By Kim Gorum

Here at "The Road to Waco," we spend a lot more time talking about rankings than about conference championships, because conference championships just don't matter.

Okay, okay. They matter. They matter to players, they matter to coaches, they matter to fans, they matter to trophy case manufacturers, they matter to just about everyone, actually. They just don't matter to the ITA computer, which cares only about wins, losses and where they happened.

The sports have a bracket in common, but this isn't college basketball, where committee members sit in a room and debate the value of winning a title in the nation's toughest league. Where teams with flawed resumes get hot at tournament time and make the Final Four on a fairly regular basis. In college tennis, to paraphrase Bill Parcells, you are who the computer says you are.

Unseeded teams in the NCAA Tennis Tournament -- which equate to anything lower than a 4 in your hoops bracket -- make it to the Round of 16 every year, but rarely go any deeper. And they never, ever win the title. Only one unseeded team has reached the championship match since the tournament expanded to 64 teams in 1999: Virginia Commonwealth, in 2000. In this sport, the cannon fodder really is cannon fodder.

By contrast, last year's basketball title game pitted a seventh seed (UConn) against an eighth (Kentucky). By the numbers, that puts them squarely in the middle of the field. If two teams in the high-20s meet in the NCAA championship match next month at Hurd Tennis Center, the Bosque will flow backwards and a sinkhole will swallow McLane Stadium.

Because the ranking process in tennis is computer-driven, league titles have no bearing on the final seeding (although the tennis committee does override the computer in cases where teams adjacent in the rankings actually met head-to-head). It's perfectly plausible, for instance, that the Baylor men could beat Oklahoma in Waco next week and win the Big 12 regular-season title, but not pass the Sooners on the ITA computer based upon OU's better record against Top 12 opponents (and two head-to-head wins).

That said, there's some value in discussing the conference races, not least because of this strange fact: No school outside the Pac-12 has ever won an NCAA Division I tennis title, men's or women's, without having first won its conference title. Only Stanford, Southern Cal and UCLA have pulled that off, and all three have done it multiple times. Most recently, the Trojans won the men's title in 2012 after finishing second to UCLA in the conference race, and the Cardinal and Bruin women followed suit in 2013 and '14.

What this probably tells us, more than anything, is that these are the best tennis programs in NCAA history, having won a combined 74 of 102 men's and women's titles. But Georgia and Florida are no slouches, They've won 14 NCAA crowns between them, all as league champs. The SEC, ACC, Big 10, and the Big 12 and its earlier incarnations have combined to win 22 national titles, and it was the second trophy for all teams.

No one's suggesting that if Baylor wins the Big 12, you can write off Oklahoma's national title chances (or vice versa). But it certainly adds some intrigue to the final weeks of the season.

Here's how we handicap the major-conference races:

BIG 12 MEN: Oklahoma is the odds-on favorite after 4-2 and 4-1 wins over Baylor in Chicago and Indian Wells earlier in the season. The Bears' trump card is the home court, but they'll have to win doubles and get better play from the bottom half than they did in the teams' last meeting. Even if they get past OU, there's still Texas looming. BU has owned the Longhorns in Austin, but playing on public courts at the Caswell Tennis Center could be a big equalizer. Having already lost at OU, the best Texas can hope for is probably a 3-way tie with the Sooners and Bears. To win: OU 65%, BU 30%, UT 5%

BIG 12 WOMEN: Baylor is in the driver's seat at 5-0, but must face #18 Texas Tech (4-1) in Lubbock on Saturday. A win gives BU a 2-game lead with 3 matches left, a loss lets 5 teams back in the race, including OSU (2-2), TCU (4-2) and resurgent Texas (4-2). With only home matches (UT, Kan, KSU) remaining after Lubbock, the Bears still have an advantage over the Red Raiders, who are at TCU on April 18. To win: BU 80%, Tech 15%, UT 3%, TCU 2%, OSU <1%

PAC-12 MEN: No. 7 USC is still the class of the league, but the Trojans must face No. 33 California, No. 38 Stanford and No. 15 UCLA, all on the road, in a span of 7 days to close the season. USC handled the Cardinal and Bruins easily in non-conference play, but haven't been sharp lately. All four contenders are 2-0, but Stanford has the most favorable schedule, getting the other three at home (though UCLA and USC come back-to-back next week). To win: USC 65%, UCLA 25%, Stanford 8%, Cal 2%

