Sun Devils are on the right side of the bubble following Big 12 Tournament run

Few programs had as much to prove going into their respective conference tournaments as the Sun Devils. Molly Miller pulled off the second-biggest turnaround of any coach in women's basketball this year, but it still wasn't enough.

Arizona State went 0-4 against ranked opponents, getting blown out by TCU and West Virginia and losing close against Texas Tech and Baylor. They were also dominated by Iowa State. None of which looks good on a resume for a tournament where upset capability is a major feature.

The Sun Devils' non-conference schedule didn't do them any favors, either. They went undefeated, yes, but only five of those teams even finished with a winning record. None of them are likely to be included in the tournament this year.

Miller and her squad knew they'd have to make a splash in the Big 12 Tournament to avoid being on the wrong side of the bubble. They did exactly that, beating Arizona in the first round before upsetting Iowa State in the second round. In that game, they led the entire time, often extending big leads to give them cushion for several Cyclones scoring runs.

Next came West Virginia, the second seed in the conference. And with eight minutes left in the game, Arizona State trailed by just two points, threatening another big victory. A sudden run for the Mountaineers helped pad the final score, a 67-54 loss for Arizona State, but West Virginia head coach Mark Kellogg still had high praise for the team he narrowly beat.

It turns out Kellogg isn't the only one who feels that way, as both ESPN and CBS Sports now reflect that the Sun Devils will make the NCAA Tournament.

Per ESPN, they have Arizona State getting in with the First Four in a matchup with Virginia. The winner of that game would advance to Ann Arbor, Michigan for a shot to play Alabama, as part of the Fort Worth region.

CBS, on the other hand, also has the Sun Devils going to Dayton. However, they see Arizona State in the Sacramento region. That means if they beat South Dakota State in the First Four, they'd advance to face former conference foe Oregon in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.

Both outlets have the Sun Devils as one of the very last teams to make it, which seems hard to believe. No power conference team that's won 24+ games has ever been shut out of the Big Dance.

For now, it seems that bracketology experts think that streak won't change, but there's not an overwhelming sense of confidence. The Sun Devils will surely be sweating it out during the NCAA's Selection Show, but they've done everything they could do at this point to make their case to be a tournament team.