There are still nine games left in the regular season and a conference tournament to play, so the University of Massachusetts' postseason fate is a long way from being decided.

But the Minutemen are 16-5 and tied for first place in a hard-to-figure-out Atlantic 10. Barring a collapse, UMass looks likely headed for one of the four postseason tournaments.

It's a bit early to be talking about the bubble when it comes to the NCAA tournament, but right now it's probably a big bubble and the Minutemen are on it. But they likely have a lot of work to do.

UMass' nonconference schedule hurts. Its best win is Davidson, which looked better when it happened, as the Wildcats were coming off a win over Kansas, than it will when the selection committee sits down after Davidson has played two months worth of Southern Conference foes.

The Minutemen are hurt too by the brutal seasons two of their more recognizable conquests are enduring. Boston College's RPI is 229 and Utah's is 270. Normally beating any ACC or Pac 12 team is a bonus, but both of those schools' dreadful seasons are a drag on UMass' RPI and strength of schedule.

So the Minutemen will have to make their case in conference play. How the committee perceives the Atlantic 10 will make a difference. On paper the league doesn't have a great team. Temple has the league's best RPI (13) and best win (over Duke). Xavier, which was once considered a Final Four contender, has faded badly. Dayton, Saint Louis and even La Salle are bubble teams themselves.

But on the other hand, the middle of the conference is better than ever. Beating Saint Joseph's, Charlotte, Duquesne or St. Bonaventure aren't signature wins for a tourney hopeful, but they're solid wins.

Finishing strong is usually rewarded by the committee too, so playing well in their last 10 games, which would mean a better showing in the Atlantic 10 tournament, could give the Minutemen a boost.

How much the RPI is used seems to vary from year to year and committee to committee. But the computer ranking that weighs record and strength of schedule is certainly relevant. Before games tipped off Monday night, UMass was ranked No. 56 in RPI according to RealtimeRPI.com. That would be high but not impossible to earn an at-large bid. In each of the last six seasons, a team with an RPI of 58 or higher has gotten into the field.

But the flip side of that coin is, in that same time frame there have been teams, whose RPI is 40 or better, that have been left out. The Atlantic 10 has had three top 40 teams left out. In 2008, Dayton was No. 30 and wasn't included, three years after No. 39 Saint Joseph's missed the field. Rhode Island was No. 40 in 2010 when it was the highest ranked team in the country not to get it.

Finishing first or tied for first in the Atlantic 10 regular season won't guarantee UMass a spot either. The Minutemen were tied for first in 2007, but lost in the Atlantic 10 tournament quarterfinals and were left out.

By rule, finishing first or tied for first would assure UMass a spot in the National Invitation Tournament. After that, it's hard to determine what would get a team in the field. But UMass' strong showing in the 2007 NIT, when the school brought a lot of fans to Madison Square Garden, wouldn't hurt the Minutemen's chances.

PUTNEY HONORED - Sophomore forward Raphiael Putney was the Atlantic 10's co-Player of the Week along with La Salle's Ramon Galloway. Putney had 22 points, 10 rebounds and five steals in UMass' win over Saint Louis on Saturday, its only game of the week.

GAME OF THE WEEK - No. 8 Kansas at No. 4 Missouri, Saturday 9 p.m. - Any time top-10 neighbors meet it's worth mentioning, and NCAA seeding and Big 12 title implications are certainly in play. But on top of that, the Tigers are departing for the SEC making the future of this rivalry uncertain. So in terms of bragging rights it matters that much more.

TOUGHEST WEEK: Michigan - The Wolverines host No. 20 Indiana on Wednesday at 6:30 p.m. and then travel to No. 9 Michigan State, Sunday at 1 p.m.

ATLANTIC 10 GAME OF THE WEEK: St. Bonaventure at Saint Louis, Wednesday 8 p.m. - The Bonnies are trying to hold on to their share of first place, while the Billikens are not only trying to improve their league standing but their NCAA chances as well.

BALANCED SCORING - Syracuse is in the midst of pulling off a rare statistical feat. Heading into Monday's games, the Orange lead the Big East in scoring at 77.4 points per game, but don't have a single player in the league's top 15 scorers.

Syracuse's top individual scorer, Kris Joseph,is 20th at 13.7 points per game. Six different Syracuse players are averaging at least 7.2 points per game.

Information from personal interviews, newspaper articles and sports information releases was used in this report.

Matt Vautour can be reached at mvautour@gazettenet.com. Follow UMass coverage on Twitter at twitter.com/GazetteUMass. Get UMass coverage delivered in your Facebook news feed at http://www.facebook.com/GazetteUMassCoverage.