PAC-12 WOMEN: Top-ranked USC (5-0) has already beaten No. 3 Cal (5-1) and No. 10 Stanford (4-2), and gets No. 4 UCLA (who beat them 4-3 in non-conference) at home to close the season. The Bruins (4-1) beat Stanford but lost to Cal, which closes the season at home against the Cardinal. A lot of possibilities, but the outcome may hinge on the health of UCLA sophomore Jennifer Brady. If she's completely recovered from her stress fracture, the Bruins have a slight edge over the Trojans, setting up a possible three-way tie with Cal. To win: USC 35%, UCLA 30%, Cal 30%, Stanford <5%

SEC MEN: Sixth-ranked Georgia (8-0) holds all the cards with a win over No. 8 Texas A&M (8-1). The Bulldogs visit Mississippi State (6-2) and Alabama (2-6) this week before a season-ending showdown with Ole Miss (5-3). The Aggies will have to get past No. 16 Florida (5-3) and LSU (5-3) on the road to take advantage of any Georgia stumble, but a share of the crown may be the best they can hope for. To win: UGa 55%, A&M 40%, MSU 5%

SEC WOMEN: No. 6 Florida (9-0) can wrap up the regular-season title April 10 in Gainesville vs. No. 5 Georgia (8-1), provided they don't stub their toe in this weekend's road trip to No. 20 Kentucky (6-3) and No. 8 Vanderbilt (8-1). With losses to both the Dawgs and Gators, No. 11 A&M (7-2) needs a lot of help to get a share. To win: UF 45%, UGa 30%, VU 25%, A&M <1%

ACC MEN: Pretty simple, really. Is a Virginia Tech team picked to finish in the ACC basement or thereabouts, with three ranked players, more heart than talent, and the slowest-loading website in the Western Hemisphere, going to storm into C-ville and end King Virginia's 131-match conference winning streak? Absolutely. Positively. Not. To win: UVa 98%, VT 2% (just in case)

ACC WOMEN: North Carolina remains unbeaten (21-0, 9-0 ACC) and ranked No. 2, but will be tested over the next fortnight by No. 16 Miami (7-1) in Coral Gables, No. 9 Virginia (7-2) and No. 24 Duke (7-1). If they come through clean, there's a good chance they enter the NCAAs as the top seed. To win: UNC 80%, UM 15%, Duke 5%, UVa <1%

BIG 10 MEN: About the only thing standing between No. 3 Illinois (5-0) and its first conference title since 2005 is a road trip to No. 29 Minnesota (5-0). After laying waste to No. 2 Baylor, No. 8 A&M and No. 9 Texas on earlier swings, the Land of 10,000 Lakes should be as easy as falling out of a canoe. To win: Ill 95%, Minn <5%, OSU <1%

BIG 10 WOMEN: No. 14 Michigan (6-0) has the tougher remaining schedule with road trips to No. 35 Purdue (3-2) and No. 47 Penn State (5-2) as well as No. 19 Ohio State (7-0), plus a home date with No. 43 Michigan State (5-1). But they also have the best team. To win: Mich 60%, OSU 35%, MSU <3%, NW <2%

If the NCAAs began today ...
Here's how the men's and women's draws would be seeded:

MEN: 1. Oklahoma, 2. Illinois, 3. Baylor, 4. Virginia, 5. Duke, 6. Southern Cal, 7. Georgia, 8. Texas A&M, 9. Texas, 10. TCU, 11. Ohio State, 12. Wake Forest, 13. Virginia Tech, 14. Mississippi, 15. UCLA, 16. Florida
This scenario could produce an NCAA Round of 16 rematch between Baylor and Ole Miss, whom the Bears beat 4-1 last month in Oxford.
WOMEN: 1. Southern Cal, 2. North Carolina, 3. California, 4. UCLA, 5. Georgia, 6. Florida, 7. Vanderbilt, 8. Baylor, 9. Virginia, 10 Stanford, 11. Texas A&M, 12. Alabama, 13. Oklahoma State, 14. Michigan, 15. Pepperdine, 16. Miami
Baylor would be in line for a rematch with Virginia under this scenario, but this time with the Cavaliers at full strength. Playing without their top 2 players (flu) two months ago in Waco, Virginia had to forfeit a doubles match and two singles en route to a 6-1 loss.
NOTE: The seedings mimic the ITA computer rankings for the most part, but the tournament committee takes into account head-to-head victories between teams adjacent in the rankings. For instance, while the Baylor men are ranked ahead of Illinois by the ITA computer, the committee would move the Illini ahead of the Bears based upon their head-to-head win.

