When Arizona routed visiting Washington 84–54 Saturday, it was a familiar scene: Talented opponent comes to Tucson, then wilts under a blitzkrieg of Arizona offense and a raucous McKale Center crowd.

But U of A’s blowout win was anything but a coronation. In fact, the victory snapped a streak of five losses in the Wildcats’ past six games, six in their last eight. Arizona may look back at the Washington game as the one that let them sneak into the tournament.

That’s a shocking thought. After all, no coach has guided his team to more consecutive NCAA tournament appearances than Lute Olson. His streak stands at 22 and counting.

But in a season rife with disappointment among traditional college basketball powers, that kind of reversal of fortune has become typical. Scads of winning programs, many of them with Hall of Famecaliber coaches, have struggled this season, falling well short of expectations. And while Arizona is still likely to be dancing in March, other clubs will have to hold their breath to get an NCAA invite.

Every year, Connecticut coach Jim Calhoun unapologetically works a buffet of creampuffs into the team’s nonconference schedule. Few question the strategy, given Calhoun’s track record as one of the most successful coaches of the past 20 years.

But the plan may have backfired this season. The Huskies started the season 11–0 and UConn finally played its first road game of the season at West Virginia … on December 30. With a roster stacked with freshmen and sophomores, Calhoun might have done better to provide some early-season tests. UConn is now an abysmal 3–6 in conference play. The Huskies dropped five games in a row recently, before finally snapping the streak against lowly Rutgers on Saturday.

With a poor 14–8 record and one of the worst nonconference slates in the nation, UConn might need to win six of their last eight regular-season games to get to 20 victories and give themselves a shot at the tournament. With stops at Georgetown, Georgia Tech, and Syracuse, that could be a tall order.

On the other hand, Syracuse has been a big disappointment in its own right. Sure, the Orangemen lost team leader Gerry McNamara to graduation. But they also brought in one of the most heralded recruits in the country in Paul Harris. If that wasn’t enough, Syracuse’s roster also includes Demetris Nichols, the leading scorer in the Big East.

Unfortunately for the Orange, the whole hasn’t matched the sum of the parts. Five of Syracuse’s seven losses have been by five points or less. Granted, few teams have been able to handle Pittsburgh or Oklahoma State this season. But a four-point loss to Big East cellar dweller St. John’s at Madison Square Garden January 21 typified Coach Jim Boeheim’s year of frustration.

Syracuse’s nonconference schedule was considerably tougher than UConn’s, and Syracuse is still above .500 in conference at 5–4. The Orange will likely need to finish above break-even in the Big East to secure an NCAA bid. Home-and-home games against Connecticut could decide both teams’ fate.

Gary Williams has a 2002 national championship to his credit, and one of the most impressive coaching resumes of all time. But his Maryland Terrapins have had their own problems in the ACC this year.

With Wake Forest and Georgia Tech down this season and even usually mighty Duke reloading, the door was open for Maryland to make a big move in the conference. No ACC team could match Maryland’s experience this year, with seniors D.J. Strawberry, Mike Jones, and Ekene Ibekwe, and junior James Gist doubling as the team’s top four scorers. Dynamic freshman Greivis Vasquez has looked like a future star at point guard to boot.

But the Terps have gone just 3–5 in ACC play. An ugly five-point loss to Miami last month was the nadir of its season. They’ve just dropped three of their last five, and seem to be getting worse as the season wears on.

Maryland has two games against Duke and one at home versus North Carolina left on its schedule. If the Terps can take two out of their three, and hold their own against the rest of their remaining schedule, they’ll get in. If not, the days of Juan Dixon and Steve Blake will seem far away.

The SEC has an underachiever of its own. LSU garnered a high ranking at the start of the season, thanks to its Final Four run last season. But the Tigers are now 13–9 and just 2–6 in conference play. Saturday’s loss to Mississippi State made it five straight defeats for the Bayou Bengals. The departures of Tyrus Thomas and especially team leader Darrell Mitchell have proven too much to handle in Baton Rouge.

With eight regular-season games left on its schedule, LSU needs to win at least six — plus a couple more in the conference tournament — to have a shot at the big dance. Tigers fans likely have the February 24 home game against no. 1 Florida circled on their calendars. But the SEC has been a snake pit for road teams this season. Games at Tennessee, Ole Miss, and Auburn could be nearly as tough, and as important.

Fans of these marquee programs can only hope their teams make noise in the next five weeks leading up to Selection Sunday. Otherwise, their plans for March will revolve around three letters: NIT.

Mr. Keri is a writer for ESPN.com’s Page 2 and a contributor to YESNetwork.com.