Rock Chalk Solid

Zo and his mates look to be a cinch No. 1 seed in the NCAAs, and they should be joined in the tournament by Missouri, Oklahoma State, Oklahoma, Iowa State and Nebraska. "This is the best conference, bar none, and I don't care what anybody says," says Walters.

Indeed, as Williams walked into his office on Sunday night, the hugging over and the nets snipped, he looked at the new addition—the Big Eight trophy—sitting on a table behind his desk. "That looks mighty good," he said. But he also knew it wasn't good enough—not at Kansas, where the expectations are so bright and clear that you can even see them through the Phog.