Women’s basketball bracketology: Baylor ascends to the top line

SEATTLE, WA – MARCH 03: Cal Bears Asha Thomas drives through the lane during the women’s Pac 12 college tournament game between the Oregon State Beavers and the California Golden Bears on March 03, 2017, at the Key Arena in Seattle, WA. (Photo by Aric Becker/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

Waco:

1. Baylor (Big 12)
16. Southern (SWAC)

8. California
9. Missouri

Tallahassee:

5. Maryland
12. Hartford (America East)

4. Florida State
13. Tennessee Tech (OVC)

Cal is nearing a danger zone here. The Bears coasted early on good-not-great wins, including one at BYU that’s starting to look great, but they haven’t done much since. That’s the bad news. The news that’s either much better or even worse depending on what happens is that this is their upcoming schedule:

GAHHHHHHHH!

Syracuse:

6. Texas
11. Ohio (MAC)

3. Syracuse
14. VCU (Atlantic 10)

Eugene:

7. Indiana
10. Tennessee

2. Oregon
15. Mercer (Southern)

And here’s where Baylor being a low 1 seed hurts the Bears. Oregon, as the top 2 seed, gets sent to its closest regional — Portland. That means Baylor would possibly have to win a virtual road game in the Elite Eight in order to make the Final Four. If Baylor was, instead, the top 2 seed, it would have gone to Greensboro instead.