Looking out for No. 1
Another computer ranking, another first for the Big 12. The league boasts the top three players in the ITA men's singles rankings for the first time ever, with Soren Hess-Olesen (Texas) at No. 1, followed by Axel Alvarez (Oklahoma) and Julian Lenz (Baylor).

It's the first time one league has had the nation's top three players since April 9, 2013, when Virginia's Alex Domijan and Jarmere Jenkins were 1-2 on the ITA computer and Duke's Henry Cunha nosed out Tennessee's Mikelis Libietis at No. 3 for the ACC. It's also the first time in at least 8 years that a conference had the top three players from three different teams. The ITA's online archive has only year-end rankings prior to 2008, but no league has pulled off the feat since at least 2007.

The closest the Big 12 ever got before this year was in the season-opening poll (not a computer ranking) in September 2008, when Oklahoma State's Oleksandr Nedovyesov and Baylor's Denes Lukacs were 1-2 and Texas' Dimitar Kutrovsky was seventh.

Ironically, the Pac-12 almost pulled off the same feat on the women's side last week, with UCLA's Robin Anderson and California's Maegan Manasse ranked 1-2 and Stanford's Carol Zhao just behind Virginia's Julia Elbaba for No. 3.

Trivial matters
Which major-college tennis program has the longest active streak of conference championships in the regular-season and/or conference tournament? (See answer at end of column)

Stressed in Westwood
The difference between the UCLA Bruins being one of the favorites to win the NCAA women's championship next month and being THE favorite to do so may be no more than a foot. Jennifer Brady's foot, to be precise.

The sophomore from Boca Raton, Fla., had a 23-match winning streak last year as a freshmen, finished 8th in the final computer rankings and won an astounding 76 matches (39-8 in singles, 37-5 doubles) to earn ITA All-America honors in both disciplines.

This season? Not so much. After dropping only one set in five matches to win the Freeman Memorial Championships in Las Vegas in January, Brady played in two dual matches to start the season before being shut down for eight weeks with a stress fracture. She eased back into the lineup two weeks ago, winning doubles matches with partner Robin Anderson against Cal and Stanford, then beat Washington's Miki Kobayashi in straight sets last Thursday in her first singles match in more than two months.

But 24 hours later, Brady retired after falling behind unranked Alyssa Tobita of Oregon, 6-2, 3-2. Best case, she was exercising caution in a match the Bruins already had well in hand. Worst case, she could have tweaked the foot. No word yet, but her availability for UCLA's match at Arizona State on Friday should provide answers.

Either way, Brady's status illustrates the conundrum for UCLA: Play her now and risk re-injury, or play it safe and risk her not being in shape for the NCAAs.

"It's a balancing act," Baylor coach Joey Scrivano said last month before Brady's return to the lineup. "Injuries can be tricky, but you have to put the player out there at some point if you want them fit for the tournament."

With a lesser player, you might just shut her down and go with the next option. But Brady is a difference-maker.

"She's probably the best player in college tennis," Scrivano said. "Well, maybe not the best player right now. But she's the best pro prospect. She's got the highest ceiling of anyone I've seen."

In other words, she's worth the price of admission at the NCAAs. So keep your fingers crossed that she's healthy.

Who's hot
-- Axel Alvarez Llamas, Oklahoma: The junior from Asturias, Spain, dismantled #34 Lloyd Glasspool, 6-1, 6-2, last week to set the early tone in top-ranked OU's 4-1 win over then-#8 Texas. Still unbeaten in dual-match play at 16-0 (18-1 overall), the 6-foot-3 right-hander put himself in position to rise to No. 1 on the ITA computer next week after teammate Andrew Harris mauled UT's top-ranked Soren Hess-Oleson, 6-1, 6-3. Currently No. 2 in the singles rankings, Alvarez could become the first Sooner men's player to reach the top spot and the third Big 12 player this season, following Baylor's Julian Lenz and Hess-Olesen.

