Special from
College Tennis Today
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We are a little more than two months out from this year's NCAA Division I Tennis Championships, which will be held in Tulsa, Oklahoma, from May 19-30, so I thought I'd get the discussion started as the season starts to really ramp up over the next few weeks. There's still a ton of tennis to be played between now and then, but what happens over these next few weeks will play a role in determining how the seeding is laid out in early May.
I'll start off with the teams that I'd consider to be serious national title contenders, and then I'll look at the teams in the next wave. Lastly I'll look at some teams that will be in the running to host a regional but may be a piece away from making a serious run in Tulsa. For the last two groups I'll pose a question that each team will have to answer if it wants to jump into the next tier.
The Men's Contenders
#1 North Carolina - the Tar Heels are still undefeated and have a singles lineup that is strong from top to bottom with Brayden Schnur, Ronnie Schneider, Brett Clark, Jack Murray, Robert Kelly, and Anu Kodali combining to go 55-8 in dual-match play. North Carolina did struggle in doubles during the National Indoors but they haven't dropped the point since then. As long as this team stays healthy it's going to be tough to beat.
#2 Virginia - the defending champion Cavaliers have lost twice so far, though they were without Ryan Shane in the match against Illinois. There aren't many teams that rival Virginia's firepower, but the guys have to stay healthy, and Mac Styslinger needs to find his groove in the lower half of the lineup. Virginia has been at its best in the NCAA Tournament when it comes in lower than the No. 1 overall seed, so maybe a few early losses aren't the worst thing for this team.
#3 TCU - the Horned Frogs are solid at one through five with Cameron Norrie, Alex Rybakov, Guillermo Nunez, Eduardo Nava, and Jerry Lopez going 35-11 in dual-match play, but they need some more consistency in doubles and at No. 6 singles. TCU is 6-4 in doubles against ranked opponents and 5-7 in singles at the No. 6 spot in the singles lineup. If TCU can get those two areas shored up, it will be that much tougher to beat. TCU will be familiar with the windy conditions that it'll most likely see in Tulsa, so that will give them a leg up on some of the competition.
