Lexington have swelled watering holes and grumbled over airwaves in an attempt to release their unbearable angst. Their cherished teams, which had high tourney hopes preseason, have failed to meet expectations, painting themselves into a difficult corner. So goes life on the bubble. With conference tournament season just days away, those unfortunate fan-bases with schools teetering on the fence should ransack online shops for apparel from a handful of NCAA-bound mid-majors. Their school's fate could rest on the shoulders of squads in the Missouri Valley, Mid-American and Ohio Valley. One slip-up by the favorite, and a brand-name program could tumble … into the NIT. For those on the edge of their seats, here are five schools you need to pull hard for over the coming weeks: Memphis Tigers (REC: 24-4, RPI: 18, SOS: 74, vs. RPI Top-50: 2-3) – Barring a complete collapse down the stretch it appears the Tigers are a near-lock for at least an at-large bid in what should be a one-bid conference. Yes, the SOS is rather unsavory and they only have a pair of notable wins on the year (Southern Miss twice), but Joe Jackson and company have dominated foes in league play, winning by an average margin of 14.0 points per game. If Memphis, which has a seemingly insurmountable three game lead on the Golden Eagles, wears the regular season crown, it should be rewarded by the Committee regardless of what transpires in the C-USA tournament. However, Tuesday's out of conference loss to a middle-of-the-road Xavier team did it no favors.
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