Alvarez is also ranked sixth in doubles with partner Dane Webb, with a 15-3 record at the No. 1 position in dual matches and 18-3 overall. He earned all-America honors as a sophomore with a 21-5 record in singles (37-8 overall) and was ranked sixth to end the season. He also set a school record with a 33-7 mark in doubles.

-- ROBIN ANDERSON, UCLA Bruins: The senior all-American from Matawan, N.J., jumped to No. 1 on the ITA computer last week and is likely to remain there for a while, based upon her 11-point lead over Cal's Maegan Manasse and Virginia's Julia Elbaba. Playing at No. 1 singles for the fourth-ranked and defending national champion Bruins, Anderson is 10-1 in dual matches and 15-1 overall, with a 10-1 record against ranked players. She's beaten Manasse, #4 Carol Zhao of Stanford, #6 Stephanie Wagner of Miami (twice), #11 Giuliana Olmos of USC and, in perhaps the best match played on Baylor's courts all season, #25 Ema Burgic of the Bears, 7-6, 7-6, in the last match on.

With doubles partner Jennifer Brady's return to the lineup, Anderson has a good chance to pull off a rare feat this spring: ITA All-America honors in both singles and doubles for a fourth straight year. With a 6-0 record, she and Brady are currently ranked 22nd. They would need to reach No. 8 to be seeded in the NCAA Tournament, advance to the quarterfinals, or finish in the Top 10 in the season-ending rankings to earn the all-America designation.

Looking ahead
Big matches on campus, April 2-15

Thursday, April 2
#21 Texas Tech men at #10 TCU: A win would solidify TCU's hold on a Top 10 seed in the NCAAs -- or put Tech in the hunt for a seed themselves.

Saturday, April 4
#7 Baylor women at #18 Texas Tech: The Bears have won or shared 9 of the last 10 Big 12 titles. Tech broke the string in 2012, and could do so again.
#2 North Carolina women at #16 Miami: Tar Heels (9-0 ACC) thumped Canes (7-1) in the ITA Indoors, but outdoors in Coral Gables is a different kettle of fish.

Sunday, April 5
#13 Virginia Tech men at #4 Virginia: Everyone who predicted this match would determine the ACC champion, raise your hand. ... LIARS!
#8 Texas A&M men at #16 Florida: Aggies try to tighten their grip on a Top 8 seed -- and potentially knock the Gators out of an NCAA host spot.

Wednesday, April 8
#11 Texas A&M women at #7 Baylor: The Aggies will be the highest-ranked team the Bears face before the NCAAs. And after 6 straight losses to them, you can bet Joey Scrivano has the date circled.

Friday, April 10
#1 Oklahoma men at #2 Baylor: Get your popcorn ready ... but please, don't throw it on the courts!
#5 Georgia women at #6 Florida: A de facto SEC championship match for the Bulldogs, who trail the Gators by a game in the conference standings.

Saturday, April 11
#8 Texas A&M men at #10 TCU: A&M looks to avenge an upset loss to the Frogs in the ITA Indoor Qualifier in College Station. But this time, a TCU win wouldn't be an upset.
#32 Texas women at #7 Baylor: Horns have been coming on since Breaunna Addison's return to the lineup, but Bears have won 15 of the last 16 in the series.
#14 Mississippi men at #6 Georgia: After a fast start, Ole Miss is in danger of losing its host spot for the NCAAs. A win in Athens guarantees they keep it.

Wednesday, April 15
#2 Baylor men at #9 Texas: Matt Knoll's teams have won 8 straight against Texas in Austin stretching back to 1999, by an average margin of almost 6-1. Since the Bears' last visit, Texas has torn down Penick-Allison Tennis Center. Coincidence? Surveying the field

A preview of some of the top contenders for the NCAA Championships in Waco beginning May 14

