It wasn't all that long ago that Florida, Florida State and Miami were among the best in college basketball.
The Gators won the SEC Tournament in 2013 and '14. And while the Seminoles claimed the 2012 ACC Tournament title, the Hurricanes followed that up with a league championship in 2013.
Now, the three programs are sputtering. Only Miami (20-11) has had a respectable year, closing the regular season 6-3. But the Hurricanes are still on the bubble and need a strong run at this week's ACC Tournament to earn a spot in the field of 68 for the NCAA Tournament.
''All we can do is continue to play and hope, expect and count on the committee to understand that the ACC is a challenging league,'' Miami coach Jim Larranaga told the Associated Press after Saturday's 82-61 win at Virginia Tech. ''We've won a lot of road games in this conference. Overall our strength of schedule is very good.
''If we get invited, we've got a chance to do very, very well.''
Miami is the only one of the Big 3 schools in the running for an at-large bid into the NCAA Tournament when the NCAA Selection Committee announces the field on Sunday night. Florida or Florida State would have to make not only improbable runs to the title game but likely win their respective conference tournaments to get in.
So the NIT is the likely destination for the Gators and Seminoles after what have been frustrating seasons.
A year after winning the SEC tournament, Florida took a step backwards and finished the regular season 15-16. The Gators were plagued by inconsistency and suffered down the stretch without guard Michael Frazier II, who missed a month of the SEC schedule with an ankle injury.
Florida went 3-7 in February and March.
''Hopefully, we can start a plan where instead of playing for 25 minutes, we actually play for 40,'' forward Dorian Finney-Smith told GatorZone.com. ''It's been the same thing all season.''
FSU has had an up-and-down season since losing leading scorer Aaron Thomas in December after he was dismissed from the team. The Seminoles (16-15) needed a win over Pittsburgh on Saturday to finish the regular season above .500 and give the team some optimism going into the ACC Tournament.
But it was a big win for another reason in that it ensured FSU would not have its first losing season since 2004-05
''There is no doubt that we needed this victory,'' FSU coach Leonard Hamilton said. ''This has been one of those years where we have come close but not really moving ourselves over the hump. Getting a victory at this point in the year is very important for the mental health of our team.''
At least the Sunshine State can go into the week with the knowledge that one spot will be filled by a state team. North Florida captured the Atlantic Sun title. The American Athletic Conference -- featuring UCF and South Florida -- and Conference USA -- with FAU and FIU -- also hold their tournaments this week.
While North Florida's title run is to be celebrated, there are plenty of questions left in Coral Gables, Gainesville and Tallahassee. Here's a look at the Big 3 schools and their potential routes in the postseason:
MIAMI
Record: 20-11
Seed: No. 6
ACC tournament opening matchup: Wake Forest-Virginia Tech winner on Wednesday at 9 p.m. Miami lost at Wake but swept Virginia Tech in the regular season.
Road to ACC title game: The Hurricanes draw a relatively easy opening game with Wake or Virginia Tech, two of the league's worst teams. But then Miami will face Notre Dame, a team it lost to 75-70 at South Bend, Ind., on Jan. 17. If Miami then gets past the Fighting Irish, the Hurricanes hit a major roadblock (potentially) with a semifinal matchup against Duke.
Of note: Center Tonye Jekiri is one of the most improved players in the ACC. And he has a double-double in five of his last seven games.
FLORIDA
Record: 15-16
Seed: No. 8
SEC tournament opening matchup: The Gators draw Alabama on Thursday at 1 p.m. Florida won at Tuscaloosa, Alabama, in January.
Road to SEC title game: Nearly impossible. If Florida wins its opening-round game with Alabama, the Gators get another matchup with Kentucky in a quarterfinal on Friday. Not an ideal draw, especially on short rest.
Of note: Frazier owns Florida's single-season record for made 3-pointers, so having him back healthy is crucial in the postseason.
FLORIDA STATE
Record: 16-15
Seed: No. 9
ACC tournament opening matchup: Clemson on Wednesday at noon. The teams split their two matchups in the regular season.
Road to ACC title game: Very, very tough. If FSU gets past Clemson, the Seminoles would then face top-seeded Virginia. And even if FSU upset the Cavaliers, after that would be likely North Carolina or Louisville.
Of note: FSU has not beaten any of the top five seeds in the ACC tournament.
