Oklahoma missed a chance to play itself closer to safety on Monday night. Tuesday does not bring a particularly large set of games, but many of the ones being played involve bubble teams. They're all big this late in the season.

The Sooners lost to Iowa State 78-61, but the defeat is not all that damaging. Don't get wrapped up in their 5-10 conference record. Only the 17-11 overall record matters. They need to finish strongly though, beginning with a home game against last place West Virginia.

Bubble teams in action Tuesday
Alabama

at South Carolina, 7 p.m. ET -- ESPN2

Alabama's lackluster play of late has put a lot of pressure on performing well in the last two weeks of the regular season. The Crimson Tide are underdogs in this game and that may be true in the rest of them also. Time for the Tide to step up.
Ohio St.

vs. Iowa, 7 p.m. ET -- Big Ten Network

Ohio State's blind resume looks better than the actual profile. The Buckeyes have four Quadrant 1 wins, all on the road, but only one came against a likely tournament team. They need more quality wins wherever they can get them. This is a big game with back to back road games coming up next.
Butler

vs. Providence, 7 p.m. ET -- FS1 and streaming on fuboTV

At 15-12, Butler needs to just win games. They finish with Providence home and home and also against Xavier in Hinkle. There is also a trip to Villanova that may be problematic, but winning the other three is vital for the Bulldogs.
TCU

at West Virginia, 7 p.m. ET -- ESPNU

The Horned Frogs looked good beating Iowa State last time out, but they are not comfortable enough to afford a loss to the last place Mountaineers. TCU is only 2-6 on the road, so this is far from a sure thing.
VCU

vs. Saint Louis, 7:30 p.m. ET -- CBS Sports Network and streaming on fuboTV

VCU keeps cruising and sits atop the Atlantic 10 at the moment. The Rams are done with quality win opportunities until the conference tournament, so for now, it is about not making winning that tournament necessary.
Syracuse

at North Carolina, 9 p.m. ET

The Orange are still a bubble team because of the tough schedule to finish the regular season. A road win over the streaking Tar Heels would put an end to Syracuse's stay on the bubble.
Temple

at Memphis, 9 p.m. ET -- ESPNU

The Owls are hanging around the bottom of the bracket and cannot afford any more bad losses. Losing to the Tigers would not qualify as a bad loss though. This would likely be a Quadrant 1 win if Temple gets it, but Memphis is not a tournament contender.
Utah St.

vs. San Diego State, 9:30 p.m. -- CBS Sports Network and streaming on fuboTV

Utah State plays Nevada on Saturday, but the Aggies better not get caught looking ahead. The Aztecs are dangerous, as they have shown in a win over Nevada and a victory over the Aggies in their first meeting.