WOMEN: California Golden Bears
-- Record: 14-3 (5-1 in Pac-12)
-- Ranking: No. 3 on ITA computer (March 31)
-- How their resume shapes up: Cal got hay in the barn early with wins over Vanderbilt and TCU (currently Nos. 8 and 17) at the ITA Indoors, before it was clear just how good those teams were. The Golden Bears have since added victories over No. 4 UCLA (twice), No. 10 Stanford and No. 14 Pepperdine. And with a regular-season finale against Stanford plus another shot at USC, UCLA and/or the Cardinal in the Pac-12 tournament, they still have an opportunity to improve their seeding.
-- Top players: After compiling a 33-7 record as a freshman, second-ranked Maegan Manasse (So, Redondo Beach, Calif.) made the jump this season from No. 6 singles to No. 1, where she's 10-4 in dual matches and 34-7 overall. Klara Fabikova (#22, Jr, Brno, Czech Republic) is 10-3 at 2, while Zsofi Susanyi (#33, Sr, Szeged, Hungary) and Denise Starr (#43, Soph, Brooklyn) are 10-4 and 10-3, respectively, in the middle of the lineup. Karla Popovic (#61, Fr, Zabok, Croatia) anchors the bottom half with an 11-4 mark in duals, 33-7 overall.
-- NCAA Tournament history: California has advanced to the NCAA Tournament in all 33 seasons since the first event in 1982. The Golden Bears' high-water marks were runner-up finishes to UCLA and Stanford in 2008-09. Overall record: 62-33 in 33 appearances.
-- Record against Baylor: 2-1. Cal won the only NCAA Tournament meeting between the schools, 4-3, in the 2008 semifinals in Tulsa.

WOMEN: Florida Gators
-- Record: 17-1 (9-0 in SEC)
-- Ranking: No. 6 on ITA computer (March 31)
-- How their resume shapes up: For a team in an elite league with only 1 loss, the Gators are ranked surprisingly low. But a closer look shows a resume light on impressive wins. They have only two against Top 10 teams (#9 Virginia, #10 Stanford) and four more vs. the Top 20. But Florida has a chance to close strong with SEC matches against No. 8 Vanderbilt (Sunday, in Nashville) and No. 5 Georgia (April 10, in Gainesville).
-- Top players: The Gators have a longstanding reputation for consistency and professionalism, and it's reflected in their record again this year. In 18 dual matches, they've lost no more than four points at any position. Brooke Austin (#5, Fr, Indianapolis) leads the way with an 11-2 mark at 1, while Josie Kuhlman (#7, Fr, Ponte Vedra, Fla.) is 10-2 at 2 and Brianna Morgan (#24, Jr, Beverly Hills, Calif.) 10-3 at 3. Kourtney Keegan (#37, Soph, Roswell, Ga.) has been the mainstay in the bottom half, posting a 10-1 mark (6-0 in SEC play), primarily at 5.
-- NCAA Tournament history: Florida has missed the NCAAs only once (1986) in the 33-year history of the women's event, and has won 6 NCAA championships (1992-96-98-03-11-12). Overall record: 102-26 in 32 appearances
-- Record against Baylor: 6-0. Florida is 3-0 against the Bears in NCAA Tournament play, eliminating them in 2005 (Round of 16), 2006 (quarterfinals) and 2007 (Round of 16). The Gators won in Waco in 2012 (5-2, outdoors) and 2014 (7-0, indoors).
Previously previewed: North Carolina (Feb. 17), UCLA (March 4), Texas A&M (March 18)

MEN: Oklahoma Sooners
-- Record: 19-1 (2-0 in Big 12)
-- Ranking: No. 1 on ITA computer (March 31)
-- How their resume shapes up: OU's list of victims is practically bulletproof. The Sooners' 8 victories against teams currently ranked in the Top 12 are three more than closest pursuers Baylor and Illinois, and double the total of anyone else. With wins over No. 2 Baylor (twice), No. 4 Virginia, No. 7 USC, No. 9 Texas and No. 10 TCU, plus road wins at No. 11 Ohio State and No. 12 Wake Forest, they've already done enough to earn the NCAA's top seed next month. Baylor is probably the only team with a shot at catching them, and the Bears would have to beat them in both the regular season and the Big 12 Tournament -- and even that might not be enough. Along the way, Oklahoma has earned its first national championship in the ITA Team Indoors in Chicago, ended Ohio State's record 200-match home win streak, and won the BNP Paribas Collegiate Challenge in Indian Wells.
-- Top players: Undefeated and second-ranked Axel Alvarez is a two-time all-American, but the Sooners are tough outs from top to bottom. Andrew Harris (#13, Soph, Melbourne, Australia) is 12-4 in dual matches at the top of the order, while Dane Webb (#23, Sr, Richardson) and Alex Ghilea (#65, Soph, Neamt, Romania) give OU one of the nation's best middle-of-the-orders with a combined dual record of 24-5. Florin Bragusi (Soph, Ramnicu Valcea, Romania) anchors the bottom of the lineup with a 7-1 mark, including a couple huge last-match-on-court wins.
-- NCAA Tournament history: After six NCAA appearances (and only one victory) from 1977-98, the Sooners broke through in coach John Roddick's 2010 debut, reaching the quarterfinals before losing to Georgia. After another Round of 16 appearance in 2013, OU blew through the bracket last year in Athens, winning five straight before falling to Southern Cal in the championship match. Overall record: 12-11 in 11 appearances.
-- Record against Baylor: 22-20. With their wins at the ITA Indoors and the BNP Paribas Collegiate Challenge, the Sooners have won 8 of the last 10 in the series, although the Bears beat them 4-3 in the Big 12 Tournament final last year in Fort Worth. Before OU's renaissance under Roddick, Baylor had won 17 straight. But the Sooners have now narrowed the gap against Matt Knoll-coached teams to 19-9.

MEN: Illinois Fighting Illini
-- Record: 17-3 (5-0 in Big 10)
-- Ranking: No. 3 on ITA computer (March 31)
-- How their resume shapes up: Illinois has played perhaps the most aggressive schedule in the nation, and it's paid off handsomely. With road victories over Top 10 teams Baylor, Texas and Texas A&M, as well as two beatdowns of Big 10 rival Ohio State, the Illini have all but locked up a top-five seed for the NCAA Tournament. Good thing, too. Because with three weeks of Big 10 chaff to blow through -- 6 matches, only 1 ranked opponent -- Illinois' resume is as good as it's going to get until a possible rematch with the Buckeyes in the conference tournament.
-- Top players: Jared Hiltzik (#22, Jr, Wilmette, Ill.) has been Illinois' bell cow all year, replacing suspended Big 10 Player of the Year Farris Gosea (#47, Sr, Cardiff, Wales) atop the lineup and compiling a 15-1 mark in dual matches. Tim Kopinski (#42, Sr, Palos Hills, Ill.) and #52 Aron Hiltzik, Jared's freshman brother, are solid (14-3 and 11-3, respectively) in the middle of the lineup, and Alex Vukics (#50, Fr, Sydney, Australia) has been practically unbeatable at 4 and 5, posting a 13-1 mark in duals and 35-4 overall.
-- NCAA Tournament history: The Illini didn't make their first tournament until 1996, but like Baylor didn't take long to become a national power. They won their first NCAA match in 1999 and advanced to the quarterfinals -- just as Baylor did. Four years later, they won their first national title in Athens, a year before the Bears took the crown in Tulsa. Illinois also advanced to the final in 2007 in Athens, beating BU in the semis, before losing to Georgia in the title match. Overall record: 41-18 in 19 appearances.
-- Record against Baylor: 5-5. The Illini evened the all-time series with their season-opening road win over Baylor in January. Ten of the first 11 meetings were at neutral sites, with the teams splitting a pair of NCAA Tournament matches. Illinois beat BU, 4-3, in the NCAA semifinals in 2007, while the Bears blanked the Illini, 4-0, last year in the Round of 16. Baylor has a 3-2 edge in five ITA National Team Indoor matchups, and also beat the Illini last year in the inaugural Oracle Collegiate Challenge at Indian Wells.
Previously previewed: UCLA (Feb. 17), Georgia (March 4), Southern Cal (March 18)

Trivia answer
The Northwestern University women's team has won at least one Big 10 Conference championship, either regular-season or tournament, for 16 straight years -- the longest such streak in major-college tennis. The Wildcats' run corresponds with coach Claire Pollard's arrival for the 1998-99 season, and includes 12 regular-season titles and 15 tournament crowns. Northwestern won 45 straight postseason matches against Big 10 opponents before a 4-2 semifinal loss to Purdue in the 2012 conference tourney, and is now 51-1 in such matches under Pollard.

The irony is that there's a good chance the streak ends this season. The 27th-ranked Wildcats are scuffling along in sixth place in the Big 10 at 3-2 (8-5 overall), and were dominated 6-1 by co-leaders Ohio State and Michigan. Northwestern will host the Big 10 Tournament this month in Evanston, Ill., but the Wildcats will almost certainly have to pull off at least two upsets to extend their title string to 17 years.

Comments or corrections? Email me at kimgorum@gmail.com.